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(L-R) LIMEHOF 2023 music scholarship winners Jacob Leshnower (Half Hollow High School East High School), Alexis Pabebianco (Mineola High School) Chris Hummel (Harborfields High School), Coleman Schubert (Babylon, Babylon Jr-Sr. High School) and Luca Alexandru (Syosset High School).

For the first time since opening the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) Museum in Stony Brook last fall, LIMEHOF recently awarded its annual music scholarships to five graduating students from across LongIsland in a special ceremony held in the main exhibit hall.

This year’s Distinction in Music scholarship winners include Chris Hummel (Centerport, Harborfields High School), Jacob Leshnower (Dix Hills, Half Hollow High School East High School), Alexis Pabebianco (Williston Park, Mineola High School), Luca Alexandru (Syosset, Syosset High School) and winning the Pat DeRosa Scholarship was Coleman Schubert (Babylon, Babylon Jr-Sr. High School). The Pat DeRosa Memorial Scholarship was created to honor the memory of LIMEOHF inductee Pat DeRosa and was awarded specifically to a High School Senior to continue their studies in Music on the saxophone or woodwind instrument.

“We are immensely proud of our scholarship winners who have been granted the opportunity to pursue their passion for music through higher education,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF’s Educational Programs Director. “Their talent, dedication, and commitment to their craft inspire us all. We believe that their journey will not only shape their own futures but also contribute to the rich musical legacy of our community and beyond.”

Both Patricia DeRosa Padden, the daughter of LIMEHOF inductee Pat DeRosa and her daughter, Nicole DeRosa Padden (Pat’s granddaughter), were in attendance to present the scholarship in his name to Coleman Schubert. Afterwards they were presented with Pat DeRosa’s LIMEHOF inductee award trophy by LIMEHOF Chairman Ernie Canadeo. Pat DeRosa had been inducted during the Covid lockdown restrictions and unfortunately, he passed away in March of 2023 before the official in person presentation ceremony could be held.

About Christopher Hummel (Centerport, Harborfields High School, Violinist)

Christopher Hummel

Christopher Hummel has a passion for music which has brought him from Germany to Oregon. Equally comfortable leading an orchestra (he is currently serving as concertmaster of the Long Island Youth Orchestra), playing in chamber groups (he is the violinist in the HBK Piano Trio), and as a soloist (he has performed at the Majestic Theatre, and was a featured soloist during the Long Island Youth Orchestra’s 61st season), he has had the opportunity to work with some of today’s leading teachers.

Christopher has won national accolades (3rd prize in the 2021 Charleston International Baroque Competition, and 2nd in the 2021 New York MTNA Senior Performance Competition). He currently studies with Ann Setzer and Jennifer Frautschi. When not with his violin in hand, you will find him swinging a tennis racquet or spending time with his wonderful family.

Christopher is incredibly grateful to receive this scholarship from the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. This generous scholarship will enable him to pursue his passion for music at Juilliard, taking the next step towards his dream career of being a soloist.  He would like to thank the scholarship committee, his teachers, and his parents for supporting him on his journey to becoming a professional musician.

About Jacob Leshnower (Dix Hills, Half Hollow High School East, Percussion and Piano)

Jacob Leshnower

Music has played a unique role in shaping Jacob’s academic and professional pursuits. Jacob began playing piano when he was two years old and chose percussion in fourth grade after being wowed by the timpanist at a Carnegie Hall concert. In high school, he played percussion in the All-District Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Symphonic Orchestra, and Marching Band, and piano in Jazz Band and Pit Orchestra.

Jacob also has had the amazing opportunity in recent years to perform as a percussionist in All-County, All-Eastern, and All-National ensembles, as well as the featured pianist in the All-State Symphonic Band. These experiences have provided him with an opportunity to meet like-minded people and confirm my commitment to pursue music as I enter college and beyond.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacob participated, by audition, in the Juilliard Summer Percussion Masterclass Series, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the NYU Sandbox Percussion Seminar. In addition, he has conducted original research into complex and important aspects of the intersection of music and psychology that has been accepted for presentation at international science competitions. Jacob plans to continue this music-related research in college and beyond, and he would like music performance to be a major part of his career. Jacob looks forward to attending Yale University in the fall, participating in ensembles while taking lessons at the Yale School of Music. “I am honored to receive the Long Island Music Hall of Fame scholarship because it is a testament to my passion for music and a source of great encouragement as I embark upon a musical career.”

About Luca Alexandru (Syosset, Syosset High School, Guitarist, Singer-songwriter)

Luca Alexandru

Luca Alexandru is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, and producer. In addition to his selection as the jazz guitarist of the 2022 All National Jazz Ensemble, Luca was also selected as the jazz guitaristfor the 2022 All State Vocal Jazz Ensemble, a Bass for the 2022 All State Mixed Choir, a jazz guitar alternate for the 2021 All State Jazz Ensemble, and a finalist in the 2023 All Eastern Composition Symposium. In his free time Luca likes to write and perform music with his band, play soccer on his travel team, and teach guitar lessons.

