Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Buffalo, New York – The Art of Jazz series
returns to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in 2026 and promises to be an
inspiring and electrifying season. Producer and curator Walter Kemp 3
has assembled a collection of performances that capture the pulse of
contemporary jazz today.
The series includes a duo, trio, quartet and quintet, and commences
with Blue Note rising star trumpeter Brandon Woody, who brings his
longtime band UPENDO. With a passion for percussion, vibraphonist
Chien Chien Lu alongside bassist Richie Goods bring their innovative
quintet, Connected. The incomparable vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant
joins creative forces with pianist Sullivan Fortner to deliver an intimate
feast for your ears, and award-winning drummer Dave King (The Bad
Plus) brings his impressive trio to the AKG. Featuring Linda Appleby as
Master of Ceremonies, this season will satisfy any jazz aficionado. For
the first time, the Buffalo AKG’s restaurant Cornelia will offer a special
prix-fixe wine-pairing dinner after each concert.
“I am filled with excitement over the 2026 Art of Jazz season,” said
Kemp 3. “As an artist, first and foremost, it is my pleasure to cultivate a
top tier musical experience for the twenty-first-century listener. From
day one, here’s to many years of producing the Art of Jazz for greater
Buffalo and beyond.”
***
Brandon Woody’s UPENDO
February 1, 2026
Brandon Woody is a Baltimore-born, Bach-endorsed trumpeter,
composer, and bandleader whose music flows from the rich lineage of
Black music, including jazz, gospel, improvisation, and beyond, to
explore themes of love, resilience, and community. Hailed by The New
York Times and the Los Angeles Times as a rising force in contemporary
jazz, Woody signed with the legendary Blue Note Records in November
2024, and released his debut album, For The Love Of It All, in May 2025.
Featuring his longtime band Upendo—Troy Long (keys), Quincy Phillips
(drums), and Michael Saunders (bass)—the album showcases Woody’s
ability to craft music that is both deeply personal and universally
resonant.
Rooted in Baltimore, Woody has built his career from his hometown,
drawing on its vibrant creative culture and community spirit. His work
has received praise across major publications, with DownBeat
highlighting his “rich and expressive” tone and The Financial Times
noting the album’s emotional range “from gentle lyricism to swaggering
virtuosity.” The Washington Post described Woody’s music as
“staggeringly self-assured” and “radiating warmth, purpose, and a
sense of place,” reflecting both the clarity of his artistic vision and his
deep connection to his community.
As a performer, Woody has played venues and festivals including ATL
Jazz Fest, The Shed, the August Wilson Center, the University of
Maryland, Michigan State University, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the
Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Roots Picnic, and the Walters Art Museum,
among others. He has collaborated with artists such as Terri Lyne
Carrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Danilo Pérez, Casey Benjamin, Marcus
Gilmore, the Robert Glasper Black Radio Orchestra, Paul Russell,
Derrick Hodge, Marc Cary, and Solange Knowles. Woody has also
worked with international brands including Calvin Klein, Saucony,
Reebok, Eames, Vogue Italia, Plain Jane, and Highsnobiety. His
television appearances include Godfather of Harlem (MGM+), Lady in the
Lake (Apple TV+), and The Bride (Warner Bros.).
Dedicated to bridging generations through music, Woody has led
masterclasses and workshops at institutions across the country.
Through both his performances and community work, he uses music as
a tool for healing, connection, and joy.
***
Chien Chien Lu + Connected
March 22, 2026
“CONNECTED” was formed during the pandemic lockdown. Bassist
Richie Goods and vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu had frequent conversations
about the Black Lives Matter movement and unwarranted hate crimes
against Asians. They decided to undertake a project that would unify
people and evoke imagery of love and peace. Not only was the music
they produced impressive, but their friendship
also deepened as they explored the stereotypical divide that often exists
between the African American and Asian communities.
Richie Goods and Chien Chien met in 2019 during a European tour.
Shortly after, Richie produced Chien Chien’s debut album, The Path. As
their collaboration continued to flourish, a new endeavor emerged:
“Connected,” a project that embodied the profound musical connection
between them. Chien Chien’s foundation in classical training provided a
rich and textured canvas upon which their collaborative work thrived.
Her intricate knowledge of classical nuances intertwined seamlessly
with Richie Goods’ background rooted in the realms of R&B and funk,
creating an enchanting juxtaposition of genres that breathed life into
their compositions.
About Chien Chien Lu
Chien Chien Lu is a vibraphonist, contemporary percussionist, and
composer whose Taiwanese upbringing, classical music education, and
passion for grooves crystallize into a fresh and distinctive approach to
contemporary jazz.
In her time as a classical percussionist, Lu has collaborated with
composer Ching-Mei Lin and performed her marimba concerto
for six- mallet marimba entitled Pulsing Wave, performed a solo
percussion concert at Taipei Novel Hall, and in 2014, was named
“Emerging Young Artist” for her work with her marimba duo
at Taipei University of the Arts.
In 2015, Lu came to the United States to study jazz vibraphone with
Philadelphia’s Tony Miceli, and graduated with a Masters of Music in
Jazz Studies from University of the Arts in Philadelphia shortly
thereafter. In 2017, she attended the prestigious Banff Jazz Residency
under the direction of jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, where she first met jazz
trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. From there, Lu began to perform regularly in the
U.S. and was invited to join the esteemed Jeremey Pelt Quintet.
She recently released her sophomore solo project Built in System, and it
has been selected by The Times of London as one of the best jazz and
world albums of 2023.
