Thursday, October 1, 2026
Bands, duos and trios put on jazz performances around Sea Cliff as the Sea Cliff Arts Council and Love Your Neighbor Project hosted the village’s first Jazz Fest, organized by resident and musician Will Winchester.
Winchester, an upright bassist, performed with his quartet featuring singer Emmy Irvine to start the festival. He said organizing the event was a “collaborative process” with the arts council, Love Your Neighbor Project and sponsors including Long Island Bagel Café, Rising Tide Natural Market, Village Wine Merchant and Branch Realty.
Now studying jazz at Oberlin University, Winchester said that growing up with the music scene in Sea Cliff showed him that pursuing music was a viable option.
“I always had these opportunities to see live music and to play and to perform,” he said. “and so, I wanted to do this jazz festival so I could inspire the next generation with these same opportunities.”
Mark Sobel, village trustee and producer at large for the arts council, noted the festival provided an opportunity for students to perform and expressed a hope that students will continue playing music after high school.
“It would maybe,” he said. “help those kids performing say to themselves, ‘you know what? I can continue this, and it doesn't have to be my number one career, but it could be my sideline, and it could be my joy.’ ”
Planning began in the fall, and Winchester chose to hold the festival in January to give Sea Cliff’s businesses a boost. Still Partners, Village Wine Merchant, Moonshot Emporium, Sea Cliff Daily Grind, the arts council and Foster all served as venues, and businesses stayed open past regular operating hours. Village Wine Merchant hosted a jazz duo and held a wine tasting during the festival.
Sea Cliff Daily Grind owner Terrence Cave said that Jazz Fest brought in new customers.
“Some of them are from out of town, and they're just going for a scenic walk on the weekend,” he said. “and next thing you know, they're having a quality cup of coffee or a fresh pastry or sandwich, and they're coming back again.”
Irvine, an Oberlin student from Southampton, England, has visited and performed in Sea Cliff several times and expressed a love for the village. She said that singing at Jazz Fest was a “no brainer” and that she hoped to give people a good feeling with her and the quartet’s performance.
“If I can make one person happy or content,” she said. “or feel like they've learned something new, or felt something from our playing, that's all that matters to me.”
Ruby Laks, a former Oberlin student from Pennsylvania and California, played drums and sang at Still Partners on Saturday alongside guitarist Miles Mindlin. She has also played in Sea Cliff previously.
“Everyone seems like they really just enjoy and appreciate live music,” she said of Sea Cliff residents. “They are really listening, which is great as a performer.
Sea Cliff resident and member of a local band, Trilogy, Frank D’Errico attended two of the Jazz Fest performances. He praised Winchester for putting the festival together.
“For a village like Sea Cliff to be able to do this?” D’Errico said. “Just amazing. There's really no other word for it.” He added that this kind of event is “what makes Sea Cliff Sea Cliff.”
The snow did not stop the community from coming together and walking up and down Sea Cliff Avenue to listen to each performance. Jaime Teich, founder of Love Your Neighbor Project, said she hoped the festival gave people an opportunity to connect.
“Our hope is that neighbors find each other through a shared thread,” she said in a statement. “Jazz, music, art, dancing, a meal, a conversation across differences, or simply showing up to help someone else.”
Several people expressed pride in Winchester for putting together the event, noting how the next generation is continuing the arts culture in Sea Cliff.
Sobel said that it is good to know that there is someone to continue organizing these kinds of events.
“It makes me feel so much better knowing that he will pick up the mantle when we're gone,” he said. “When we say, ‘Okay, enough, I'm old, you take over.’”
Winchester’s stepfather, teacher and musician Matthew Schneider played with the local band Meridian at Jazz Fest. Schneider has moved out of Sea Cliff to Massachusetts and is returning to music full time after retiring from teaching public school.
Schneider said it is rewarding to see younger people, including Winchester and former students, carrying on artistic tradition.
“(Sea Cliff has) been fertile ground for a long time for the arts,” he said. “and with each generation, it just continues to evolve and grow.”
According to Sobel, Jazz Fest was not an isolated event, but there have been serious discussions about holding. Future Jazz Fests could take place outdoors during warmer weather, and Sobel said that other genres could be considered.
Learn more about the arts council at SeaCliffArtsCouncil.org and Love Your Neighbor Project at lynp.org.