“I am so incredibly grateful to receive this scholarship. I would like to thank all of my music teachers and mentors for their guidance and for inspiring me to be the best musician I can be every day.”

Luca is very excited for his future in Boston as he plans to attend Berklee College of Music and major in Music Production and Engineering.

About Alexis Panebianco (Williston Park, Mineola High School, Voice and Trumpet)

Alexis Panebianco
Alexis Panebianco

Alexis’s passion for music grew stronger after taking part in middle and high school musicals, choirs, and marching band. There was no greater honor in her music career than being Drum Major of the Mineola Mustang Marching Band. The band achieved 1st Place in New York State Championships for three years during her tenure. Participating in the marching band gave her the opportunity to learn important life skills, such as leadership, resilience, and accountability.

Alexis has also participated in the ACDA All National Chorus, the NAFME All Eastern Chorus and NYSSMA All County and All State Chorus’s as a soprano vocalist. Alexis’s positive experiences with music solidified her plans to major in Music Education at Hofstra University.

Her family has lived on LongIsland for three generations, and she looks forward to using her education and experience to help students on Long Island grow, mature, and expand their minds in the same way the resources of Long Island and music have helped her to grow into the student and musician that she has become.

“Thank you to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame for awarding me the 2023 Student Scholarship! I knew that music would help me find my voice and purpose from a very young age.”

About Coleman Schubart (Babylon, Babylon Jr-Sr. High School, Oboe and English Horn)

Coleman Schubart

From a large musical family, Coleman Schubart is the fifth of six siblings and has a twin sister. Coleman studied piano and cello between the ages of 6 and 10 and then picked up the saxophone in the fourth grade. By the eighth grade, his school band was drowning in saxophone players, and his band director asked him to switch to oboe. Since then, Coleman has studied oboe with Dr. Terry Keevil, the Chamber Music Director at Stony Brook University.

Coleman began participating in NYSSMA at the age of six and consistently received score of A+ each year. In the 10th and the 11thgrade, he received scores of 100 on his oboe All-State auditions. He was an All-State alternate in 11thgrade and was selected for the All-State Band in 12th grade. Coleman is a member of the Tri-M Honor Society and has played in the pit orchestra of three high school musicals, covering clarinet, saxophone and oboe parts. Throughout high school, he has been selected for many orchestra and band festivals, and in 11th grade, he was the winner of the Eastman School of Music Award.

Outside of school, Coleman is first chair oboist in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, through which he has performed at the Tilles Center, the Staller Center, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall.

He has volunteered as a parish musician in three Long Island parishes. Under the baton of his conductor father, he has been afforded countless opportunities to play with graduate school and professional musicians in ensembles ranging from quartets to symphonic orchestras. Coleman has been engaged over the last year as a featured oboe soloist for several recitals. His most recent appearances were at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington and St. Patrick’s Church in Bay Shore.

Coleman will enter Michigan State University in the fall and will study with Dr. Nermis Mieses as a dual oboe performance and music education major. He looks forward to someday sharing his love of music with future students as his father did with him.

About the Pat DeRosa Memorial Scholarship

Pat DeRosa

Mr. Pat A. DeRosa performed for many years from Manhattan to Montauk and beyond. He taught music in Huntington and South Huntington and in 2018 the Guinness Book of World Records named him the “World’s Oldest Professional Saxophone Player”. (101 years old and still playing in 2022). Additionally, he was inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame and the South Huntington Hall of Fame.

 Born in Brooklyn and raised in South Huntington, Pat picked up a saxophone in the Bowery with his mom at the age of 12. After High School, he worked at Grumman before he was drafted into WWII where he played with the Glenn Miller Army/Air Force Band.

After the war, he played at The Latin Quarter and the Copacabana as well as other NYC clubs while attending the Manhattan School of Music where he received a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in English Horn and Oboe. He played with Tommy Tucker, Tex Benecke, Lionel Hampton amongst others while on the road stopping to make a movie in Hollywood where he was invited to have lunch with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. When he returned home, he was introduced to John Coltrane and they played duets together for three years.

Most recently he could be seen playing with his daughter, Patricia DeRosa Padden of Montauk, on piano and his granddaughter Nicole DeRosa Padden, also of Montauk, on vocals and flute as well as sitting in with numerous bands on the East End and Western Suffolk. Pat retired from teaching in 1978 but his students continued to contact him often.

This Memorial Scholarship has been set up for a High School Senior to continue their studies in Music on the saxophone or woodwind instrument. The criteria includes a 95 or above in Music and a 90 overall average. An essay should also be provided by the student to show why they would like to continue to pursue music.

For more information about LIMEHOF’s scholarships and educational programs visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/scholarshipsgrants/

Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall Of Fame (LIMEHOF) is a 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Islandmusic and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook Village. To date, the organization has inducted more than 120 musicians and music industry executives, and also offers education programs and scholarships, and awards to Long Islandstudents and educators.

