Lisa Hasselback brings a lifetime of artistry to the piano, shaped by decades of performance, teaching, and deep devotion to jazz. Her playing reflects a rich American jazz lineage, elegant, soulful, and quietly extraordinary.DOORS @ 6PM / SHOW @ 7PM / 21 & over only
STAGE AREA : $17 Reserved Seating / $20 day of the show
BAR AREA: $15 Reserved Seating / $18 day of the show
Texas native, Lisa Hasselback received her high school education at Interlochen Arts Academy where she studied piano, oboe and mallet percussion. She attended The Hartt School of music at the University of Hartford and received her Bachelors degree in African-American Jazz Studies under the leadership of alto saxophonist, Jackie McLean. At Hartt she studied piano with pianists, Jaki Byard and Hotep Galeta. She received a minor in French from Middlebury College in Vermont. She received her master’s degree in Education from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. She is a retired elementary vocal music teacher having taught with the Ken-Ton School District for 30 years.
She has been a pianist in the Buffalo, NY area since 1988. She has played with the Buffalo Philharmonic Pops Orchestra since 2015 for trumpeter Byron Stripling and vocalist Marva Hicks, The New York Voices, Liz Callaway singing the Carole King songbook; the American Idol winner, Melinda Doolittle; the concert opener for Gladys Knight, the BPO Prohibition Concert featuring vocalists Bronson Norris Murphy, Madison Claire Parks and Myra Maud, the Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole tribute concert entitled Unforgettable with vocalists Denzal Sinclaire and Dee Daniels and most recently the Clouds in My Coffee tribute to three trailblazing singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon featuring the conductor Ted Sperling and the voices of Morgan James, Shayna Steele and Bryonha Marie. Lisa has toured with The Four Lads, The Four Aces and The Chordettes.
She has played for Bob Newhart at Chautauqua Institute. She has played with Houston Person at the Albright-Knox Summer Jazz Series. Williamsville East High School Legends of Jazz Concert Series has hosted her playing with featured artists Veronica Swift, Ernie Watts, Regina Carter, Houston Person, John Pizzarelli, Karin Allyson and Jane Monheit. She has accompanied The Drifters at the Niagara Casino, played for Channel 7’s Variety Club Telethon and for Aretha Franklin at Art Park. Buffalo Jazz Collective has featured trumpeter Freddie Hendrix , Buffalo’s own, tenor saxophonist, Don Menza and trumpeter, Sam Noto as well as Canada’s tenor giants Pat LaBarbara and Kirk McDonald all for which she has accompanied. In the summer of 2025, Lisa was a part of the Dameronia Jazz All-Star Band featuring the music of Tadd Dameron where they performed 2 nights at Smalls Jazz Club in NYC as well as the Rochester Jazz Festival. In Buffalo she has played as a soloist and has been a part of numerous small combos, most notably Wendell Rivera’s Latin Jazz Ensemble as well as Sabu Adeyola’s Oasis Trio.
Lisa recently made her first solo CD recording ten of her original compositions in March, 2025. Lisa played two performances in Canada with the Tommy Dorsey Big Band. Through the years she has played in local big bands and jazz festivals, accompanied area All-county vocal jazz choruses in the Buffalo area and continues to teach private lessons. She and her husband, trombonist, John Hasselback, Jr., make their home in East Aurora, NY and have three grown children.
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Event Venue
19 Wadsworth Street, Buffalo, NY, United States, New York 14201
Tickets
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