Holiday jazz filled the Uniondale Public Library on Dec. 7 as patrons gathered for an afternoon concert by the Majestic Winds Quartet, a group formed by retired Westbury High School music teacher Michael Carpenter. The ensemble blended festive classics with jazz standards, offering a relaxed, interactive program that combined music with education and storytelling.
“This is the season — the time of the year where we celebrate different holidays,” said Ilgar Guo, the library’s adult services programming specialist.
The audience included both children and adults. One of the youngest listeners shared that he especially enjoyed the performance because he had previously learned the recorder — an experience he told the group helped spark his love of music.
The quartet has been playing together for about a decade, formed after Carpenter retired from Westbury High. His vision was simple: keep music alive in the community by inviting anyone with an instrument to play.
“Initially, I was a music teacher at Westbury High School,” Carpenter said. “And after I retired, I wanted to do community service. I told anybody who had an instrument, drag it out from underneath your bed. Let’s play music.”
Today, the ensemble includes musicians with varied backgrounds — some are former students, some teachers, others people who came to music later in life. Their shared passion brings a personal connection to each performance.
One member, Paula Ebron, known as “little mama with the big sacks” because of her petite size compared to her instrument, played clarinet in high school but never had the opportunity to try baritone saxophone — until now.
“This was her opportunity,” Carpenter said. “She plays several instruments now, including bass clarinet.”
Another member of the group, Pless Dickerson, served as principal at Westbury High School. He didn’t pick up the saxophone until much later in life — and it all started with encouragement from Carpenter.
“I was a teacher underneath him — he was the principal,” Carpenter said.
“He asked me, ‘Why don’t you try playing saxophone?’” Dickerson recalled. “I said, ‘Me, at this age?’”
He eventually gave it a try and stuck with it. Now, he performs regularly and encourages others to explore music, no matter their age.
“I came from a family of musicians, but I didn’t think I would ever pick it up — even though I always enjoyed music,” Dickerson said. “Let’s make a long story short. After so many years, somebody encouraged me to pick it up. He encouraged me to start with the saxophone, and I did. It just goes to show — it doesn’t matter how old you are. Because I’m up there, and you can still learn.”
Emma Desulme, another member of the group, also played clarinet as a student at Westbury. Carpenter and Dickerson both worked at the school before she graduated in 2003.
“When I joined the group, the only thing that was weird was calling them by their first names,” Desulme joked.
Between songs, the musicians turned the performance into a casual masterclass. They explained how different instruments work and encouraged the audience to think about the sounds all around them.
“The smaller it is, the higher the pitch,” Carpenter explained, holding up a saxophone. “As it gets longer, it starts going lower and lower.” He connected the idea to nature: “When you think of an elephant, low pitch. When you think of a bird, high pitch.”
They also explained the different instrument families. Saxophones, clarinets and recorders fall under the woodwind category. Trumpets and trombones are brass. Percussion includes more than just drums.
“The piano is a percussive instrument,” one musician noted. “If you open it up, you see the hammer hit the key.”
Later in the show, the group performed a medley of jazz standards, including selections by Duke Ellington.
“He wrote a lot of music,” one musician said. “That’s how he was able to keep his band together.”
Other holiday songs included “Deck the Halls,” “The First Noel,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Ave Maria,” “A Christmas Festival,” and “The Nutcracker: March” by Tchaikovsky.
Throughout the performance, the audience remained engaged — clapping along, nodding to the beat, or simply closing their eyes to listen. Children and seniors alike leaned in as musicians shared tips, musical memories, and impromptu mini-lessons.
The concert ended on a reflective note, as Dickerson shared what music has meant in his life.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” he said. “You can always learn. Music is so soothing. Whatever your troubles are, pick up an instrument and play.”
