Press Releases

April 11, 2001
WPBX Hosts "Jazz From the Hedges" Benefit

Contact:
Jane Finalborgo
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

Wallace Smith, Executive Director of Long Island University Public Radio, announced today that WPBX will host a benefit cocktail party and live jazz concert on Saturday, June 9 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Bridge Gardens Trust in Bridgehampton. The concert will feature the Grammy-award winning vocal ensemble "New York Voices."

Dr. Smith said the event will provide an opportunity to introduce Long Island communities to the new direction and the new sound of WPBX-FM.

"We want to publicly ratify our renewed dedication to serve the populations of Long Island and Southern Connecticut," he said.

Host and master of ceremonies for the evening will be writer and commentator Roger Rosenblatt, whose series, "Not The News," is heard weekly on WPBX.

During the first hour of "Jazz From The Hedges" WPBX and Mr. Rosenblatt will welcome the public to tour the magnificent five-acre Inner and Outer estate gardens of the Bridge Gardens Trust, located at 36 Mitchell Lane in Bridgehampton, NY. The Outer Garden features a unique collection of 800 antique and modern roses. The Inner Garden contains a large, meticulously trimmed knot garden surrounded by beds of many species of herbs. The grounds also contain animal topiaries, lavender parterres, perennial beds and borders, a water garden, and woodland paths.

Bridge Gardens Trust originators and designers, Harry Neyens and Jim Kilpatric, expressed their "great pleasure to be able to promote the increasingly important journalistic and cultural contributions of WPBX to the community. Our invitation to the station to hold this event in the gardens will, we trust, provide a perfect setting for an enjoyable evening of music and refreshment."

Grammy-winning vocal ensemble "New York Voices" will perform a richly varied musical program. Tight harmonies, vocal versatility and great scatting are hallmarks of their musical style. The quartet's primary interests are rooted in jazz, but Brazilian, R & B, classical and pop influences are frequently heard and guarantee the broad repertoire of their performance.

Since their establishment in 1987, New York Voices has produced a steady stream of successful CD's, including the soon-to-be released Sing, Sing, Sing. On August 31, they will open the Tanglewood Jazz Festival 2001 performing with Chuck Mangione.

Besides their own original recordings, the group has made many guest appearances on recordings and live performances. Ranked high on their professional history is a Grammy award-winning collaboration, Count Basie Orchestra with New York Voices. They have performed with many influential jazz artists including Ray Brown, Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson and George Benson. New York Voices also plays an important educational role, giving workshops and clinics to high school and college music students.

During the cocktail hour, while guests enjoy the beauty and fragrances of the Bridge Gardens Trust, hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served by Art of Eating, Peconika Vodka and wines of eastern Long Island.

This annual summer fund-raising event will celebrate WPBX's support of jazz, their cultural role in its listening community, and its pride in providing public radio to eastern Long Island and southern New England. Profits from the event support programming heard on WPBX.

Contact: Nancy Marksbury (631) 591-7021 for additional information and tickets; admission is $150 per person.