Winterspring music warms venues

Over time, the East End has done an impressive job of expanding its seasons. A brief history:

In the beginning there was summer, when Manhattan tycoons would send their families out east for the cooling breezes and waters, then would follow on the Friday afternoon train.

Eventually our wholesale farms made the transition to retail/agritainment, and presto: Fall was born. When you see our slender east-west roads packed solid all the way back to the LIE in October, you learn the hard way how huge pumpkin season has become.

And yea, there cometh Christmastide, with masses of West Enders piling into Jeeps to slouch east for a day of tree-hunting and last stops at the vineyards for fortification.

All that’s left is the current period, which could be bundled up and called winterspring because it lacks the gusto to do either well. Sometimes there’s snow but, until Riverhead Resorts builds its indoor Aspen (any day now) there’s no ski mountain. Spring is kind of like winter until the temperature suddenly spikes 40 degrees on Memorial Day and it’s “summer” again.

So the question for East End merchants has been, what to do about winterspring? Some retailers simply give up, close down and wait for the hordes to return. Some shops and restaurants stay open, earning our admiration and appreciation. But some entrepreneurial sorts have taken up the cudgel, trying to beat gold from the lead of winterspring.

One such effort is Jazz on the Vine, which is the centerpiece of Winterfest, an East End business collaboration begun five years ago. Winterfest itself “didn’t have a whole lot of success,” in the words of Pat Snyder, executive director of the East End Arts Council. “The idea was, if they did something together, we would support the joint effort, placing music [there].” Such as, “if a B&B and a vineyard got together … It was all kind of fuzzy.”

Clarity came three years ago with Jazz on the Vine, which was and is a straight infusion of free (FREE!) musical performances at East End venues, backed Suffolk County Economic Development, the Long Island Convention & Visitor Bureau, the Long Island Wine Council and the EEAC.

It was an immediate hit. Year one featured five winterspring weekends and 50 concerts at area vineyards. Last year the numbers spiked to six weekends and 66 concerts, boosted by the addition of restaurants and hotels to the venue list. Meanwhile, funding grew to some $100,000.

This year the numbers are staying flat, thanks (or rather, no thanks) to pandemic cuts in arts funding. Nevertheless, Jazz on the Vine has become a big blast of bright in the dark months out east. “Oh my gosh, it’s been enormous,” Snyder said when asked about its impact. “Before this the vineyards were totally quiet during February and March. Now they’re filled to capacity during concerts.” Venue revenue is up 200 percent, she said. She’s heard of vineyard owners out in their icy parking lots directing jazz fans to other vineyards because they were overflowing.

“The energy level is really high throughout the whole period,” Snyder said. Last year, after a performance by Bakithi Khumalo, the renowned South African bassist who’s backed everyone from Cyndi Lauper to Paul Simon, musicians from other concerts flocked to Khumalo’s side and the jamming went on deep into the wintry night.

An addition this year is support and participation by Steinway & Sons. And so, if attendees note an emphasis on piano solos, here’s why: The company is sending Steinways from its new showroom in Melville for piano-centric performances.

Snyder gave up her Christmas vacation for this, making myriad arrangements, finalizing 66 musician contracts, etc. “But it pays off in February and March,” she said. It helps that she’s a big jazz fan.

Styles range all over, from Dixieland to avant garde. And the rewards are rangy too. “Everyone benefits,” Snyder said. “Vineyards, restaurants, hotels, and musicians too.”

This year’s concerts begin with JaLaLa on Feb. 6 at Raphael in Peconic. They end with the last of the Steinway series on March 21, with Nilson Matta Brazilian Voyage Trio at the new Sparkling Pointe in Southold.


Long Island Business News / January 14, 2010