The Festival has earned a reputation of showcasing top-tier talent. Since 2021, it has presented artists such as Delfeayo Marsalis, Bobby Militello, Nicole Zuraitis, Nick Finzer, David Jonathan, and a host of others. This year, the Festival continues to branch out with new faces, including a few big names.

“We strive to present a wide-ranging musical experience,” says Nick Weiser, Artistic Director of the Festival. “Jazz encompasses a vast array of styles and influences, reflecting its global reach and the diverse cultures that have shaped it. Our programming aims to celebrate this diversity by featuring an array of guest artists representative of the world’s many voices.”

The 2024 Fredonia Jazz Festival is three days of performances that explore the richness of the jazz. It starts on Thursday, Sept. 19 with a “Jazz at Domus Fare” performance with Benny Benack III, trumpet and voice.

“Jazz at Domus Fare” is a subscription series of events at the Domus Fare Restaurant, 41 W. Main Street. It often features renowned guest artists. Performances are at 5:30 and 8. Advanced purchase is highly recommended.

Benny Benack III

Benny Benack III (or BB3 for short) is the third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables. He follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr. (1921- 86), and his father Benny Benack Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience.

The Pittsburgh heritage is rich with great jazz musicians: Roy Eldridge, Earl Hines, Art Blakey, Billy Strayhorn and so many more. BB3’s rare ability to perform as a fiery trumpeter and a sly, convincing singer were first apparent in 2014 when he was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition on trumpet and placed third in the prestigious Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition.

Thereafter, his critically acclaimed albums and his collaborations with a host of other rising stars have made him one of the most in-demand jazz performers today. Benny will be performing with Weiser, piano (SUNY Fredonia), Nicholas Walker, bass (University of Michigan), and Gregory Evans, drums (University at Binghamton).

On Friday, Sept. 20, the Festival moves to the campus for a concert by the award-winning Fredonia Jazz Orchestra. This 8 p.m. concert, held in Rosch Recital Hall in the School of Music (Mason Hall), is free and open to the public.

There are performances all day on Saturday, Sept. 21. It starts at 2 p.m. with “A Jazz Jam” at the Domus Fare Restaurant.

The Fredonia Jazz Workshop, a campus student organization that has been continuously active since 1934, will be hosting this event. If you want to “sit in,” bring your instrument. Or just come and listen to the informal, creative adventure. Free.

“A Jazz Jam” is followed at 4 by the Dave Golando Quintet at the Fredonia First Methodist Church. Dave has assembled groups to perform at every Fredonia Jazz Festival since the beginning. He will perform on tenor and soprano saxes, and he will be joined by Carol McLaughlin, tenor sax and flute, Ian Liedke, piano, Mark Cousins, bass, and Jon Anderson, drums.

At 7 p.m., the world-renowned Anat Cohen performs at the Fredonia Opera House. She is a master of the saxophone and the clarinet, and The New Yorker Magazine calls her “a present day multicultural wonder.” With influences from classical music, Middle Eastern idioms, Brazilian rhythms, swing and New Orleans styles, she leads her musicians with unbridled freedom and “infectious joy.” (NYT)

She will be joined by three young musicians who will surely ignite the stage with their virtuosity and creativity. Gadi Lehavi, piano, Tal Mashiach, bass, and Ofri Nehemya, drums, are known as the GTO Trio, and they have toured together widely, with and without Anat. All four of these musicians came to the United States from Israel to study jazz, and all have decided to make New York City their permanent home.

Over the past two decades in New York, Anat has never stopped growing and expanding. “When I play,” she says, “I respect the source of the music, whether it’s Cuban, Brazilian or Israeli. Music has no borders and no flags.”

To learn more about the Festival and to get tickets for the events, please visit fredoniajazzsociety.com.