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From left, Joshua Landress of J. Landress Brass and Tom Manuel with the gold-plated cornet recently acquired by The Jazz Loft. Photo courtesy of The Jazz Loft

The Jazz Loft’s Museum contains more than 10,000 pieces of jazz relics, including sheet music, instruments, recordings, artwork and furniture once owned by some of the Jazz greats. The Jazz Loft’s memorabilia come from as close as New York City and as far away as Europe! How does it get to Stony Brook? Look no further than Jazz Loft founder and President Tom Manuel, who is always on the lookout for something fresh and unique that can fit inside a rented van.

Recently, Manuel has been scouring the streets of New York City in search of something with a great story behind it…and he found it at the J. Landress Brass store on 38 West 32nd Street Suite 908 which is owned by Joshua Landress. The latest Jazz Loft acquisition—a 1978 gold-plated King Super 20 cornet that was used by Wild Bill Davison—came all the way from Europe, and serendipitously made its way to New York City. A defining feature of the cornet is that it’s highly engraved and even has Wild Bill Davison’s name on it.

Davison was an American Jazz cornet player who had a career that lasted 70 years. Throughout his career he worked with over hundreds of bands and made more than 20 albums between the years of 1965 and 1975.

Davison was known for his astounding playing and musicianship and always knew how to amuse the audience with his uncanny ability to play while chewing gum, without missing a single note and is best remembered for his association with Eddie Condon, with whom he worked and recorded music with from mid 1940s until Condon’s last concert. One of his most well-known songs was “Blue and Broken Hearted” that he played alongside Condon and Edmond Hall. Davison got to play with bands such as the Ohio Lucky Seven, The All-Star Stompers, George Wettling’s All Stars, and Art Hodes’ Hot Five.

“I am thrilled to be adding this outstanding item to the Jazz Loft’s museum holdings,” Manuel said. “Wild Bill Davison’s gold-plated cornet is not only a beautiful work of art visually, but an instrument that represents one of the early practitioners of Jazz.”

The gold-plated cornet is not only on display at The Jazz Loft, but Manuel is very excited to get the chance to use the cornet in future performances.

Located at 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook, the museum is open Thursdays to Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission fee is $10. For more information, visit www.thejazzloft.org.

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The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport celebrated the revitalization, replanting, and resurrection of the Museum’s Rose Garden at a ribbon-cutting event on June 13.

The garden — with its centerpiece fountain and brick pathways — is once again in glorious full bloom and offers a striking view of Northport Bay. The restoration was made possible by a generous anonymous donation of $5,000.

Executive Director Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan presided over the event. Other speakers included James Kelly, President of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, and officers of the 65-member Centerport Garden Club, including Co-Presidents Wendy J. Wolfson and Cathy Cresko, and Rose Garden Committee Co-Chairs Nancy Schwartz and Linda Pitra.

The rose bushes, which were wiped out in 2020 by the highly contagious and incurable  Rose Rosette virus, had to be removed, along with the infected soil. The ground had to lie fallow for two years because the disease survives on tiny pieces of roots and other rose debris in the soil. Only then could the club — working with Operations Supervisor Jim Munson and his crew — replace the top 6-8 inches of soil and plant 57 new rose bushes representing 13 varieties.

“The varieties were selected for their disease resistance and how they will thrive on Long Island in an organic garden,” said Nancy Schwartz.

The club also planted six climbing hydrangeas, 17 hydrangea bushes including a variety that is sun-tolerant, eight boxwoods, and added several pollinator-friendly plantings. The project took three and a half years to complete. 

Two years later, the club was able to reintroduce new roses. “By then we had planted the boxwoods for architectural interest and the hydrangeas to define the entrances, and installed a lovely arbor,” Schwartz said. “We were still planting rose bushes this spring just before the ribbon-cutting event.”

Beginning June 24, summer hours for the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will be Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

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From left, JVC Force's AJ Rok, The Fat Boys' Kool-Rock Ski, Son of Bazerk and Ralph McDaniels Photos from LIMEHOF
From left, Jazzy Jay, Public Enemy’s DJ Johnny Juice and Leaders of the New School’s Dinco D and Milo In De Dance

By Rita J. Egan

In the early 1970s, a new genre of music came out of the Bronx called hip-hop. Through the years, the music’s popularity grew and among the hip-hop artists were Long Islanders. On Sunday, June 11, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the genre and those local entertainers, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook will host a special concert along with a discussion panel featuring several artists who began their careers in Suffolk, Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn.

Members of Son of Bazerk, Kool Rock-Ski (of The Fat Boys), DJ Jazzy Jay and DJ Johnny Juice Rosado (of Public Enemy) are scheduled to perform. A panel discussion will also take place with Rosado, AJ Rok (of JVC Force), Dinco D and Milo in de Dance (both of Leaders of the New School), and special guest Ralph McDaniels (of Video Music Box). In addition to the performances and Q&A, the hall of fame will unveil a statue of hip-hop artist and actor LL Cool J and induct The Fat Boys.

