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Bob Willemstyn

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From left, Bob Willemstyn, restaurateur and owner of the Country House; Madiran's owner and sommelier, Jacqueline Malenda; Tom Manuel, founder of The Jazz Loft; and Elaine and Enzo Micali, owners of Elaine’s restaurant. Photo courtesy of The Jazz Loft

The signs of spring on the North Shore bring more than warm breezes and the return of the ospreys. Jazz music will once again be filling the air as The Jazz Loft’s Swing Into Swing Festival 2025 returns from March 18 to 22, not only boosting everyone’s spirits but also at local businesses. There will be an assortment of opportunities to hear live Jazz music throughout the community at five local restaurants in the Stony Brook/East Setauket area.

From left are Tom Manuel, founder of The Jazz Loft; Bob Willemstyn, restaurateur and owner of the Country House; Madiran’s owner and sommelier, Jacqueline Malenda; and Enzo and Elaine Micali, owners of Elaine’s restaurant. Photo from The Jazz Loft

Local restaurants featuring live jazz include: Bliss, located at 766 Route 25A in East Setauket; Elaine’s, located at 316 Main Street in East Setauket; The Country House, located at 1175 North Country Road in Stony Brook; Madiran, located at 209 Route 25A in East Setauket; and Schnitzels, located at 77 Main Street in Stony Brook. 

“We are excited to be part of the Jazz Loft’s Swing into Spring event,” said Elaine Micali,  owner of Elaine’s in East Setauket. “It’s a great way to spread a little Jazz throughout the Three Village community!” 

“I believe that the annual Swing into Spring is something to which the community looks forward to,” said Madiran owner and Sommelier Jacqueline Malenda. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to expose our friends and neighbors to such tremendously talented local musicians. It’s how I began a monthly gig with The Jazz Loft a few years ago, and I’m so happy that I have!”

“The Jazz Loft is a gem in our community,” said Jane Taylor, Executive Director of The Three Village Chamber of Commerce. “The quality of the performances are outstanding and we are fortunate to have The Jazz Loft in our backyard with its quality musicians, while also sharing with the community the history of Jazz, and how it has influenced our culture. I would encourage all to take advantage of the upcoming Swing into Spring Festival.”

The five-day music festival will also feature concert performances at The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook including a Community Jazz Night with Carl Safina, Rod Borrie and John Ronconi on March 18; Bakithi Kumalo Ensemble on March 20;  the Mitch Marcus Quintet on March 21 and Frank Vignola and his Birdland Quintet on March 22. 

Funding for the Festival comes in part from the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning and Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright.

“Music has the power to draw people out and bring people together,” said The Jazz Loft founder Tom Manuel. “I am always excited each year to bring music with the Swing into Spring festival throughout the Three Village community. I am so proud to partner with our community businesses. It’s a great feeling to see our restaurants bustling with people, and filled with the sound of live Jazz.”

Schedule of Events:
Tuesday March 18:

The Jazz Loft (7-9:30PM)

Community Jazz Night: Rod Borrie & Free Range, Carl Safina & Moment’s Notice, John Ronconi & Cafe Society

$30, $25, $20, $15, Kids 5 and under FREE

Bliss (6-8PM):

Steve Salerno, guitar, John Marshall, tenor saxophone

Elaine’s (6-8PM):

Tom Manuel, cornet, Phil Rinaldi, piano

Madiran (6-8PM):

Dean Johnson, bass, Al Marino, guitar

 

Wednesday March 19:

Madiran (6-8PM):

Phil Rinaldi, piano, Mark Wade, bass

Bliss (6-8PM):

Steve Salerno, guitar, Tom Manuel, cornet

Elaine’s (6-8PM):

Kevin Clark, guitar, Chris Donohue, tenor saxophone

The Country House (6-8PM):

The Jazz Loft Trio

Dean Johnson, bass, Rich Iacona, piano, Darrell Smith, drums

The Jazz Loft (4-5:30PM):

Improvisation & Jam Session Techniques Workshop

Dean Johnson, bass, Rich Iacona, piano Tom Manuel, cornet, Darrell Smith, drums

$10 All

The Jazz Loft: (7-9:30PM)

Jam Session / The Keenan Zach Trio

$10, $5 at 8PM

Thursday March 20:

Country House (6-8PM):

Mala Waldron, piano

The Jazz Loft (7-9:30PM)

Bakithi Kumalo Ensemble

Bakithi Kumalo, bass, Miho Nobuzane, piano/vocal, Kate Curran, vocal, Dylan Kries, saxophone, Ray Marchica, drums

 Friday March 21:

Country House (6-8PM):

Rich Iacona, piano, Tom Manuel, cornet

The Jazz Loft (7-9:30PM)

Mitch Marcus Quintet

Mitch Marcus, tenor saxophone, Evan Francis, alto saxophone/flute, Jeff Miles, guitar, Peter Brendler, bass, Jerad Lippi, drums

$30, $25, $20, $15, Kids 5 and under FREE

 

Saturday March 22:

The Jazz Loft (7-9:30PM)

Frank Vignola Birdland Quartet

Frank Vignola, guitar, Ted Rosenthal, piano, Alex Raderman, drums, Gary Mazzaroppi, bass

$30, $25, $20, $15, Kids 5 and under FREE

Schnitzels (5-7PM)

Vinny Raniolo, guitar, Tom Manuel, cornet

 

All tickets can be purchased by visiting: https://www.thejazzloft.org/tickets

For more information call 631-751-1895.

