For several years I have tried to shake off the post Rochester Jazz Festival fatigue and head over to Syracuse for the M&T Syracuse Jazz Festival. This year was no exception, but alas "woulda, shoulda, coulda" is not enough.  Bill Milkowski over at JazzTimes.com, the online version of Jazz Times magazine (which has now been added to my jazz media links), recently wrote:

For 25 years, Syracuse Jazz Fest has been sustained by the sheer over-the-top enthusiasm of its colorful and endlessly energetic leader, festival organizer Frank Malfitano. From its humble origins in 1982 at the intimate Oliver’s nightclub on Erie Boulevard East, this free event has been embraced by the locals and revisited year after year by music lovers from all over New York State. With financial support coming from M&T Bank, Syracuse Jazz Fest has now become a major event on the summer festival circuit, providing music lovers with three full days of jazz, with a little bit of R&B, funk and blues on the side. Read more of the JazzTimes review....

Sounds like a good time and, like I said before, it's FREE...Maybe next year?