Tom Needham, LIMEHOF vice chairman, said the event aligns with the organization’s ultimate goal to represent and present different types of music. He added there is so much talent in the area, including hip-hop artists, some who have already been inducted into the local hall of fame.

“I think a lot of people, when they think of music on Long Island, simply think of Billy Joel, but there are so many hip-hop artists who lived here, who made music here,” Needham said. “I think sometimes the average Long Island resident just doesn’t even know it.”

Rosado, who has been involved with LIMEHOF since its early days and was inducted with Public Enemy in 2008, said the idea to include the panel came from a tour he took part in during 2012. He and his fellow artists came up with the idea to have a press conference with a panel before shows. He said he feels concerts should have some kind of context and a Q&A helps to provide that.

“I think that it’s important, especially with something like this, a museum and a hall of fame, to kind of know the artists, what they’re about, and why Long Island was such an incredible incubator for these types of acts,” he said.

The event will give several entertainers the opportunity to visit the venue for the first time, including AJ Woodson, a.k.a. AJ Rok from JVC Force. Now the editor-in-chief of Black Westchester Magazine, Woodson said he was happy to hear about the event from Rosado.

“Long Island rap needs to be celebrated more, and it doesn’t get celebrated the way it should, but it was a very strong region as far as it had a lot of contributions to hip-hop,” the journalist said.

A bit of history

Rosado, in addition to being part of Public Enemy, whose “Fight the Power” was featured in the 1989 movie “Do The Right Thing,” has worked with various artists and composed film scores. He remembers the early days of hip-hop as being similar to jazz’s trajectory.

“A lot of it wasn’t accepted by the established greats of the time or what have you, and because of that, it was a hard time trying to get it launched,” he said. “But, along the way, there were some breakthrough moments like when Run DMC did ‘Walk This Way.’”

The 1986 hit was a cover of Aerosmith’s 1975 song, and the hip-hop version did better on the charts than the original. Rosado added that many artists, such as Aerosmith, had a resurgence when hip-hop artists would sample classics.

Woodson said hip-hop started out as a way to express oneself and now it has touched “every form of entertainment at this point.”

As for Long Island artists, Needham said in the early days of hip-hop, many, during interviews, were made to feel as if they had to say they were from New York City.

“It was actually a thing in the record companies,” he said. “Their strategy years ago was — if somebody was from Long Island — they would kind of rewrite their history slightly and make it sound like they were from New York City. They didn’t think it was cool to say they were from Long Island with a lot of different artists, not just hip-hop.”

During the June 11 panel, attendees can find out how many of these entertainers first formed their groups.

Woodson said he moved from Mount Vernon to Central Islip when he was 7. After his parents divorced and his father moved back to Mount Vernon, Woodson decided to attend high school there. He would visit Central Islip often and, after graduation, was back on Long Island. One day his neighbors told him about William Taylor (B-Luv) and Curtis Andre Small (DJ Curt Cazal), who were young DJs starting out, and a friend told him about a party they were having. When he attended, a friend asked if Woodson could have a mic.

“Me and B-Luv were on the mic and going back and forth,” he said. “Not really a battle but we were going back and forth, exchanging rhymes and everybody talked about how great we sounded.” The party was a turning point in Woodson’s life as he joined the group and soon after they were making demos. JVC Force is responsible for the song “Strong Island” in 1988, which sampled Chuck D from Public Enemy saying the phrase on Adelphi University’s radio station. The song helped drive home the fact there were hip-hop artists from Long Island, including Public Enemy and Erik B. and Rakim.

Cassandra Jackson, also known as ½ Pint from Son of Bazerk, will be performing on June 11 with her fellow group members Tony Allen “Bazerk” and Gary Pep Stanton “Daddy Rawe” as well as DJ Johnny Juice. The performance will be in memory of Son of Bazerk member Jeff “Almighty Jahwell” Height who passed away a few months ago.

Jackson’s musical journey began in Freeport. She said before her sophomore year of college, she and her friends were playing basketball at the park and “thrash talking” when someone approached her and said, “Sounds like you can make records.” While she was surprised someone would approach her on a basketball court and say that, she gave him her number and he met with her grandparents. It turned out to be Hank Shocklee, a member of the producing team The Bomb Squad, and he introduced her to Townhouse 3, which eventually became Son of Bazerk. She said she remembered the guys growing up in Freeport.

Becoming part of the group and performing she said “was so surreal for me.”

“It was the epitome of what it was to be hip-hop,” she said. “Banging on the tables in the lunch room, back of the bus rhyming, those things, and then to be able to actually go into a studio and do those things that I’ve practiced with my friends and then to actually be on stage to convey those things and perform.”

Jackson said preserving the history of hip-hop is important. She is still making music and working on a documentary. An administrator of the Alternative Learning Academy with Roosevelt High School, Jackson runs an alternative program where she incorporates hip-hop into the curriculum. “More than just the music, hip-hop stands on the shoulders of movements before, and the music is a way to express that — how we feel and who we are and what we’re trying to convey.”

