“The Laid-Back Village Of Stony Brook Is Poised To Become Long Island's Jazz Mecca... Jazzophiles Will Be Treated To Everything From Museum-Quality Memorabilia To Pulse-Pounding Live Performances...”-Newsday
"Playing and teaching at the Jazz Loft is always a joy for me, as it allows me not only to meet new people, but it affords me the opportunity to be re-acquainted with many of my old friends. The exhibits always bring a warm feeling to my heart. " Warren Vache
“The Jazz Loft is miraculous! A gorgeous museum, performance and educational space right here in the community. I’m grateful, and proud, that this volunteer-run, non-profit organization is supported where I live. I travel a great deal around the world performing, but this is my favorite place to play.” Ray Anderson
“The Laid-Back Village Of Stony Brook Is Poised To Become Long Island's Jazz Mecca... Jazzophiles Will Be Treated To Everything From Museum-Quality Memorabilia To Pulse-Pounding Live Performances...”-Newsday
This Week's Shows
It’s official: Operation Bring Bird Home has been launched!
The Jazz Loft is proud to announce that it will be trying to bring to our museum a collection of Charlie Parker memorabilia. Longtime Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was a lifelong jazz and Charlie Parker fan. Watts acquired what is arguably the largest and only surviving collection of Bird memorabilia which will be auctioned at Christie’s in London on September 28th. Charlie Parker was a pioneering innovator, the architect of Bebop, and an unrivaled composer and virtuoso performer. He is unquestionably one of the most important figures in the history of JAZZ.
Future Shows
The Jazz Loft in the News
Jazz Loft Road Trip Honors Guitar Legend Gene Bertoncini
All About Jazz Article
"Take Five With Thomas Manuel Of The Jazz Loft"
Meet Thomas Manuel
Jazz historian, music educator and cornet player Dr. Thomas Manuel holds the endowed Artist in Residence chair within the Jazz department at Stony Brook University. In addition to this he serves as a trustee to the Frank Melville Memorial Foundation, is a member of the Huntington Arts Council Decentralization Advisory Committee, and is the founder and President of The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, N.Y., an innovative and creative space which joins jazz performance, jazz preservation and jazz education in celebration of the past, present, and future.
“Faces Of Sun & Wind” Explores Climate Activism
From A Place Of Welcome At The Jazz Loft
FACES OF SUN AND WIND is a new work from the Michele Brangwen Dance & Music Ensemble that explores the power of one person linking their energy to another, as in a microgrid set up to deliver renewable energy to a community that has united to generate it. The mircrogrid is also a perfect metaphor for how activism can start with just one person and grow to the power of the many, working together for meaningful change. FACES OF SUN AND WIND features choreography by Michele Brangwen and music by Jon Irabagon, with sections of movement & music created in the moment by all performers.
TBR Newsmedia Article: Your Turn:
Philanthropists among us
By Thomas Manuel
From the ancient Greeks to Ben Franklin, Andrew Carnegie, George Clooney, Bill Gates, and countless individuals in between, philanthropy, a love for humanity and a desire to see it thrive, has been a common thread. It has been said that effective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity; the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires. Miriam Beard once pointed out, “The results of philanthropy are always beyond calculation.”
Philanthropic giving is not just a phenomenon found in certain parts of the world, rather it is a spirit of giving back which is global. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain in speaking about philanthropy expanded that the best philanthropy is not just about giving money but giving leadership. The best philanthropists bring the gifts that made them successful — the drive, the determination, the refusal to accept that something can’t be done. These are the characteristics they invest into their philanthropy.
Northforker Article:
Listening To The Landscape
Rites of Spring Music Festival implores North Forkers
to rethink classical music and interact with their environment
BY NICHOLAS GRASSO
It’s winter of 2015 and the world looks bleak through the eyes of Paolo Bartolani.
The classical pianist and composer moved from Rome to Southold earlier that year with his wife and two children. He was not yet prepared for New York winters. “I came here in November; it was the worst, worst winter ever, snow up to the window,” he said. “I was completely lost. I said to my wife, ‘we are going to die here.’ ”
So he ensconced himself in his work, nurturing his already budding musical presence on the East End.
New York Times Article:
The House That Jazz and Moxie Built
A trumpeter creates a space to exhibit his trove of memorabilia with the new Jazz Loft.
By KARIN LIPSON
As a teenage trumpeter who loved jazz, Tom Manuel would visit the Dunton Inn, a local spot in East Patchogue where a group of old-timers — some of whom had played alongside Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Louis Armstrong — would let the untried kid from Lake Ronkonkoma sit in during weekly jam sessions.
“I was terrible, compared to them,” said Mr. Manuel at the Jazz Loft, an exhibition, preservation and performance space in Stony Brook that celebrated its grand opening on Saturday. Mr. Manuel, now a 37-year-old musician, teacher and jazz historian, founded the loft, which houses a vast assemblage of jazz memorabilia, including musical instruments, archival photographs, original sheet music, personal letters, master recordings and vintage LPs.
Newsday Article: The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook observes Black History
Month with live performances, wine tastings and exhibits
Celebrate Black History Month with a touch of jazz. Every February, The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook puts on its “Acoustic in the Main Room” concert series with a blend of wine and song. Here, live jazz performances are presented as vino is poured in a cozy setting.
