Long Island Winterfest: Jazz on the Vine 2012 Set To Launch With New Performers, Special Offers and Award Winning Wine

Riverhead, N.Y. - JAZZ ON THE VINE returns as the theme for the 2012 Long Island Winterfest. Now in its fifth consecutive year, this winter’s exciting program runs from February 11 to March 18 when you can visit the East End of Long Island to enjoy six great weekends of truly exceptional jazz performances in winery tasting rooms.

Make sure to visit http://www.liwinterfest.com/ to get the latest information on events and offers.

This year’s program includes over 70 performances at participating wineries. Admission at each concert ($15 per person) includes a glass of wine* and a chance to win a FREE hotel night on the East End with a gift basket of Long Island wines.

The Winterfest: Jazz on the Vine series features a full line up of top level performers, including many Grammy recipients and Grammy-nominated artists. Multiple musical performances are scheduled each day of the six weekends at different times so visitors can plan to visit multiple winery concerts each day.

“The East End of Long Island is a great place to hear world class music,” said Pat Snyder, Executive Director of East End Arts, “The talent scheduled for this year is amazing.”

Visitors to the Jazz on the Vine concerts can also combine their love of great jazz music with a mini getaway. Local vineyards, hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, cultural venues and attractions join with the outstanding jazz performances to create an array of special events and offers designed to lift the mid-winter doldrums. So grab some of your friends, your family, work mates or your significant other and come out and have some fun.

“Book a limo at a special Winterfest discounted rate; reserve a hotel room at a cozy east end inn; find special offers at restaurants, retailers and more,” said Kristen Matejka, director of marketing at the Long Island Convention & Visitors Burea. “Nearly 100 offers, special promotions, discounts, events and getaways will tempt visitors to make a weekend out of Long Island Winterfest.”

Last year over 6,000 tickets were sold to the Winterfest: Jazz on the Vine concerts, contributing toward the economic development of the region during what is traditionally the slowest time of the year. In addition to the performances, the program invites visitors to come out and explore, dine, shop and stay in Suffolk County.

Steve Bate, Executive Director of the Long Island Wine Council expects a much larger turn-out for this year’s Winterfest: “The 2012 schedule is even better than last year, with more musicians performing at more winery tasting rooms. There’s already a buzz about the program with musicians, wineries, local businesses and the many lovers of wine and jazz eager for the fun to begin.”

“Suffolk County is proud to support Jazz on the Vine, which is a great time and a great deal. Whether you’re looking for a weekend getaway or a night out, our East End wineries have so much to offer,” said Steven Bellone, Suffolk’s County Executive.

2012 Winterfest: Jazz on the Vine events are being organized by East End Arts, the Long Island Wine Council, the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, with support from Suffolk County, under the auspices of the Office of Film & Cultural Affairs, as well as assistance from East End Getaways, Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja and Peconic Public Broadcasting.

Conceived in 2006, the program is well on its way to becoming a regional and even national attraction.

For a full concert schedule and access to all festival promotions, visit http://www.liwinterfest.com/ and don’t forget to register to receive weekly information about the upcoming concerts.

We have all pulled together to clean up and give each other moral support.  Our school just started again on September 26th.  It will take awhile but we will come back better than ever! The quartet will be playing tomorrow, Saturday, October 8th at Windham Mountain for Homecoming and the Autumn Affair. There will be all kinds of activities and vendors down on Main Street, Windham and we hope that it is hugely successful.

Tomorrow evening Elliot and I will entertain for the Windham Hurricane Benefit Dinner and Auction and we are glad to be a part of helping our community.

If you are interested in helping out please go to   http://www.windham1store.com/eStore/ and

 http://www.windhamrebuild.org

Thanks again to all of our friends and listeners.

Saturday, September 4th.. follow the link http://www.animajazz.it/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1505  Thanks, Bruno     www.animajazz.it

http://www.pandora.com/music/artist/christinesperogroup?ref=sgm

Even if you don't like jazz or outright hate it, you still might get swept up in the park's fairgrounds atmosphere, its intoxicating mix of leisure and pleasure and infectious communal spirit that somehow seem to connect 20,000 strangers in an inexplicable but quite pleasant way.

And then there's the sheer, spectacular beauty to savor when the sun sets creating a breathtaking perspective on the city's skyline and, most of all, on the gold-domed State Capitol building in all its magical, Gothic glory looking down from its hilltop on the picturesque park below.

The heart of the matter is, of course, the festival's huge potpourri of pop and jazz, which opens Friday at 7 p.m. with pianist/vocalist/songwriter Christine Spero and her group uncorking its bubbly brand of nu-jazz/pop/Latin and Brazilian soul rhythms.

Spero and other headliners play on the Main Stage, which is complemented by the Friends of the Festival Stage, which features such top Connecticut-based acts as the venerable Hartford Jazz Orchestra with vocalist Bobbi Rogers.

On Saturday and Sunday, festival fare ranges from percussionist Doc Gibbs, who's best known as the band leader on the Food Network's "Emeril Live!", to TIZER, featuring keyboardist Lao Tizer, guitarist Chieli Minucci of Special EFX fame and violinist Karen Briggs.

http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/hc-jazz-festival-bushnell-park-20100716,0,6753685.story
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