The History of The Jazz Loft
The Old Stone House, built circa 1770.
The original use of this old building is not fully clear. Also known as the Stone Jug, it may have been a hoe or merely a storage facility for Jonas Smith. Later called Union Hall, over the years it served many purposes, including a general store, a tinsmith shop, and a factory for the manufacture of “lawn tennis shoes”. In 1886, a frame addition was constructed at the rear or west end of the building, greatly expanding its use, as it then faced two sides of the town triangle intersection. As late as 1941 the Odd Fellows hall was on its left and the Mills House on its right. Directly behind it once stood the garage to the Oakes-Dickerson House.
In the early 1930s, O.C. Lempfert, avid hunter and taxidermist along with Dr. Winifred Curtis established a natural history museum comprised of hunting trophies and specimens which were displayed at friend Archie Rayner’s home. The neighborhood children were being brought to see this collection as early as 1935 on Saturdays and naturalist Robert Murphy o, of R.C. Murphy Jr. High School, led some of the nature walks. When the Rayner home was sold in 1939, Dr. Curtis appealed for help from Mrs. Ward Melville to find a new location for the collection. Persuaded by Mrs. Melville, the collection was moved to the empty building known as the Stone Jug, owned by local pharmacist Charles J. Zimmerlein. The Little Museum in the Jug as it came to be called, was formally incorporated as the Suffolk Museum on December 28, 1939 and the museum was quoted in regard to the move saying, “The move was no small task since by that time the collection include a 400-pound loggerhead turtle, an eagle with a 6-foot wingspread, a trumpeter swan, and hundreds of small collection items.”
In 1941 the Stone Jug was moved and attached to the original Stony Brook firehouse to create the Suffolk Museum. Philanthropist and visionary Ward Melville designed the blueprint for Stony Brook Village which was meant to be a walking Williamsburg. Melville not only built the town and the museum but also deigned the Three Village School district and donated the land and was instrumental in planning for what would become Stony Brook University.
In 1951, the museum evolved into the Suffolk Museum and Carriage House. In 1976, it became the Museums at Stony Brook and, in 2000, the Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages.
After the move up the road to larger facilities the original Suffolk Museum operated as the Garden Exchange for over three decades. After sitting idle for over a decade it was completely renovated and became The Jazz Loft in the spring of 2016.
Landmark status of The Jazz Loft was unanimously approved by the Town of Brookhaven in September 2016. This structure holds great cultural and architectural significance not just to our local community, but to the Long Island region, state and nation having been a functioning and usable space by the communities inhabitants since the late 18th century during the Culper Spy Ring throughout 250 years of culminating events right up till today.
The Jazz Loft's mission is one of Jazz preservation, education, and performance, and has quickly become the premier destination for all things Jazz. Presenting a full performance calendar of local, national and international artists in our period 1940s second floor performance space the Loft also has an extensive education program. Our Pre College Jazz Institute in collaboration with Stony Brook University offers training in jazz theory, performance and masterclass settings to outstanding high school musicians. Our Young at Heart program offers music therapy presentations for those with memory loss and their caregivers. A monthly lecture series and scheduled family concerts round out our community outreach endeavors which are due in part to an outstanding team of sponsors and community leaders. The Jazz Lofts final mission point is that of preservation which is alive and well and on view 24/7 in our 6,000 square feet of original jazz memorabilia spanning 100 years of the American born art form celebrating not only the music, but art and photography as well throughout our many galleries.
Board of Directors
Thomas Manuel, President & Founder
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 the Artistic Director of the Loft School of Jazz, 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.
Manuel has been cited for his accomplishments by The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, Newsday, Jazz Inside Magazine, Jazz Ed Magazine and has been actively involved with global educational outreach to Havana, Cuba, Monrovia, Liberia and Port Au Prince, Haiti. Manuel dedicates his professional efforts to both the preservation of Long Island’s jazz history as well as presenting it to future generations and has received several honors for his dedication to the American born art form of Jazz including: Stony Brook University's 40 Under 40 Award, several Suffolk County Proclamations, the East End Arts & Humanities Council 2020 Music Masters residency, the 2019 Applied Improvisation Network International Conference artist presenter, and the 2016 Person of the Year in Brookhaven award from the Times Beacon Record.
