Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center is proud to partner with Borderland Music + Arts Festival as the 2026 Art Garage Curator, expanding Hallwalls' mission beyond its walls and creating meaningful, compensated opportunities for regional artists at one of Western New York's largest cultural events. Hallwalls' curated artists include Erin Long, Jen Ryan, Tami Fuller, Muse Jar (Vanessa Frost), Your Cinema (Ryan Besch), Jan Dylewski, Jody Selin, Kurt Treeby, Celia Pearce & Martin Freeman, and Devil Chicken Design, bringing contemporary visual art, live art-making, workshops, and creative experiences to Borderland audiences.

Ricky Ford - tenor saxophone
John Kordalewski - piano
Tony Marino - contrabass
Thurman Barker - drums

Hallwalls is excited to celebrate the 100th Birthday of one of the most influential saxophonist/composers of the 20th century, John Coltrane, with a special tribute concert featuring legendary American saxophonist Ricky Ford. As a bandleader, sought-after sideman, prolific composer, teacher, and an accomplished painter, the master musician is part of a direct lineage of great American tenor saxophonists and has been exploring many different aspects of art throughout his astounding career.

Born on March 4th 1954, he was already training at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1968. He studied under Gunther Schuller, Ran Blake, Jaki Byard, George Russell, Joe Allard and Joseph Maneri before Mercer Ellington invited him to join the Duke Ellington Orchestra, just a few months after the passing of Duke Ellington and Paul Gonsalves. Then he went on to work with Charles Mingus (1976-1977), Dannie Richmond (1978-1981), Lionel Hampton (1980-1982), Abdullah Ibrahim (1983-1990), Mal Waldron (1989-1994), not forgetting the many recording sessions with Yusef Lateef, Sonny Stitt, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, Amina Claudine Myers, Sathima Bea Benjamin, and Steve Lacy, to just name a few. As a comprehensive musician, Ford has always strived to master different musical genres, from swing to hard bop to free, and recently focusing on the work of Turkish poet and musician Neyzen Tevfik.

As a leader, Ricky Ford has recorded 21 albums and authored a vast repertoire of originals. The musician has proved to have sharp knowledge and is continually looking for new forms of expression. Ford is also a unique arranger and conductor ...