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Jazz Fest 2025

Did you ever think of sponsors as something other than a company or organization getting some notice by lending its name (and support) to an endorsable product or event? The sponsor sees something “happening” and wants to get involved, wants to make it happen, be a part of it, make it bigger, brighter, better.

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave © EMily Butler Photography

If you look at the list of sponsors for this year’s Jazz Fest, you’ll immediately see that it’s at least a partial reflection of ourselves, and the place we call home. Everything from media (including the paper you’re reading), medicine and markets, to power, the press, technology and potential. You’ll find the things that make us special, the things that bring us together, and the things we can’t live without all represented in the names and activities of those sponsors. Sort of like music, and gathering together to have fun, find friends, and frankly, experience the joy of a great weekend in the too-short summer.

There’s more to the story of sponsorship, Frank Malfitano, Jazz Fest originator and director explained. “It’s a new financial project, each and every year. And new costs for everything from entertainers to the actual stages and lights to showcase them. We build a new venue every year.”

Italy’s Ada Rovatti

Syracuse and Central New York can be grateful that one individual, one dynamic personality, one enduring passion, can bring a whole city and for that matter region along with him on a quest to make something special happen. Not once, but over 39 times – Frank Malfitano. The man is a powerhouse of talent and dedication, and he’s turned that into one of the brightest spots on the summer horizon: Jazz Fest!

But, as Malfitano reminds us, an event like Jazz Fest is more than his dedication. Recovering from a heart attack just last fall, Malfitano is still “swinging,” bringing together some truly incredible acts to perform on stages large and small for your entertainment. But that recent health scare made Malfitano think about legacies.

“We’ve created a tradition in Jazz Fest,” Malfitano said. “We created a festival that was to be free and accessible to all. Big name talent, local, national, and international, and all celebrating a uniquely American form of music – Jazz. The policy has been share it. Share it.”

The-Spinners

He went on to explain that a major goal for him has been to get community funding for the event set for a longer horizon than “just this year.” “Ideally,” he said, “it would be a package that would cover a 4 year period, with each year funded at a certain level. That frees us up to concentrate on the legacy of the event, to keep it going, and going strong, whether I, or any other one person, was there to make it happen.”

Nottingham HS Band

Fund-raisers for civic and cultural events will stress the value of an event or venue that goes beyond the immediate gratification of going to a festival, or visiting a public space. These things draw visitors and fans, and bring business to the local vendors, suppliers, shops and eateries.

Quoting a quip attributed to Joe Louis, Malfitano reminded us “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die – people WANT this festival, LOVE this festival, COUNT ON this festival – but it doesn’t happen by magic. Fund-raising is what might be described as ‘dentistry,’ “ he said, leaving us to get the joke and appreciate the wry humor. “My hope is that we’ll get to the 40th anniversary year and not only have a great festival, but get the funding and support scheduled in for many years to come, so the festival can concentrate on going forward and getting even better.”

Reading over the list of acts, you’d have to wonder what “better” might look like – knowing that what makes Jazz Fest such a great event is the number and quality of acts booked each year, this one being no exception. This year, Malfitano has taken us on a figurative “trip,” sharing with us some super-star jazz talent from places near and far. The lineup lists: 3 Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, 1 NEA Jazz Master, 2 New Orleans Legends, and a plethora of International jazz artists from Italy, Sweden, Cuba, England and the USA that will take the stage this June at Jazz Fest 39.

Matteo Mancuso – foto Paolo Terlizzi sixhats studio – Favara – Farm Cultural Park – 2023

Italy’s Ada Rovatti is being heralded as one of the finest saxophonists in jazz.

Sicily’s young jazz guitar phenom Matteo Mancuso is considered to be the next Jeff Beck. Sweden’s Gunhild Carling is a global superstar, and is generally regarded as the finest entertainer in all of jazz.

New Orleans’ Donald Harrison is an NEA Jazz Master and vastly accomplished in multiple musical styles, disciplines and genres, and the creator of Jazz’s Nouveau Swing.

5 featured groups claim the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame connections:

Todd Rundgren

Inductees:

Journey drummer Steve Smith
The Spinners
Todd Rundgren
Al Chez who was a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame House Band with Paul Shaffer for decades.
The Furious Bongos who will be performing the Music of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Frank Zappa.

Malfitano went on to single out “Onondaga County Executive, Ryan McMahon, the members of the Onondaga County Legislature and everyone at Onondaga County. We also want to thank the NYS Assembly and 127th District Assembly member, Al Stirpe…they…have been working tirelessly and in tandem with all of the region’s participating corporate sponsors to make this year’s festival possible. Syracuse University also got a major shout out from Malfitano along with JMA Wireless, National Grid, Amazon, Visit Syracuse, RAV Properties, and newcomer Upstate Medical.”

Jazz Fest is one of those yearly events that, for as long as many can recall, has been a staple of Syracuse Summer. Noting that Syracuse’s Jazz Fest is easily comparable to similar fests in Saratoga and Rochester, New York, and Reading, Pennsylvania – with much greater annualized funding and municipal support. Malfitano urges all of us to come out and enjoy this event, and then lend a hand to seeing to it that the 40th anniversary isn’t “groundhog day.” “Starting at zero annually and doing it all over again is kind of like ground hog day – not a sustainable business model – if all the money gets spent each year, you have to recreate the wheel again. And again. And again. We’re hopeful that this will be the last groundhog year!”

For more information on the 2025 Syracuse International Jazz Festival, visit the official Syracuse Jazz Fest website at www.Syracusejazzfest.com or the Visit Syracuse website at www.VisitSyracuse.com