Board of Directors
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Ray Anderson, Vice President
Mr. Ray Anderson has distinguished himself as a preeminent jazz trombone player who has received international acclaim.
Currently the Director of Jazz Studies at Stony Brook University, Anderson still maintains a thriving performance and recording
career that has spanned more than three decades. Described by preeminent jazz critic Gary Giddins as "one of the most
compellingly original trombonists," and by the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD as ''the most exciting slide brass player of his
generation" Anderson is by turns a supremely lyrical player and footloose innovator, a bold texturalist and polished nostalgist.
Board of Directors
Michael Ardolino, Director of Development
Michael, owner of Team Ardolino/Realty Connect USA, resides in Setauket with his wife and two daughters. He is a recognized expert in his field who was named "Residential Real Estate Agent of the Yer" by Long Island Business News.
Board of Directors
Kathryn Butkevich, Treasurer
Ms. Butkevich is a C-Level executive with an extensive track record of adding value to companies in diverse industries as an operating manager, private equity investor, lender and board director. She is proficient in the development of execution of growth, turnaround and cash flow maximization strategies for middle market companies. She is currently the COO/CFO for Recyclebank, a VC-backed marketing company focused on the recycling industry. Over her 30+ year career, she has held numerous financial and operational leadership positions in middle market, PE/VC- backed companies as well as a Certified Public Accountant. She holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Miami and is also a graduate of GE's world-renowned Management Development Institute at Crotonville.
Board of Directors
Laura Landor, Director of Education & Community Outreach
Laura has been a music educator for 20 years and currently works for the Hauppauge Public Schools as their Director of Fine and Performing Arts. Previously, she was a music teacher for the Three Village Public Schools where she primarily taught band, music theory and an exploratory music class for students with special needs. She has a Bachelors degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music as well as a Masters Degree in Ethnomusicology from CUNY Hunter College. She recently completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at St. John's University where her research focused on how the absence of multicultural music in public school music classrooms contributes to the marginalization of minority students in the public school setting.
Board of Directors
Cynthia Wong-Lippe, Director of Philanthropy
Cynthia Wong-Lippe is a passionate volunteer for a number of nonprofit organizations, working primarily in the areas of fundraising, institutional development, and strategic planning. She sits on multiple boards, serves as an advisor to several smaller nonprofits, and chairs the capital campaign to raise funds and awareness to build a Ronald McDonald House in Suffolk County.
She was trained as a classical pianist and has a PhD from Columbia University in Ethnomusicology. Her work focused on early Asian American rap music and on the rock scene in Mainland China. She’s taught at Columbia University and briefly at Stony Brook University.
Cynthia lives in East Setauket with her husband, David, and their two children.
Board of Directors
Stewart Mandel, Trustee
Stewart is a lifelong student of Jazz and American Song. H has a PhD in Mathematics from Stony Brook University.
Board of Directors
Oliver Nelson Jr., Special Collections Management
Oliver Nelson Jr. is an adjunct lecturer in music business at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, a Master of Music degree in Classical Performance and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Performance. Nelson studied with the late David Baker, Distinguished Professor of Jazz Studies at Indiana University, Jonathan Keeble, flute professor at the University of Illinois, and Karen Moratz, principal flutist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
He has performed with the Smithsonian Masterworks Jazz Orchestra and has recorded with Bela Fleck, Benny Golson, James Williams, Jamey Aebersold, David Baker, and Grady Tate for a tribute CD dedicated to his father, the late composer, arranger, and saxophonist Oliver Nelson Sr.
Nelson’s expertise in the areas of music copyrights, music licensing and music publishing have made him a sought after presenter at workshops and conferences nationwide at higher education institutions and school corporations. Nelson also presents Jazz improvisation clinics and continues to be an active performer and teacher.
Board of Directors
Christopher Paradysz, Trustee, Director, Monteleone: Art of the Guitar Festival
Chris Paradysz has been building connections with and between people for decades with notable success in Adventure Travel, Digital Marketing, Advertising, Data Analytics, Film and Music. He is the Co-founder & co-CEO of PMX, a performance marketing agency, an active venture investor in startups (Adventure Explorations, PebblePost) and in various music industries (VCI, Delvecchio, Articulate Passion Publishing, Chase the Moon Music); as well as a documentary film producer (A Second Chance, For the First Time), with Gold wins for Best Short Documentary, Film Score, Original Song.
