FULTON – Four nights of great jazz, food and fun return with the Fulton Jazz Festival, Aug. 10-13 at Fulton’s beautiful Lock 3 Canal Park, said festival President Joe Cortini.
Headliners Ronnie Leigh on Friday and Nancy Kelly on Saturday will deliver world-class performances, but there’s a great lineup of diverse performers and tunes to be heard.
“Fulton Jazz Fest is the complete package in entertainment,” said Fulton Mayor Deana Michaels. “We have a gorgeous location right on the river, amazing, world-class entertainment, and food and beverages to enjoy it with. It’s an event that showcases the very best of what Fulton has to offer.”
Tavern On The Lock will be set up riverside with their amazing gumbo and jambalaya as well as traditional favorites like dogs and burgers, Cortini said.
The beer, wine and soft drink booth will be set up adjacent to the outdoor kitchen. Spirited libations can be had at the Inside bar, and a full menu will be served both indoors and on the deck.
“Jazz Fest brings people to Downtown Fulton, and we encourage them to support not only our festival vendors, but other local restaurants as well,” said Jazz Fest secretary Beth Ann Dice.
Back by popular demand is the Wednesday kick-off on the deck at Tavern On The Lock. Drummer Joe Cortini brings his Jazz Mafia Trio with Dave Solazzo on piano and Matt Vacanti on bass with a healthy dose of straight-ahead jazz.
All three musicians are noted for backing regional and national acts.
“The biggest thrill Is playing right here in Fulton, where my dad and grandfather were mainstays on the local scene,” Cortini said. “Matt’s daughter Vanessa is making waves in Central New York as a jazz vocalist, and we will feature her for a set.”
Wednesday’s performance—like all others—is free and open to the public.
Thursday, Aug. 11, brings the Oswego County Musician’s Union Swinging Big Band to Bullhead Point (709 West Broadway), for a 7 p.m. show.
The band is led by pianist/arranger Stan Gosek, who taught for 22 years at SUYNY Oswego as director of Jazz Studies and features many outstanding local musicians. Hits from the 30’s and 40’s made popular by the big bands will be featured as well as many of Gosek’s arrangements.
Friday, the festival settles in at Lock 3 Canal Park and kicks off at 5:00 p.m. with a performance by Morris Tarbell & The Hepcats. The group plays rockabilly, surf, blues, and rockabilly versions of classic rock.
Headliner jazz vocalist Ronnie Leigh follows at 6:30 p.m. for his first appearance at the festival.
Frank Malfitano, founder of the Syracuse Jazz Fest, said “All I can tell you is that he’s one of the finest song stylists working in jazz today….He’s also one of the finest Soul and R&B stylists I’ve ever heard and an amazing entertainer.”
Friday’s entertainment wraps with a performance by party band Atlas at 8:00 p.m., which will be sure to get the crowd dancing, Cortini said.
Saturday kicks off at 4 p.m. with The Instigators pushing out straight ahead Chicago blues and Southern soul, followed by Fulton Jazz Fest favorite, Nancy Kelly at 6 p.m.
Kelly was twice named “Best Female Jazz Vocalist” in the Downbeat Reader’s Poll. She has recorded six critically acclaimed CDs, is hailed as one of the premier jazz vocalists of our time, and she was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2021.
Drummer Nate Brown and Brownskin take the stage at 8 p.m.with vocal-driven soul and funk dance tunes.
The lineup is as follows:
Wednesday, August 10 – Tavern On The Lock Deck
6:00-9:00 PM Joe Cortini and his Jazz Mafia with Vanessa Vacanti
Thursday, August 11 – Bullhead Point
7:00 p.m. Oswego County Musicians Swinging Big Band
Friday, August 12 – Lock 3 Canal View Park
5:00 p.m. Morris Tarbell & The Hepcats
6:30 Ronnie Leigh
8:00 Atlas
Saturday, August 13 – Lock 3 Canal View Park
4:00 p.m. The Instigators
6:00 Nancy Kelly
8:00 Brownskin Band
This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature and administered by CNY Arts.
This event is funded in-part, through the generous support of the NYS Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Once again, Fulton Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor, and major sponsors include Fulton Music Association, Tim Carroll, and Pathfinder Bank.
For more information about the festival, or sponsorship opportunities, call or text Fulton Jazz Fest at (315) 760-5299, or [email protected]. The event is online at www.fultonjazzfest.com, and on Facebook under “Fulton Jazz Festival.”
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