Ladies First Jazz Big Band
Main Stage
Friday, August 28, 2026 - 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
The Ladies First Big Band is a 16-pc. all-female group formed by bassist Jennifer May. The band had its roots in a six piece ensemble started in 1994.
In the fall of 2002, Jennifer expanded this 6-pc group into a full-sized Big Band for a show she was producing in celebration of Women's History Month. The show, "An All-Female Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald," was performed in 2003 at Allen Hall on the University of Buffalo South Campus and was very well-received. The Band has been performing together ever since.
Since that first appearance, the Ladies First Big Band has celebrated Women's History Month every year with a new production of "Women of Jazz by Women of Jazz"; a tribute to female jazz performers. The band has performed everywhere from Jamestown to Rochester, and concert venues ranging from the Tralf Music Hall and Riviera Theatre, to the M&T Noontime Summer Concert Series, Canal Fest, and Taste of Buffalo.
The musicians in the Ladies First Big Band are based in the Western New York area, and many of them perform in other local bands. The group rehearses every Sunday at the Newman Center near the UB North Campus. Their debut CD, Ladies First Live at the Tralf was released in 2009.
