Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen wrote the most famous song in American cinema, and he did it with a melodic sensibility shaped on the streets of Buffalo, New York. Born Hyman Arluck on February 15, 1905, in Buffalo, Arlen grew up in a household where music was sacred — literally. His father, Samuel Arluck, was a celebrated cantor […]
Jimmy Van Heusen
Jimmy Van Heusen wrote 76 songs for Frank Sinatra, won four Academy Awards, and shaped the sound of American popular music for three decades — all starting from a radio station in Syracuse, New York. Born Edward Chester Babcock on January 26, 1913, in Syracuse, Van Heusen began writing songs in high school and had […]
Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway was born on Christmas Day in Rochester, New York, and went on to become one of the most charismatic entertainers in American history. Born Cabell Calloway III on December 25, 1907, at the family home on 153 South Washington Street in Rochester’s Third Ward, Calloway spent his first eleven years in the city […]
Grover Washington Jr.
Grover Washington Jr. is the musician most responsible for the sound we now call smooth jazz, and his foundation was built in Buffalo, New York. Born on December 12, 1943, in Buffalo, Washington grew up in a household where jazz was a daily presence. His father, Grover Washington Sr., played tenor saxophone and introduced his […]
Chuck Mangione
Chuck Mangione made the flugelhorn famous, and he did it from Rochester, New York. Born on November 29, 1940, to Italian-American parents who owned Mangione Grocery, he grew up in a household where jazz was the family language. His father’s enthusiasm for the music meant that the Mangione home was a gathering place for musicians, […]
Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd is widely regarded as the most influential studio drummer of the twentieth century, and his story begins in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, New York. Born on April 9, 1945, Gadd was playing drums by age three, taught by his uncle Eddie. Formal lessons followed at age seven under instructors Bill and Stanley […]
Emmet Cohen: Miles & Coltrane at 100 at Kleinhans Music Hall | May 17, 2026
Piano virtuoso Emmet Cohen celebrates the centennials of Miles Davis and John Coltrane at Kleinhans Music Hall on May 17. A once-in-a-lifetime program honoring two titans who changed music forever.
Ed Palermo Big Band at The Falcon | April 25, 2026
The Ed Palermo Big Band brings their legendary jazz arrangements of Frank Zappa’s music to The Falcon on April 25. Eighteen musicians, one of America’s most complex catalogs, and a Hudson Valley stage built for exactly this.
Antibalas at Levon Helm Studios | April 3, 2026
Brooklyn Afrobeat orchestra Antibalas brings the spirit of Fela Kuti to Levon Helm Studios on April 3. Polyrhythmic grooves and a legendary Woodstock room — an evening built for transcendence.
Benny Benack III at Universal Preservation Hall | May 29, 2026
Jazz at Lincoln Center artist Benny Benack III brings his trumpet and vocal talents to Universal Preservation Hall on May 29. One of jazz’s brightest young stars in one of Saratoga’s finest rooms.