The Kleinhans date on April 22 is not a standard jazz bill. Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves are bringing Celebrate the Ballads of John Coltrane to Kleinhans Music Hall — a programmatic tribute to the landmark 1963 album John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, timed to the centennial of Coltrane’s birth. Both artists are NEA Jazz Masters. Buffalo is one of only a handful of U.S. cities on the itinerary. It is worth the drive.
What They Are Performing — and Why It Matters
The Celebrate the Ballads of John Coltrane tour was built around the Coltrane centennial and the material from his 1963 collaboration with vocalist Johnny Hartman — one of the most revered pairings in jazz history. Marsalis and Reeves are recording this material for Blue Note Records, with a studio album planned for fall 2026 release. The world tour includes Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Gasteig in Munich, and the Barcelona Jazz Festival. When a program has that itinerary, you take note of the Buffalo date and you buy the ticket.
About the Artists
Branford Marsalis is one of the defining saxophonists of the last four decades — multiple Grammy winner, bandleader, and a player whose range runs from straight-ahead jazz to orchestral work to theater. Dianne Reeves is the vocalist jazz keeps coming back to: Grammy-winning, technically commanding, with a warmth that makes complex harmonic territory feel like home. As a pairing for this specific material — the lush, intimate ballads that defined the Coltrane-Hartman record — they are about as well-matched as it gets.
The Venue
Kleinhans Music Hall is at 3 Symphony Circle in downtown Buffalo. The hall holds 2,441 seats following a 2015 renovation. Plan your arrival well before 7 p.m. — a bill like this fills every seat, and this is not a night you want to spend rushing through the lobby. Browse the full Buffalo / Western NY concert calendar while you are planning the trip.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now. Thursday, April 22, 2027, at 7 p.m. Get tickets at Kleinhans.