Big Blitz call themselves a “noise jazz trio,” a configuration built on two saxophones and a drum kit that sits at an odd angle to jazz tradition, absent the harmonic anchor most groups depend on. The Pittsburgh group has made that absence structural: what they lose in chordal support, they appear to have converted into sheer forward motion. They bring that approach to Funk ‘n Waffles in Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 25.
About the Show
Brothers Lucas and Mason Ciesielski each handle tenor and baritone saxophone, with synthesizers layered in to fill the register where a piano or guitar might otherwise sit; Nick Grabigel anchors on drums. The band formed in August 2016 during a Pittsburgh jam session, and their operating premise has been to sound like considerably more than three musicians, blending dance, jazz, rock, and electronic influences into what they describe as a “huge, hard-hitting sound.” The synthesis of vintage instruments with contemporary technology is where that ambition lands: saxophone pushed past its polite registers, synthesizer as connective tissue between the jazz impulse and the dance floor.
The most recent record is Neptune, released September 27, 2025. The album runs ten tracks — from the four-minute “Ultracold” to the seven-plus-minute title track, with “Got the Shakes” stretching to nearly eight minutes in between — and was recorded by Chris Salvato at Weird Music Studios in Pittsburgh. “Neptune” and “Frankenstein’s Mobster” have both appeared in the band’s 2026 live sets. Their stated emphasis is chemistry and stage presence, and they frame the live experience as one where dancing becomes “mandatory, rather than optional.” Big Blitz has been active on the road through 2026, with confirmed dates in Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, and Maryland’s Ramble Festival flanking this stop.
Venue & Logistics
Funk ‘n Waffles is at 307 S. Clinton St. in Syracuse, operating as a bar, restaurant, and music venue that holds 200 people. For a noise jazz trio working to sound considerably larger than its parts, the scale is right: a room where two saxophones can fill the air, and the percussion lands without distance taking the edge off. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; the set runs 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. This is an 18-and-older event.
Tickets
Tickets start at $13.07 and are on sale now. Buy tickets