About Richie Goods
Music is the fulfillment of Richie’s destiny— it’s in his DNA. The
youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame,
bassist Richie Goods got an early start playing in church and clubs while
still attending Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts High School.
After graduating from the prestigious jazz program at Berklee College of
Music, Richie moved to New York, where he studied under jazz legends
Ron Carter and Ray Brown.
Richie credits jazz luminary Mulgrew Miller for helping him hone his
jazz skills early in his career. Richie toured and recorded with Mulgrew
for nine years. That opportunity brought Richie to the attention of many
in the jazz community and afforded him the opportunity to record and
tour with a variety of jazz and popular artists ranging from the
Headhunters, Lenny White, Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley
Legacy Band, Milt Jackson, Russell Malone, Vincent Herring, the
Manhattan Transfer and Walter Beasley to Brian McKnight, DJ Jazzy
Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Whitney Houston, and Christina Aguilera.
Richie’s lengthy discography also includes Grammy Award–winning
and platinum albums of Alicia Keys and Common. Richie most recently
toured with Grammy Award–winning trumpeter Chris Botti and Sting.
When not on tour, he can be found in his Westchester, NY, studio,
producing records for his company, RichMan Music, Inc. His first three
solo projects with his fusion/funk band, Richie Goods and Nuclear
Fusion, Live at the Zinc Bar, Three Rivers, and My Left Hand Man all
received critical acclaim.
***
Cécile McLorin Salvant & Sullivan Fortner
April 19, 2026
About Cécile McLorin Salvant
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a Grammy Award–winning composer, singer,
and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a
unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality,
which light up every note she sings.” Salvant has developed a passion
for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues,
folk traditions from around the world, theater, jazz, and baroque music.
Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten
songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected
twists, and humor. Salvant won the Thelonius Monk competition in
2010. She has received Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for
three consecutive albums, The Window, Dreams and Daggers, and For
One To Love, and was nominated for the award in 2014 for her album
WomanChild. In 2020, Salvant received the MacArthur Fellowship and
the Doris Duke Artist Award. Ghost Song, Salvant’s debut for Nonesuch
Records, was released in March 2022 to critical acclaim, and has gone
on to receive two Grammy nominations.
Salvant’s latest work, Ogresse, is a musical fable in the form of a cantata
that blends genres (folk, baroque, jazz, country). Salvant wrote the
story, lyrics, and music. It is arranged by Darcy James Argue for a
thirteen-piece orchestra of multi-instrumentalists. Ogresse, both a
biomythography and an homage to the Erzulie (as painted by Gerard
Fortune) and Sara Baartman, explores fetishism, hunger, diaspora,
cycles of appropriation, lies, othering, and ecology. It is in development
to become an animated feature-length film, which Salvant will direct.
About Sullivan Fortner
Grammy Award–winning pianist Sullivan Fortner issued Aria (2015),
Moments Preserved (2018) and Solo Game (2024) to critical acclaim, the
lattermost receiving 4-star reviews in DownBeat and Telerama
Magazine. His 2025 release Southern Nights features Peter Washington
and Marcus Gilmore. Winner of the 2024 DownBeat Critics Poll for
Rising Star Jazz Group: Sullivan Fortner Trio, the New Orleans native
has worked with Wynton Marsalis, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Paul Simon,
Diane Reeves, Etienne Charles and John Scofield, Ambrose Akinmusire,
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Kassa Overall, Tivon Pennicott,
Peter Bernstein, Nicholas Payton, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Chief Adjuah,
and Roy Hargrove.
His works and insights have been featured in culture drivers from The
New York Times to The Root. Further accolades include the American
Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Fellowship, Leonore Annenberg Arts
Fellowship, the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, the Shifting
Foundation Grant, and the Western Jazz Presenters Grant.
***
Dave King Trio
May 17, 2026
Dave King is one of the most celebrated drummers in modern jazz. His
contributions to the Minneapolis and New York jazz scenes are
incalculable, and his imagination and boundless enthusiasm behind
(and around) the drum set are singular and stunning. In 2000, King co-
founded The Bad Plus in New York City. He also co-founded The Gang
Font featuring Greg Norton of punk icons Husker Du and has appeared
on more than fifty recordings.
He has performed in seventy-five countries on six continents and has
been a member of bands like The Bad Plus, Happy Apple, Halloween
Alaska, 12 Rods, Love Cars, The Gang Font, and others. He has also
recorded or performed with Bill Frisell, Joshua Redman, Jeff Beck, Tim
Berne, Mason Jennings, Mark Morris Dance Company, Haley Bonar,
Meat Beat Manifesto, Craig Taborn, Jason Moran, David Torn,
Atmosphere, and many others.
***
The Art of Jazz series is presented by HUNT Real Estate.
Brandon Woody’s UPENDO is sponsored by the Buffalo Center for
Health Equity.
***
About the Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Founded in 1862, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-
Knox Art Gallery) is the sixth-oldest public art institution in the United
States. For more than 160 years, the Buffalo AKG has collected,
conserved, and exhibited the art of its time, often working directly with
living artists. This tradition has given rise to one of the world’s most
extraordinary collections of modern and contemporary art.
In June 2023, following the completion of the most significant campus
development and expansion project in its history, the Buffalo AKG
opened anew to the public. The project is funded by a $230 million
capital campaign, the largest such campaign for a cultural institution in
the history of Western New York, including $195 million raised for
construction and $35 million in additional operating endowment funds.