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The 50th anniversary of hip-hop concert and panel discussion event will be held on Sunday, June 11 at 2 p.m. at the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook. The event is free with admission ($19.50 for adults, $17 for seniors and veterans, and $15 for students with ID). For more information, call 631-689-5888 or visit www.limusichalloffame.org.

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Roger Earl and Norm Prusslin. Photo from LIMEHOF
Roger Earl with his wife Linda and members of Foghat. Photo from LIMEHOF
The band Foghat performed at the ceremony. Photo from LIMEHOF
Roger Earl performed with his band Foghat at the ceremony. Photo from LIMEHOF
The band Foghat

It was a very Happy Birthday for Roger Earl of the band Foghat on May 21. In a surprise birthday party and induction ceremony, Earl became the latest inductee to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) at the LIMEHOF’s museum in Stony Brook.

Foghat is a hard rock band that was formed in 1971 and had several hit songs including “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and “Slow Ride”. The band has a rich history of performing on Long Island and even opened a recording studio in Port Jefferson in 1979 where they recorded the album Boogie Motel.

“I’m totally overwhelmed and really surprised that my manager lied to me,” said Earl, 77, of East Setauket. “I was absolutely blown away. I had no idea and to see so many people here… I didn’t know I had that many friends… It was terrific, very moving, overwhelming and I’m just humbled by it.” The surprise party was an idea from his wife and manager, Linda Earl, who went to great lengths to set up and keep the event a surprise, even convincing Roger that he was going to be the one inducting someone else.

“It was really intense,” said Linda Earl. “We had so many moveable parts. We played in New Jersey last night. Roger thought the band and the crew all went to the airport when in fact they came out to stay at a hotel in Stony Brook. He thought he was inducting Jim Faith (LIMEHOF Co-founder). He’s been practicing his speech all week… I totally had him hoodwinked from the beginning.”

After a the surprise party greeting, LIMEHOF Co-Founder Norm Prusslin took the stage to announce the surprise induction and it was musician and Roger’s friend Bobby Rondinelli (who played with several bands including Blue Oyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath and others) who had the honor of inducting Earl.

“Roger is a guy I met before I played with any big bands and he treated me as an equal. He was always kind and supportive, just the coolest guy in the business,” said Rondinelli. “It is a good thing this isn’t a roast because I really couldn’t say anything bad about him. It’s long over-due. Roger’s been a Long Islander for close to 50 years and Foghat was a huge band and it’s just the right thing to have him in.”

After the induction ceremony the band members of Foghat including Earl took the stage and played a few songs.

“We are pleased to honor and welcome Roger Earl as a 2023 Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame inductee,” said Prusslin. “A 50-year resident of Long Island, Roger is recognized as one of the top drummers in rock, first with Savoy Brown and then powering the band Foghat throughout a legendary catalog of million selling albums and a career of sold-out concerts around the world. When not on the road or in the studio, Roger has a long history of giving his time and talents to a variety of benefit and fundraising events on Long Island and in 2019 he was awarded an Arts Festival Partner Award for his support of students at Stony Brook University as a mentor, guest speaker and panelist.”

About LIMEHOF:
Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall Of Fame (LIMEHOF) is a 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook Village. To date, the organization has inducted more than 120 musicians and music industry executives, and also offers education programs and scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.

 

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Noted Poet-Farmer reflects on ‘Soil and Spirit’
On Thursday, June 1, the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centeport  will host Scott Chaskey, poet-farmer and pioneer of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, for a presentation of his latest memoir, Soil and Spirit: Cultivation and Kinship in the Web of Life (Milkweed Editions, 2023).
Scott Chaskey. Photo by Lindsay Morris

As a farmer with decades spent working in the fields, Chaskey’s worldview has been shaped by daily attention to the earth. His career as a writer has been influenced by these experiences, showing a profound commitment to the promotion of food sovereignty and organic agriculture. In both writing and farming, his efforts have been animated by a central conviction—namely, that humble attention to microbial life provides us with invaluable lessons for building healthy human communities.

Soil and Spirit is a collection of personal essays, mapping the evolution of Chaskey’s thoughts on ecology, agriculture, and society through decisive moments in his biography. In its pages, he takes readers to his original homestead in Maine; the rugged Irish countryside, complete with blackberries, heather, and Nobel-Prize-winning poets; the ancient granite cliffs of the Cornwall coastline; Santa Clara, New Mexico, where he harvested amaranth seeds alongside a group of indigenous women; and finally, to Amagansett, in Suffolk County, where he recalls planting Redwood saplings and writing poetry beneath a centuries-old beech tree.

The lecture will take place at 7:00 pm in the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium. Tickets are available here. Support for the lecture series is generously provided by a grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.

About the lecturer:

Scott Chaskey is the author of Soil and Spirit. He is also the author of a memoir, This Common Ground: Seasons on an Organic Farm, and a book of nonfiction, Seedtime: On the History, Husbandry, Politics, and Promise of Seeds. His poetry, first printed in literary journals in the early seventies, has been widely published over four decades.

