“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
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.
Long Island artists demand to be recognized
The Long Island Arts Alliance is asking artists, performers and creators to share their stories amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lauren Wagner, executive director of LIAA, said that over the last two years, the group has been asking creatives to share the experiences pre-pandemic and onward in hopes that new legislation will be created to further help the art and culture sector locally.
“The percentage of job losses in the arts is three times worse than other nonprofit organizations,” she said.
LIAA serves as an alliance of and for the region’s not-for-profit arts, cultural and arts education organizations. LIAA promotes awareness of and participation in Long Island’s world-class arts and cultural institutions in both Nassau and Suffolk counties.
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.
Newsday Article
The Jazz Loft's Sixth Annual Harbor Jazz Festival
The Jazz Age
Outdoor live jazz has been a tradition in the village of Stony Brook with the old Dogwood Hollow Amphitheater hosting legends like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman back in the '50s and '60s. Today, that legacy continues with The Jazz Loft’s 6th annual Harbor Jazz Festival from Sept. 22-25 after last year’s event was canceled due to the pandemic.
"It feels good to be doing what we are used to doing," says Tom Manuel, president and founder of The Jazz Loft. "I think people have this newfound appreciation for the music after it was silenced for such a lengthy period."
Newsday Article
Four stages pop up in Stony Brook Village
this summer for weekly event series
President and founder of the The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, Thomas J. Manuel spoke to Newsday about what visitors can expect at this year's Summer SWAP, a collaborative celebration of music, history and art held in Stony Brook village.
All About Jazz Interview
with Tom Manuel
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.
