It was a light-bulb moment for Frank Malfitano.
He was watching a telecast of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s annual state budget address on Jan. 21, live from the Kitty Carlisle Hart Theater at the Egg in Albany. When Andy suddenly announced that this year’s State Fair would be extended by five days, Malf sat up straight and stared at the screen. But the guv had more: to fund the lengthened run, he promised a cool $5 million.
Although dwindling sponsorship support had forced Malfitano to put Syracuse Jazz Fest on hiatus for the past two years, Cuomo’s words roused him. He sensed “a rare window of opportunity.” The bulb’s wire filament heats up rapidly.
“Now that the Fair is going to be 18 days and they have to fill 18 days’ worth of programming,” Malfitano thought, “wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could join forces and move Jazz Fest to the State Fair?”
The bulb slowly glows… “Programming is what we do,” Malf reminds us. “We’ve done it for 35 years.”
The festival’s financial records — unmarred by debt — have been well-kept over the years, the impresario said, and its process has been transparent.
Those facts coupled with the festival’s award-winning presentations of globally known entertainers and its commitment to educational programming, make it a natural fit for the Fair. After all, the Fair is a showcase for all that’s great in the Empire State.
“I’d like to book New York-centric jazz acts, man,” Malfitano muses. “Between the scene in New York City to all the cats in Buffalo, and in Woodstock, there’s plenty of top-flight talent here.”
Now approaching his 75th birthday, Malfitano — who lives here in the suburbs of northern Onondaga County — finds himself increasingly concerned about the festival’s future. “I want to secure some long-term sustainability for it,” he said.
‘Great equalizer’
Malf is more than a concert promoter. He sees himself as a community organizer who brings people together, a man with his finger on the pulse of the neighborhoods, a man who wants to leave a legacy of peace and brotherhood.
“Jazz Fest has always been a free festival, and that makes it the great equalizer,” he observed. People of all walks of life, all races and religions have come together in great numbers to the festival’s various venues – Song Mountain, Long Branch Park, Clinton Square, Onondaga Community College, Jamesville Beach. And what venue is more egalitarian than the Great New York State Fair?
While he and his committees have handled all their own bookings over the festival’s 35-year history, Malfitano is more than willing to work with Fair booking agents Live Nation and Triangle Talent to secure the festival’s performers. Malf’s written proposal outlines a two-day budget for Jazz Fest at the State Fair this year, which he estimates at between $250,000 and $300,000 out of Cuomo’s $5 million for the longer Fair.
And the light bulb shines, utterly incandescent.
“I love the Fair, I always have, ever since I was a kid,” Malfitano said. “And I think there’s no question this is the right site. And the Fair has the potential to offer Jazz Fest a permanent home.”
‘Renewed purpose’
On Feb. 11, State Fair spokesman Dave Bullard released a statement that indicated that Fair Director Troy Waffner and officials in the Department of Ag & Markets will give the proposal “serious consideration.”
“I feel great like I have renewed purpose,” Malfitano said. “I finally have a solid hook for the media and for the community to sink their teeth into. For a while now it’s been generic. Now we have something specific people can rally around. I’m looking for a groundswell of grass-roots support and people just saying it’s a good idea. If public opinion supports the idea, that could make it an easy decision for the folks over in Albany.”
The State Fair is scheduled to run from Aug. 20 to Sept. 7 this year. Should the Fair add Syracuse Jazz Fest to its long list of attractions? It certainly makes sense to me. If you think so too, go ahead and let other jazz fans know about the possibility.
And it wouldn’t hurt to urge the state Department of Ag & Markets to make the merger a reality. Write the department via email at [email protected], or call 518-457-0752.
Syracuse safest St. Paddy’s Day
According to WalletHub.com, Syracuse ranks No. 1 in the nation in the category of “Safety and Accessibility” of its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Among its findings, WalletHub cited stats indicating the lowest number of DUIs in the Salt City that day.
Last word
“I don’t expect them to accept the full Jazz Fest model and format and template and plunk it down in the middle of the State Fair that’s been going on for more than 100 years. We would work together to design it … we left the proposal open-ended.”
–Syracuse Jazz Fest Artistic Director Frank Malfitano