A pioneer of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, for thirty years he cultivated more than sixty crops for the Peconic Land Trust at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York, one of the original CSAs in the country. He is the past president of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York and was honored as Farmer of the Year in 2013.

Chaskey was a founding board member for both the Center for Whole Communities, in Vermont, and Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, in Shelter Island, New York. He taught as a poet-in-the-schools for over two decades and as an instructor for Antioch International and Friends World College in Southampton. He lives and works on the east end of Long Island, New York.

 

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Tom Manuel Photo by Adam Hurewitz

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.

There are many reasons that drive and motivate philanthropy and not all are fueled by great passion for causes or humility. For every person that seeks anonymity there is another who desires their name be etched in stone. Regardless the motivation, our society at large has been beneficiary to philanthropic giving since the dawn of time.

Those of us in the arts tend to be especially in tune with the concept of patronage. Our forefathers such as Beethoven and Bach thrived upon such support and although terminology has evolved since their time, most artists would agree that it is a healthy combination of donors, grants, sponsors, and our regular concert going patrons who collectively produce our living.

Finding the correct way to properly thank a donor is about as easy as sneaking an elephant out of a circus tent! I recall inquiring once with a very special person, one who without his support so much of what both The Jazz Loft and my career has become would not have been possible, why he didn’t come to more events. He responded, “Do you really want to know why I don’t come to anything?” To which I replied, “Yes, I do!” To this he quickly quipped, “Because every time I show up you thank me!”

Over the years I’ve found joy in getting to know every individual that supports The Jazz Loft. I’ve truly enjoyed figuring out and discovering who finds appreciation in a letter, who welcomes a phone call, or who enjoys an annual summer lunch get together for a lobster sandwich and a beer. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of running a not-for-profit — getting to know amazing people, building real and genuine relationships, and forging what I know will be some lifetime friendships.

I was inspired to write this op-ed out of the desire to find a way to capture in words the gratitude I feel towards the philanthropists among us. Our community was literally designed and built by a philanthropist, Ward Melville. When I think of the names of those who have continued that bold tradition of giving and support, I resist sharing specific names, but suffice it to say you all know who they are even if you don’t know them personally. 

Chances are you bought your house from them, or perhaps they’ve managed your retirement through the years. You might get your morning coffee from them or chat with them when you’re picking up your kid from school. They might volunteer or help run one of our many outstanding museums, art galleries, community institutions or preservation organizations. Maybe they fixed your car recently or you’ve bumped into them about town, at an outdoor concert, or in your favorite park. They’re quite often invisible, or as we say in Jazz, “tippin’ on the QT.”

What I do know is that no matter how little or how much in the spotlight or foreground they choose to be, these individuals are an incredible part of the fabric of who we are as a community. They are an invaluable resource, beyond definition, and without question an incredible gift to us all. 

I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve our community in the positions and places I’ve been blessed to be and I’m inspired by those who are the philanthropists among us. To all of you out there, and you know who you are, THANK YOU!

Author Thomas Manuel, DMA is a Jazz historian, Artist in Residence at Stony Brook University, trumpet player and President and Founder of The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook. For more information, visit www.thejazzloft.org.

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Lou Gehrig with his teammates June 21 1939. Photographer unknown

By Daniel Dunaief

‘The greatest of all, the game which seems to breathe the restless spirit of American life, that calls for quick action and quicker thinking, that seems characteristic of a great nation itself, is baseball.’

— Photographer Charles M. Conlon, 1913

Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente and pictures of numerous other legends of the baseball diamond are coming to the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook.

Starting May 18 and going through October 15, the History Museum at the LIM is featuring two baseball exhibits.

In one, called Picturing America’s Pastime, the museum is showcasing a collection of images from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Archive. In the other, called Home Fields, the museum has brought together objects and photos from the Ducks field in Central Islip, the new and old Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Citi Field, Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds. The objects come from regional private collections, including some from the Shea family for whom the home of the original Mets was named.

The museum, which charges $10 admission, is hosting a members only opening reception on June 15. Membership costs $40 for an individual and $60 for a family. At the reception, the museum will serve baseball-inspired food, including Cracker Jacks and popcorn.

Picturing America’s Pastime

In one of the pictures, photographer Charles Conlon captured a determined Ty Cobb successfully stealing third base on July 23, 1910, with the throw going by New York Highlanders third baseman Jimmy Austin. Unlike the instant gratification of modern-day digital photographs, Conlon didn’t know he caught and immortalized the moment until later, when he developed the picture.

The exhibit mixes intimate photos of heroes and legends, with a picture from an unidentified photographer of Yankee legend Lou Gehrig holding court in the dugout with his teammates on June 21, 1939 at Yankee Stadium after returning from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Diagnosed with amyotropic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which is now widely known as “Lou Gehrig disease,” Gehrig gave his speech in which he declares himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth” 13 days after the photographer snapped the dugout picture.

