As a teenager growing up in Ontario, Canada, Robert Faircloth played piano and saxophone and was known to occasionally sneak into jazz shows – including the one where none other than Duke Ellington was playing. The Duke summoned Bob and his young pals over to his piano bench, chastised them for entering underage, and told them to behave and to have a good time.
Savannah Jazz’s executive director Paula Fogarty fondly relates this story adding that Bob, as his friends refer to him, “has not only been a great supporter of our organization” but is one of our city’s top supporters of a myriad of arts nonprofits. He has a longstanding love for jazz and, sparked by his deep friendship with bass legend Ben Tucker, has been the top individual patron of jazz music
in Savannah since 1998. Fogarty considers that Faircloth’s “place in the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame [inside the Savannah History Museum at 303 MLK Blvd.] is well deserved.”
So, as his 90th birthday approaches on Sept. 30, it is beyond fitting to dedicate the 2026 Savannah Jazz Festival to Robert F. Faircloth. Come celebrate his generous legacy during 15 free community events made possible through partnership with the City of Savannah, through Faircloth’s individual sponsorship, and through lead corporate sponsorship from the newly opened (and fabulous!) Nickel & Oak Lounge, a beautifully designed and comfortable music listening room on Congress Street:
Friday, Sept. 18 at Forsyth Park
6:30 p.m. EG Kight Blues (a Georgia legend of the Blues, she has performed coast to coast from the Bluebird Café in Nashville to the Monterey Bay Jazz & Blues Festival)
7:50 p.m. Gino Castillio & The Latin Cowboys (sponsored by Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant, this band is sure to get the dancers in the crowd up on their feet)
9:10 p.m. Joe Gransden Big Band (Gransden performs regularly at Jazz at Lincon Center and his performance, in honor of Faircloth’s love of Big Band jazz, is sponsored by Nickel & Oak)
Saturday, Sept. 19 at Forsyth Park
3 p.m. University of North Florida Jazz Ensemble #1, one of the finest collegiate jazz ensembles worldwide
4:10 p.m. Hall of Fame Band
5:30 p.m. Brian Miller (The North Carolina-born saxophonist will perform with his quartet and is sponsored by JodyJazz.)
6:50 p.m. Storyville Stompers (a New Orleans Dixieland band sponsored by Roger Wood Foods)
8:10 p.m. Savannah Jazz Orchestra with Jane Monheit (Teddy Adams, Savannah’s official Ambassador of Jazz will lead the band and perform The Patron, a tune he wrote to honor Bob Faircloth, sponsored by Napa’s Miner Family Winery. Jane Monheit is an A-list vocalist who has made numerous TV appearances; her performance is sponsored by The Colonial Group.)
9:30 p.m. Huntertones (the headline, high energy band sponsored by Nickel & Oak features lots of horns as it blends jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop, and R & B)
11 p.m. Late Night Jam Session, led by Teddy Adams, at the Desoto Hotel Ballroom, 15 E. Liberty Street
Sunday, Sept. 20
2-4 p.m. Georgia School Bands Day at District Live, 400 W. River Street showcases the next generation of jazz stars from across the region in an intimate theater generously donated for the afternoon by sponsor Richard Kessler.
This year’s bands include Savannah Arts Academy’s Skyelight Jazz Band, Hilton Head Christian Academy’s Eagles Jazz Band and a jazz ensemble from Georgia State University directed by Dr. Gordon Vernick. (The Savannah Jazz Festival gives an annual scholarship to either a graduating high school senior entering a jazz program, or a college student who is going on to pursue a jazz career.)
With all kinds of jazz genres, Fogarty is excited to offer more free shows than other music festivals in the region. Shut down for two years because of the Pandemic, the Savannah Jazz Festival pivoted to livestreaming performances with assistance from WSAV. She credits this livestreaming as boosting the number of patrons from all over the world, saying the demand for the festival is tremendous.
She anticipates hosting more than “50,000 people over the weekend” and believes that “by far, this is the most inclusive and most diverse audience of any cultural art events.”
The events in Forsyth Park are free, but for those who prefer not to bring their own chairs, tickets are available on the organization’s website to gain access to seating and refreshments in the 2026 Savannah Jazz Festival Nickel & Oak Lounge Patrons’ Tent. In the event of high winds or lightening, all performances will move to the Trustees Theater.
The 45th Savannah Jazz Festival honoring Bob Faircloth’s 90th Birthday is Sept. 18-20 and is free to attend. For the full schedule and lineup details visit www.savannahjazz.org
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Jazz Festival dedicates 2026 event to Bob Faircloth