Beyond business endeavors, Chris brings his passions and support to nonprofit ventures specifically in medical research, investigating new outcomes and treatments for Lupus, a life-threatening disease affecting young women and men. Chris holds the US 24-hour cycling record at the Lehigh County Velodrome.
Board of Directors
Dr. Darrell Smith, Trustee, Assistant Director of Education
New York City native Dr. Darrell Smith is a New York based Drummer, Historian, Composer and Educator. As a band leader Dr. Smith frequently performs with his Dal Segno Trio at popular New York venues where they are celebrated for high-energy, spirited performances. A recent tour brought the Dal Segno Trio to Mumbai, India as a headliner for the 2019 NCPA Jazz Festival.
As a composer and drummer, Dr. Smith also has extensive experience with musical theater in Off-Broadway and national productions. His original music for the New Orleans-themed play “Interludes” was featured in multiple off broadway runs in New York City. In addition to working as a band leader and drummer, Dr. Smith is a highly-respected and gifted educator. His current tenure as Director of Jazz Education and Performance at the world renowned education program at Jazz House Kids has given him a platform to spread his passion for jazz to hundreds of talented young musicians around the city.
Dr. Smith recently graduated with his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from SUNY Stony Brook where he studied under Director of Jazz Studies Ray Anderson. As of 2019, Dr. Smith is endorsed by Canopus Drums and in 2021 was named Music Director of The Universal Temple of The Arts Annual Staten Island Jazz Festival.
Board of Directors
Robert Taylor, Business Affairs
Rob has more than 40 years of business and accounting experience with a broad array of not-for-profit clients, including
business management of a not-for-profit organization. He has worked with senior nonprofit executives to develop and implement strategic plans, three-year financial plans, and critical performance measures. In addition, he has overseen cross-departmental process improvement and led software implementation design and structure projects. Rob also has significant experience advising business corporations and partnerships.
Board of Directors
Laura Vogelsberg, Trustee
Laura holds a BS in Communications from Hofstra University and a Masters in Education from Dowling. Her background is diverse, having held positions as an Account Executive at SBA Advertising and Daily & Associates/Los Angeles, Talent Coordinator at Lifetime Television, Freelance Artist for several local Long Island companies advertising campaigns, Production Assistant & Assistant Editor on several independent films and currently (and most rewarding) Art Teacher in the Islip School District.
Board of Directors
Staff
Lucy Gluck, Grant Writer
Using her extensive experience writing and managing grants and her long love and commitment to jazz, Lucy Gluck works with the Director to find and write grants for The Jazz Loft from government and foundation sources. This partnership has been successful in many grants to Suffolk County, NYSCA, Huntington Arts Council, Gardiner Foundation and more. Ms. Gluck retired from Stony Brook University after more than twenty-five years writing and overseeing grants from New York State and The National Science Foundation for underrepresented minority and low-income high school and college students.
Staff
James Miceli, Art Director
James created The Jazz Loft logo and designs the posters, t-shirts, signage, and other collateral for the Jazz Loft. He runs a freelance design business from his studio in Huntington Village. He also plays saxophone at the Loft and around Long Island.
james@urgecreative.com
Staff
Terry Nigrelli, Webmaster
Terry maintains The Jazz Loft Web site. Terry is the former Bay Shore Schools Director of Cultural Arts and is the Web Editor for NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) He is also a busy freelance trombone player and private teacher.
Staff
Jeremy Torres, Marketing Production Manager
Jeremy helps to coordinate with other marketing volunteers efforts. A recent graduate of Stony Brook University, Jeremy has backgrounds in Business Marketing, Asian American Studies and Graphic Design allowing him to both spearhead or provide support for The Jazz Loft's Marketing volunteers.
Staff
Carole Trottere, Director of Public Relations
Carole coordinates the public relations and intern program for The Jazz Loft. With more than 30 years experience in public relations, Carole is now retired and spends her time promoting TJL, riding her bike and sleeping late.