 

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The fireplace at the Country House Restaurant. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
The Country House Restaurant. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
The Country House Restaurant. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
The Country House Restaurant. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein
The Country House Restaurant. Photo by Carolyn Sackstein

By Carolyn Sackstein

The universe works in mysterious ways. It embraced the Country House, located at the corner of Route 25A and Main Street in Stony Brook, on May 4, 2019, race day for the 145th “Run for the Roses” at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky.

Owner Bob Willemstyn was preparing to open the restaurant when a friend informed him that one of the horses, running in the Kentucky Derby, was named Country House. Never a gambler, Willemstyn went down to the off-track betting to place a $100 bet to win on the horse bearing the name of the restaurant he had worked in since 1978 and owned since 2005. 

Willemstyn was told, “The horse is a long shot with odds 65-1 against it.” Many tried to get him to reduce his wager or not bet the horse at all. “I really don’t care, I didn’t want to be cheap,” Willemstyn said. “I have lost a hundred dollars on other things before. So that was the year that it was a very rainy racetrack, it was mucky. The horses were coming around and something happened that has only happened once in 149 years of the race — the first-place horse got disqualified.”

The winner and 9-2 favorite, Maximum Security, was found to have violated rules against interference when he strayed into the paths of War of Will, Long Range Toddy and Country House. After race officials viewed the video tape, Country House, who never raced again, was declared the winner. Willemstyn’s bet and faith in Country House was vindicated.

The providential windfall from his bet came just in time to allow for renovations to the restaurant building when the COVID-19 shutdown occurred. Willemstyn was able to address structural issues in one of the smaller dining areas used for private parties. It also happens to be the room in which the spirit of former colonial resident Annette Williamson manifests itself. 

The ceiling was removed along with the floor of the room above, and the beams were exposed. This process revealed the upper room and resulted in a more spacious feel to the dining room. The ceiling above was painted to suggest a blue sky. Other tweaks and repairs were done to the building and grounds, while keeping the traditional colonial look so beloved and expected by his patrons.

During the renovations a variety of artifacts and structures from the 18th and 19th centuries were found. Willemstyn is considering ways in which to display some of them. As in years past, he continues to refresh the interior decor throughout the year as seasons and holidays change. Attention to the smallest detail is paramount to Willemstyn’s hospitality.

Just as the building and grounds were refreshed, the menu was also revamped to appeal to family dining and bar patrons. Some 90% or more of all offerings are homemade, and farms from the East End bring their fresh seasonal produce to the Country House. Seasonal foods and bar offerings reflect holidays and special occasions. As an example, mint juleps were featured on the first Saturday in May, Kentucky Derby Day.

The Country House Restaurant is open Wednesdays though Sundays, from noon
to closing. Due to confusion about Country House on the web, Willemstyn requests that people
use the following websites: countryhouserestaurant.com or countryhouserestaurant.net.

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The Country House Restaurant
Author Kerriann Brosky

Join author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky on Thursday, September 30th at the Country House Restaurant, 1175 North Country Road, Stony Brook for a Lunch and Learn program beginning at 12:30 pm.

Brosky will be joined by the proprietor of the Country House Restaurant, Bob Willemstyn, as they recount their experiences with the spirits and the strange happenings of the Country House Restaurant. Haunts of other local properties owned by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) like the Brewster House (c. 1665), and the Thompson House (c. 1709) which is featured on the cover of Brosky’s new book “Haunted Long Island Mysteries”, will be discussed. $45 per person, includes signed book, program and appetizer luncheon, plus tax and gratuity. Beverages are additional.

The Country House Restaurant was originally a residential home from 1710 to 1970. Annette Williamson, daughter of the family that owned the house, resided there before the Revolutionary War. She is said to haunt the restaurant, as she was murdered by local townspeople for supposedly being a British spy. In the late 1800s it became the home of a famous British actor, Thomas Haddaway – who would hold meetings of spiritualism, including séances to contact the dead, with local neighbor, artist and poet William Sidney Mount. The Country House Restaurant has been the destination of ghost hunters and those fascinated with hauntings for centuries.

To learn more about this Lunch and Learn program and to register, call the Country House Restaurant at 631-751-3332. To learn more about the Brewster and Thompson Houses, call the Ward Melville Heritage Organization office at 631-751-2244.

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