'Jazz Loft at Southampton' Concert Series Brings Themed Jazz Nights to Stony Brook Southampton Campus

The spirit of jazz is on full display this summer on the East End with “The Jazz Loft @ Southampton Concert Series,” presented by Stony Brook Southampton in collaboration with The Jazz Loft.

The series features five shows of carefully-selected themes and accomplished musicians, including Grammy Award-winners and longtime veterans of the jazz world. Performances will be held in the Avram Theater and outside on the athletic fields at Stony Brook Southampton.

The shows have been curated by Tom Manuel, an Endowed Artist-in-Residence Fellow at Stony Brook’s jazz department and founder of The Jazz Loft, a museum and venue that hosts over 200 performances each year. The idea for the shows came when Manuel was talking with Wendy Pearson, the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Executive Director at Stony Brook Southampton, about ways to expand cultural offerings at the branch campus. Manuel saw this as “a wonderful opportunity for the Jazz Loft to contribute and bring world class jazz to the Southampton community.”

Manuel particularly liked the idea of assembling a comprehensive series where each night had it’s own distinct theme as a way to make something that could become “part of the fabric of the community” by having multiple shows.

“I’m a big fan of events that are more than just a one-off,” he said. “Anyone could put together five good concerts, but I thought wouldn’t it be nice if we dug deeper and had some themes that celebrated the community and also introduced some things to that community that maybe they didn’t know of?’”

The series kicked off with “Jazz as Democracy” on April 24 at the Avram Theater and featured a performance by The Jazz Loft All-Stars, of which Manuel is a member, and pianist/vocalist Mala Waldron. The music consisted of songs written during the Civil Rights Movement that were inspired by the struggles and challenges of the time. Manuel described the opening evening as “really magical,” with a crowd of around 100 music fans bustling with excitement before the show even began.

“We could really tell that the people were excited to have something of this quality on the campus in Southampton,” he said. “And we just knew that night that this series was going to take off.”

Upcoming shows in the series include “Long Island Jazz Legends and Local Juke Joints” on Thursday, June 19, and will feature the talents of Project 450, an ensemble consisting of older jazz musicians who cut their teeth in the genre playing in juke joints, as well as “The Spirit and Soul of Latin Jazz,” where audiences will be treated to an evening of exciting Latin rhythms.

The next show coming up in the series is “The Art of New” on Thursday, May 29, and will feature Grammy Award-winning drummer Dan Pugach and his 18-piece big band, joined by Allison Rumley on vocals. Manuel spoke glowingly of Pugach as someone with one of the most unique and cutting-edge styles in the jazz world today.

“With most artists, 99 percent of the time I could immediately say ‘Oh, it’s a lot like Miles Davis or the David Brubeck Quartet,’” he explained. “When people ask me about Dan Pugach, I cannot think of a single person to compare him to, that’s how new and innovative and fresh his sound is.”

Manuel talked about the importance of having shows with specific themes, explaining that it allows the music to convey something more powerful and thought-provoking to audiences.

“We’ve tried with this series to really allow the music to speak powerfully, whether it be the theme of democracy or the concept of new and how hard it is to accept new,” he said. “The world is often very unkind to what’s new, the critic’s voice tends to be rather large.”

Though there’s a lot of music left to played, Manuel expressed how he hopes that the series will continue into the fall and beyond, noting that “it’s really exciting to be part of the revitalization of this campus.”

Tickets for each concert are $36 for general admission ($33 for seniors/faculty and staff, $18 for Stony Brook University students). The series pass for all five concerts is $144. Tickets are available online or at the door.

The Jazz Loft @ Southampton Concert Series Lineup

“The Art of New” — Thursday, May 29, 7 p.m., Avram Theater

This concert will showcase all original music by the freshest voices in Jazz on the scene today including Grammy winning artists Dan Pugach, composer/drummer/arranger, and vocalist/composer Nicole Zuraitis and an all-star ensemble presenting original compositions.

“Long Island Jazz Legends & Local Juke Joints” — Thursday, June 19 (Juneteenth), 7 p.m., Avram Theater

This concert celebrates the architects of jazz who called Long Island home, especially the East End. The performance will include, but is not limited to, the music of: Teddy Charles, Teo Macero, Hal McKusick and The Heath Brothers. This concert will be in collaboration with the Southampton African American Museum and will feature a preconcert lecture and exhibition on the juke joint culture prevalent on the South Fork. Focus will be on Herb McCarthy’s and a highlight will be an art exhibit featuring paintings by Greenport native Vincent Quattroche who founded the first art gallery in Greenport.

The gallery exhibition will include paintings which were on display in the juke joint “coal bin” as well as memorabilia. Performing will be Project 450, the ensemble of jazz legends whose collective age equals 450 years: Ellington alum, drummer Steve Little, Gerry Mulligan alum, bassist Bill Crow, Benny Goodman alum, cornetist Warren Vache, Etta Jones alum, tenor saxophonist Houston Person, pianist Larry Fuller and cornetist Professor Manuel.

“The Spirit & Soul of Latin Jazz” — Thursday, July 24, 7 p.m., Under a Tent on the Athletics Fields

This concert will focus on the rhythms and cultures of Spain, Cuba, the Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil and beyond and will emphasize the art of collaboration and explore how Latin rhythms have shaped American popular music through the decades. The concert will coincide with an Avram Gallery exhibit displaying the archives of pioneering Latin Jazz legend Xavier Cugat. Performers will include Carlos Jimenez and Mambo Dulcet.

“Abstract Angularity” — Thursday, August 28, 7 p.m., Avram Theater

Exploring the relationship between artists and musicians, this concert will join the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in a collaborative presentation to celebrate the vibrant East End artistic scene heritage. The Jazz Loft Jazz Orchestra, a 17-piece ensemble, will present a program celebrating creative voices in jazz who pushed and challenged boundaries in American popular music.

A gallery presentation curated by the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center will also serve as a backdrop for a preconcert reception and lecture. This concert will also bring into the fold painter/artist Kevin McEvoy who will be commissioned to create a new work in honor of the concert series first season.