Change in Richardson Hotel operators cancels jazz series, new venue steps in

BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) –  A recent change in operators at the Richardson Hotel in Buffalo has disrupted several planned summer events, including the popular Jazz at Richardson series, which has since been canceled at its original location.

Tony Zambito, the founder of JazzBuffalo, said the decision was made unilaterally by the Richardson Olmsted Campus and its board of directors without any dialogue between the two parties — something he called a “deep disappointment.”

“If there’s any disappointment, it’s not having enough information to really process this and maybe even respond with potential resolutions, rather than just seeing a door closed quickly,” Zambito said.

The disruption followed last week’s announcement by developer Douglas Jemal that he would no longer operate the Richardson Hotel. As a result, the Richardson Olmsted Campus has resumed control of the hotel’s operations.

“We continue to focus all efforts on transitioning the operation of the hotel," a spokesperson for the campus board said in a statement. "This is an enormous undertaking in the short time frame. Several South Lawn events were scheduled by the prior management. We are not prepared to administer them for many reasons, most notably safety.”

Zambito expressed frustration over the lack of communication.

“We didn’t have any dialogue. If we had dialogue, you can exchange information — what you have done, what you haven’t done — maybe there’s a potential solution,” he said. “We could have told them how we had been self-sufficient basically from day one.”

The Jazz at Richardson series, originally scheduled for July 13, Aug. 10 and Aug. 30, has been one of Buffalo’s cherished summer traditions. While Zambito acknowledged the challenges of managing a historic property, he said the loss of the cultural experience is deeply felt.

“There’s an emotional connection to Richardson, Jazz at Richardson in particular, because we did it during the pandemic,” he said.

For the past decade, Zambito has hosted jazz events every Monday night at Tappo Restaurant on Ellicott Street. When friend and restaurant owner Rocco Termini heard about the cancellation, he quickly stepped in.

“First thing I did was call Tony and I said, ‘There’s always a way to make lemonade out of lemons,’” Termini said.

On Monday, the pair announced that the jazz series will continue — in a new format — on Ellicott Street. The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 10.

“People are used to coming down here for jazz,” Termini said. “So this is just an extension of what we’ve done in the past. We have probably just as good a location. We’re going to revive downtown, especially on Sundays, when there’s not a lot of people downtown.”

“Make another dent in revitalizing downtown and have a great street jazz party,” Zambito said.

The 4th Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival, which was also set to take place at the Richardson Hotel, will now move to Ellicott Street as well and is scheduled for Aug. 31.