Thomas Manuel. Jazz historian, music educator, and trumpet player Thomas Manuel is a man with a mission, or more accurately, a man with many missions. In this day when raising funds for sophisticated art is more challenging than ever, when jazz is often misunderstood, and when those who present music often hire tribute acts as an easy way to name-recognition, instead of investing in great musicians and helping them build an audience, Thomas not only plays the music, he’s created multiple outlets to hire others to do the same and works tirelessly to create programs that educate and entice others to love jazz and appreciate its place in American culture. Thomas opened The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY, in 2016 as a museum and performance space, bringing together Thomas’ passion for jazz performance, jazz preservation and jazz education in celebration of the past, present, and future

Ben Tweedt Trio, Set 1. Cincinnati based pianist Ben Tweedt is one of the Midwests most sought-after session musicians appearing in performances and release from, among others, Dan Wilson, Jamey Haddad, Brandon Coleman and Walfredo Reyes, Junior. His first release leading a trio is called Life Cycle and he steps forward to put on an epic performance in support of it. Featuring Ben on piano, Phillip Tipton on drums and a pinch-hitting George Delancy on bass, and from a July 25th, 2024 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for the first set of the Ben Tweedt Trio… Live at the Bop Stop.