“He’s having this semi-private moment with his second family,” described Joshua Ruff, the Co-Executive Director of Collections and Programming at the Long Island Museum. “It’s just amazing that somebody had the wherewithal to capture that photographically and to save that memory for us.”

The pictures also feature an image of Jackie Robinson, clad in a Montreal Royals uniform, entering the Dodgers clubhouse on April 10th, 1947, five days before Robinson became the first black player in Major League Baseball and seven years before the Supreme Court struck down segregation in public schools in Brown vs. the Board of Education. In the photo, taken by William C. Greene, Robinson is holding up a baseball glove in the air and entering a door with the words “Dodgers Club House” above and “Keep Out” below.

The pictures featured in the exhibit are “much more than about the history that’s being achieved on the field,” Ruff added.

The Picturing America’s Pastime exhibit also includes a photo of the 1920 St. Louis Giants from the Negro League, as well as the Muskegon Lassies with the team bus in 1947.

In a snapshot from Chicago’s Comiskey Park in May 1916 by an unidentified photographer, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson sits on the ground with four bats across his right knee. The photo was taken four years before Baseball Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis banned Jackson and seven of his teammates for life from the sport for the Black Sox scandal of 1919.

The pictures also include more recent heroes, such as Japanese sensation Ichiro Suzuki, photographed by Brad Mangin in 2006 at Oakland’s McAfee Coliseum. In his trademark move before he hit, Suzuki is tugging at the right shoulder of his uniform with his left hand while holding the bat vertically in his right.

Home Fields

The Home Fields exhibit, meanwhile, features a collection of paraphernalia from local ballparks, such as a bleacher from the old Yankee Stadium, and seats from the Polo Grounds (where the Yankees and, for two years, the Mets played), Shea (home of the Mets) and Ebbets Field, where the Brooklyn Dodgers played before leaving in 1958.

The museum, which has a Derek Jeter bat from 2007, will display a World Series ring from 1969, when the Miracle Mets defeated the heavily favored, 109-win Baltimore Orioles that included stars Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer.

A replay of seven minutes of the fifth and final game from the 1969 NBC radio broadcast will play in the background, providing ambient baseball sounds for guests. The museum is coordinating a revolving slide show of images from that game in the Home Fields exhibition.

The museum also has a piece of the outfield fence from Shea and pieces of the scoreboard from Yankee and Shea stadiums.

A private collector loaned the museum the on deck circle from 2000 subway series between the Mets and the Yankees. In that series, which was the third consecutive World Series victory for the Yankees, Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens threw a piece of Met Mike Piazza’s broken bat towards the Mets catcher as he made his way towards first on a foul ball, bringing both teams out of their dugouts.

Ruff suggested that the exhibits could spur a range of memories from fans of all ages. Born in Baltimore, he calls himself a “lifetime baseball fan” whose favorite players are Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. He has loved attending Mets and Yankees games.

Ruff likens these two exhibitions to “playing in the sand box. Hopefully, that will be the same for people that walk through. Whether you’re a fan of the Mets, the Yankees, the Reds or whoever your team is, there’s a lot to appreciate and enjoy when you come see these shows.”

The Long Island Museum is located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook. For more information, call 631-751-0066 or visit www.longislandmuseum.org.

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Photo from Whaling Museum

The Whaling Museum & Education Center, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor will host its annual craft brew tasting event, Whales, Ales and Salty Tales on June 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. with a special VIP hour from 1 to 2 p.m.

The Whaling Museum invites adults age 21+ to join them for craft beer tastings provided by Long Island breweries including Blind Bat Brewery (Centerport), Destination Unknown Beer Company (Bayshore),Ghost Brewing Company (Bayshore), Great South Bay Brewery (Bayshore), Jones Beach Brewing Company (Long Island Location TBD), Long Beach Brewing Company (Oceanside), Secatogue Brewing Company (West Islip), and Take Two Brewery (Bayshore), with more to come.

“Whales & Ales is one of our signature events. We are delighted to get very positive feedback from the community every year. The historic spin on enjoying local brews makes our program unique from other similar events, ” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director of The Whaling Museum & Education Center.

In addition to tastings from new brewers, this indoor/outdoor event will include a brand-new activity for attendees to partake in. Each ticket includes the chance to try your hand at the signature craft of whalers, scrimshaw. With the help of museum educators, attendees can design their own scrimshaw-style keychain to take home after viewing some of the museum’s impressive scrimshaw collection throughout the museum.

“We are excited to welcome back breweries that attended last year and to announce some new breweries participating for the very first time! We are honored to have them showcase their finest brews with us. New this year we are offering our scrimshaw craft for attendees to design and take home their own scrimshaw-style keychain. We hope it will be a special memento for supporting a good cause while having a great time with friends and enjoying brews!” said Gina Van Bell, Assistant Director, The Whaling Museum & Education Center.

Attendees will be immersed in the who, what, and why of whaling in the 19th century during our Whaleboat Chats presented by museum educators twice throughout the event. These talks will take place around our 19th century whaleboat, the star of the museum’s permanent collection and the only fully equipped whaleboat in New York State with all its original gear.

