Festival History
“Of all the sophisticated forms of music, jazz is the most self-revealing, the music where there is the least room for the performer to hide who he or she is.” – Nat Hentoff
The Lewiston Jazz Festival was founded as a community service by the nearby New York Power Authority. The the Power Authority turned over operation of the Festival to Lewiston Jazz Festival, Inc. a nonprofit organization, which has mounted the Festival every year since, except in 2020 and 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the years, the Festival has featured some of the biggest names in jazz. (See our Past Headliners HERE) and is especially proud of its eye for spotting up-and-coming talent, which has enabled us to bring in some exceptionally bright stars, like Kurt Elling, John Pizarelli and Veronica Swift, before the rest of the world discovered them!