Staff
Sofia Coppola - Social Media Director
Sofia Coppola is a graduate of LIU Post with a BFA in Film. Her enthusiasm for vintage sound and cinema drives her passion to emulate this rich history into the art of today. She believes The Jazz Loft is a great match for her, as their missions align perfectly!
Staff
Youth Board
Youth Board
Skye Hamilton-Carranza
Skye Hamilton-Carranza is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer from Freeport, NY.
Skye graduated from The Crane School of Music in 2019, where he studied with Dr. Anna Hendrickson (oboe, English horn), Dr. Carol Cope-Lowe (bassoon), and Drs. Tim Sullivan, Jerod Sommerfeldt, Gregory Wanamaker, and Phil Salathé (composition). A prolific composer, Skye has released several pieces of contemporary jazz and electro-acoustic music (including six albums from 2019-2022, four of which are self-produced) and has written classical and contemporary works for various musicians and chamber groups, including Dr. Julianne Kirk Doyle, the Blowage Big Band, and the Crane Wind Ensemble.
Skye has recorded with artists such as Tyler, MD, Juani Williams, and Landon Peer, and has performed in several pit orchestras and with several different groups, including the Orchestra of Northern New York, Northern Symphonic Winds, the 5pm Porch Concerts Band, The Jazz Loft Latin Orchestra. He also leads and composes for his own group, the Skye Hamilton-Carranza Collective.
Outside of music, Skye enjoys travelling, swimming, and venturing outdoors. He currently resides in Freeport, NY.
Youth Board
Dan Julian
Dan is a sophomore at Stony Brook University in the Honors College pursuing a double major in physics and applied mathematics and statistics. Dan grew up on Long Island in Shoreham. He is a saxophone player primarily interested in jazz music and has played with Stony Brook’s big band, the Blowage, for the past four years. Whether it is at weekly jam sessions or for Stony Brook concerts, Dan enjoys playing at The Jazz Loft.
Youth Board
Eva Paruch
Eva (piano player) is a senior at Stony Brook University, class of 2023, pursuing a double major in biochemistry and music. Proud of her Polish descent, she enjoys playing both Polish repertoire as well as plenty of jazz. A member of the Stony Brook Jazz Combo and Lost in Staller Jazz Combo, she loves playing jazz, funk and pop with her friends.
Youtube Channel: Eva Paruch https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftutMBZSAO4n_ZAvsPMaJQ
Youth Board
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Marty Scott
Born in Long Island, NY, on December 25th, 1999, trombonist Marty Clemons Scott grew up in Freeport, New York. Scott is a SUNY Purchase graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance in 2022. As of Fall 2022, Scott is a Masters student at the Manhattan School of Music. He was introduced around his early teenage years to Jazz music in middle school, which has impacted his life immensely. Scott's inspirations and influences are Curtis Fuller, Lee Morgan, JJ.Johnson, and Thad Jones, to name a few. He has played alongside many skilled musicians at venues like The Blue Note, Birdland Jazz Club, Dizzy's Club, The Jazz Loft, and others. Scott has taught music to children at camps across North America, performed in many kinds of bands, recorded different musical genres, and continues to share his love of the Jazz Art form. Attending SUNY Purchase, he had the excellent opportunity to learn from current working Jazz legends of the New York City Scene, including Jon Faddis, Ralph Lalama, Gary Smulyan, John Mosca, Pete Malinverni, Todd Coolman, and Kenny Washington. Scott is also involved with graphic design from his inspiration from classic Jazz Records covers. He creates posters for live performances, album covers, and merchandise. With a passion for jazz arranging and composition, Scott has recorded his music and has had the honor of sharing his music at musical venues and on social media.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tom Manuel - President/Founder tmanuel@thejazzloft.org
Andrea Carros -Office Manager andreac@thejazzloft.org
Laura Landor - Education/Field Trips/Volunteer Opportunities laural@thejazzloft.org
Because Jazz Is Improvisational,
It Celebrates Personal Freedom And
Encourages Individual Expression
Because Jazz Is Swinging,
It Dedicates That Freedom To Finding And
Maintaining Common Ground With Others
Because Jazz Is Rooted In The Blues,
It Inspires Us To Face Adversity With Persistent Optimism
Our Mission At The Jazz Loft Is Best Served LIVE And SWINGIN’