Brewers will host chats in our workshop twice throughout the event during “Ale Tales”. This gives attendees an opportunity to hear about the brewing process firsthand.

Also included in the day’s activities are live acoustic music with The Other Two, Acoustic Duoperforming classics from the 60s, 70s, and 80s sponsored by Evolution Piping, Steamfitters of NY and the option to stop by our food truck for the day, All American Wontons, offering delicious handheld wontons in a variety of flavors.

Advanced registrants will receive a commemorative tasting cup sponsored by Mercedes of Huntington. Tickets purchased at the door will also receive a cup while supplies last.

General admission tickets are $40, museum members pay $30 and designated drivers can purchase tickets for $15. VIP admission tickets are $70 and include 1pm entry time and a 2023 event t-shirt. Museum members can purchase VIP tickets for $60. Advance tickets are limited, and tickets purchased at the door are $5 more per ticket. The 2023 event t-shirts are sponsored by H&M Powles Marina. Purchase tickets here.

This event supports the museum’s community education programming and helps the museum raise important funds to continue offering innovative and creative programming throughout the year.

This is a 21 and over event, photo ID will be checked at the door. There are still more opportunities for local businesses to get involved. Interested companies can contact Gina Van Bell at 631-367-3418 ext. 12 or [email protected].

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About The Whaling Museum & Education Center

The Whaling Museum & Education Center is the only museum in the world open year-round which explores the whaling history of the Long Island region. The Museum engages the community in exploring the diversity of our whaling heritage and its impacts to enrich and inform our lives. The museum is located at 301 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724. Visit cshwhalingmuseum.org and follow The Whaling Museum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter@cshwhalingmuseum

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A scene from the 2020 Harry Chapin documentary

By Melissa Arnold

Throughout the 1970s, singer-songwriter Harry Chapin built a high-profile music career that included more than a dozen hit singles, 11 albums and a host of awards, including two Grammys. Despite his sudden death in 1981 at only 38 years old, Chapin left behind a massive legacy through both his music and a profoundly generous spirit.

Most people know Harry Chapin for his prolific contributions to the world of folk and rock music, but the “Cat’s in the Cradle” singer was also involved in a variety of charity efforts. He was especially passionate about ending hunger around the world. In 1975, he co-founded Why Hunger, a non-profit that supports grassroots organizations in 35 countries. He was also committed to making a difference in his backyard on Long Island, and in 1980, he founded Long Island Cares, which runs food pantries throughout the area.

The documentary Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something will be screened on Saturday, May 6.

On Saturday, May 6, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook will host a charity food drive and film screening of Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something.

“Like many people, my earliest memory of Harry Chapin is when my dad would have our family listen carefully to ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ on the AM radio in our family station wagon,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF’s vice chairman and host of the Sounds of Film radio show on 90.1 WUSB-FM. “Harry wrote songs about everyday people and their struggles, and he had a way of connecting with his audience on a personal level. His life and career serve as a testament to the ability of music and advocacy to bring about positive change in the world.”

The documentary, released in 2020, follows Chapin from a young boy in the shadows of his jazz musician father to finding his own success. When in Doubt, Do Something paints a new picture of the singer-songwriter who used his fame as a launching point to help others and influence politics. It also features testimonials from Chapin’s family, along with fellow musicians including Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Rogers, Pat Benatar and many more.

“I always believed that at some time in our history that there would be a documentary film made about Harry’s life and dedication towards ending hunger,” said Paule Pachter, CEO of Long Island Cares. “Half of his annual concert [revenue] was used to raise funds to address food insecurity, and many schools reference Harry when discussing hunger, poverty, and social justice. I was honored to be a part of the film to discuss the founding of Long Island Cares and how we work to continue his legacy.”

According to Long Island Cares media relations specialist Peter Crescenti, there are 230,000 food-insecure individuals on Long Island today, including 68,000 children. The organization’s food pantries have seen significant increases in visitors over the past several years, a trend they anticipate will continue. But Crescenti said they are continuing to expand their reach and programs to meet the growing need.

“In addition to providing millions of pounds of food a year to more than 325 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, we also run a pantry for pet supplies and a variety of programs for young people, veterans, the homeless and others seeking support,” he said. “We are dedicated to being the voice of those who have no voice, and addressing why poverty, immigration status, racial discrimination and other root causes of hunger still exist.”

Following the film screening, Tom Needham will lead a Q&A session with members of Harry Chapin’s family and staff from LI Cares.

The event will be held at 2 p.m. May 6 at the LIMEHOF Museum, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook. Tickets are $19.50 for adults, with discounts available for seniors, veterans and children at www.limusichalloffame.org. Each ticket also includes admission to the museum. Food donations are strongly encouraged.

LIMEHOF is a not-for-profit organization — ticket sales support scholarships for high schoolers and music programs in local places of need, including hospitals and senior centers. For more information and upcoming events, visit www.limusichalloffame.org/museum. To learn more about LI Cares and how to support their mission, visit www.licares.org.

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