“Every month is Black History Month here. Jazz is a music and tradition that was born from the Black experience and African roots,” says Tom Manuel, president and founder of The Jazz Loft. “We want the evening to be conversational, therefore, the room is set up differently to have a living room feel with no amplification. The audience sits on couches and armchairs with no traditional stage lighting either.”
Head of the Harbor couple make the local community a better place to live
Harlan and Olivia Fischer have been married for nearly 50 years. Even more impressive than the longevity of their marriage is their track record of giving back to the community and surrounding areas.
This year the Fischers funded the restoration of the Hercules figurehead by Stony Brook Harbor. Photo from The Ward Melville Heritage Organization
These philanthropic efforts have earned the Head of the Harbor residents a spot among TBR News Media’s People of the Year for 2022. This year isn’t the first time one of the Fischers has been featured in the special edition. Harlan Fischer, president of Branch Financial Services, was a Man of the Year in 2000 for his accomplishments in business.
Tom Manuel, founder of The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, knows firsthand about the Fischers’ generosity.
“The Fischers were literally the first people to come alongside and support The Jazz Loft when we were in our planning stages back in 2014,” he said. “Each year they have selflessly, generously, and without reservation supported us more and more, and we are honored to have an annual 12-performance concert series in their name.”
Recently, the couple offered a $25K match for the venue to establish an endowment.
LI cultural groups get share of nearly $32 million
in state grants for pandemic recovery
A number of Long Island’s cultural outfits — from ballet groups to museums — won a share of the almost $32 million awarded statewide to a total of 1,032 groups, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday, to help propel them into “a strong comeback” from the pandemic.
Calling arts and culture “a key part of New York’s identity,” Hochul said, "This $32 million is the latest significant investment in the State's unprecedented efforts to strengthen the arts and welcome the world back to experience New York's creativity."
Long Island Business News Article on TJL's New Board Members
The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook has expanded its board of directors to 12 members, with the addition of four new appointees. “The Jazz Loft has a heartfelt responsibility to be good stewards of the position afforded us in the community,” Jazz Loft Founder and President Tom Manuel said in a statement.
“As a thriving not-for-profit organization, we had accomplished our 10-year plan two years early,” he added.
News 12 Article on The Jazz Loft's "Young at Heart" Series
'Powerful and so transformative.' Young at Heart concert series
in Stony Brook helps seniors with memory loss
The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook is using music to help seniors suffering from memory loss.
The Young at Heart concert series offers an afternoon musical trip down memory lane for audiences once a month. "Music is therapeutic and so powerful and so transformative," says Tom Manuel, founder of The Jazz Loft.
Newsday Article Featuring The Jazz Loft
'Swing Into Spring' fest is a 'Dream' come true for jazz fans
The Jazz Loft is celebrating the change of season with its “Swing Into Spring Festival,” which will be held throughout the village of Stony Brook and surrounding areas from Tuesday through Sunday.
“Jazz is the soundtrack of our country,” says The Jazz Loft founder-president Thomas Manuel. “It’s fun to be able to walk around the village and have music everywhere. This is as close as we could get to when there used to be music in every club on 52nd Street.”
Over the course of six days, live jazz will be happening at various locations including The Jazz Loft, local restaurants and even a candy shop.
Computing for Social Good Continues with Noteworthy Project
with The Jazz Loft
Even in a Pandemic, Computer Science Students Connect with a Local Non-Profit
Whether you are new to the Stony Brook area or someone deeply rooted on Long Island, a visit to Stony Brook village is not complete without a stop at The Jazz Loft. A performance space and museum dedicated to preserving and cultivating jazz music, The Jazz Loft offers performances and a vigorous educational program, in collaboration with Stony Brook University’s (SBU) School of Music, which delights crowds each year. The museum at The Jazz Loft also houses an extensive collection of original music, recordings, photographs, instruments, and memorabilia.
It is the museum’s collection which attracted the attention of the Department of Computer Science (CS) at SBU. Jack Heller, one of the early chairs of the CS department, developed the Museum Computer Network back in 1969 with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the NY Public Library. In keeping with this legacy, several teams of computer science students in Tony Scarlatos’ benevolent computing course created a multimedia database for The Jazz Loft which encompasses original music scores, master recordings, photographs, and other historic assets.
The Jazz Loft Announces 2nd Annual Douglas Elliman Summer Music Series
The Jazz Loft, the acclaimed museum and music venue that put Stony Brook Village on the map as a destination for Jazz education, performance and preservation, is thrilled to announce the 2022 Douglas Elliman Summer Music Series is back for the second year, featuring world renowned musicians Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, John Pizzarelli and Peter Cincotti. Sponsored by prominent North Shore arts patrons and Douglas Elliman real estate agents Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon, the series provides a cultural focal point for the upcoming season on Long Island.
“Mark your calendars for all three dates because you won’t want to miss any one of these incredible performances,” said Jazz Loft founder Tom Manuel. “We are beyond thrilled to announce that Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, John Pizzarelli and Peter Cincotti will enliven the stage at The Jazz Loft this summer.”
All About Jazz Interview
with Tom Manuel
Meet Thomas Manuel
Jazz historian, music educator and cornet player Dr. Thomas Manuel holds the endowed Artist in Residence chair within the Jazz department at Stony Brook University. In addition to this he serves as a trustee to the Frank Melville Memorial Foundation, is a member of the Huntington Arts Council Decentralization Advisory Committee, and is the founder and President of The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, N.Y., an innovative and creative space which joins jazz performance, jazz preservation and jazz education in celebration of the past, present, and future.