paul marinaro quartet
Main Stage
Friday, August 28, 2026 - 8:45 pm - 10:15 pm
"...nothing short of triumphant" ****. Robert Nicosia, Music Man
"... highly placed in the Vocal Albums of the Year" - Lance Liddle, Bebop Spoken Here (UK)
Acclaimed singer and Buffalo native Paul Marinaro returns home accompanied by his Chicago quintet as he continues to celebrate the release of his landmark, ambitious new album MOOD ELLINGTON, an expansive and deeply felt tribute to the timeless music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
Described by Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune as possessing “one of the most beautiful vocal instruments in the business today” Marinao is based in Chicago and has established himself as one of the most in-demand and respected jazz vocalists of his generation, earning recognition as “among the top five male jazz singers active today” (Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene).
Known for his expressive phrasing and deep connection to lyric, Marinaro brings both authority and immediacy to his performances, engaging audiences through interpretations that are at once deeply rooted in tradition and unmistakably personal. Critic and author Neil Tesser has noted his “jazz-steeped, expressive baritone… interpreting intricate melodies with a fresh, innovative perspective.”
In Chicago, he performs regularly to sold-out audiences at premier venues including the legendary Jazz Showcase and Green Mill, Winter's Jazz Club, and Studio5 Performing Arts Center. Complementing these club engagements, Marinaro has also appeared in larger concert settings at notable venues including the Auditorium Theatre, the Studebaker Theater, and City Winery Chicago.
A frequent featured artist at major festivals, Marinaro has appeared multiple times at the Chicago Jazz Festival, including a widely acclaimed duet performance with Sheila Jordan at the Pritzker Pavilion that earned “Best of the Year” honors from the Chicago Tribune. He has also appeared at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and at leading venues and festivals across the United States and Canada.
Internationally, he has appeared at Birdland Jazz Club in New York City and at leading venues and festivals across Canada, including the Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts and Jazz Sudbury. In Europe, he has performed at Jazzhus Montmartre and Konserthuset Stockholm, and throughout Italy, including being honored at the Premio Penisola Sorrentina in Sorrento in 2024.
In 2025, Marinaro toured with the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet across Canada, with additional appearances in Europe including Marian’s Jazzroom in Bern, Switzerland, and a featured performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Marinaro is also a featured vocalist with the Metropolitan Jazz Octet and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, appearing in major concert works and festivals. Highlights include a celebrated recreation of Sinatra at the Sands at the Studebaker Theater, which earned “Best of the Year” honors from the Chicago Tribune, part of six such distinctions he has received, along with “Best of Chicago” recognition from NewCity Magazine.
His recordings include the critically praised debut Without a Song (2013), a tribute to his father, and the live album One Night in Chicago (2015). In the years that followed, Marinaro expanded his artistic scope through a series of large-scale projects, including his post-pandemic concept album Not Quite Yet (2022) and The Bowie Project (2023) with the Metropolitan Jazz Octet, both of which were met with widespread critical acclaim and national press, including features in DownBeat Magazine.
His latest release, Mood Ellington (2025), is a sweeping 25-song collection featuring 21 musicians and 13 nationally acclaimed arrangers, offering a bold, large-scale and deeply personal reimagining of the music of Duke Ellington. The album has been met with widespread critical acclaim, appearing on numerous “Best Vocal Album of the Year” lists and charting nationally, with Jonathan Widran calling it “the ultimate Duke Ellington tribute album of all time.”
“Here, Marinaro moves beyond homage into authorship, not rewriting Ellington, but reinterpreting him through the sensibility of a singer who listens as deeply as he sings.”
— Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
Marinaro continues to perform internationally and develop new projects, bringing a modern sensibility to the enduring tradition of the American songbook.
Reserved seating is availabe in the exclusive Jazz Club Seating area—right in front of the Main stage! Enjoy complimentary beer and wine service throughout the performance and experience the festival up close like never before. 
