Aubrey Johnson Sextet at The Jazz Loft

What took place at The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY, on the evening of October 30, 2026, was less a concert than a nexus-level event.  Vocalist Aubrey Johnson traveled to Long Island with bandmates in tow to celebrate the release of her stunning new sextet album, The Lively Air (Greenleaf, 2026); and she was also present to help announce and unveil the performance venue/museum's Lyle Mays exhibit, a project several years in the making.  Niece of the famed keyboardist-composer and Pat Metheny Group co-founder, executor of his estate, and champion of his work, Johnson dedicated the entire evening to ties that bind. 

The vocalist's two-set program focused on her own originals and interpretations of Mays' repertoire. Synth whiz Pierre Piscitteli, who worked with (and learned from) the late legend in the process of transcribing and editing his compositions for a commercially-released songbook, was present as a special guest, joining the band and adding a Mays-ing grace to several numbers.  Family of the leader and Mays flew in from Wisconsin for the occasion.  And onetime Mays collaborator/saxophone legend Billy Drewes just happened to be in the audience.

That clear alignment of the stars in the Johnson-Mays constellation carried over into the music.  Opening on the former's "Hope," the titular substance was in abundance as the music swayed and soared.  Mays' "August," from his Street Dreams (Geffen, 1988), followed and foregrounded notable stands from Piscitelli, multi-reedist Alex LoRe (on alto saxophone) and pianist Adam Birnbaum.  Johnson gifted her arrangement of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me," spotlighting a strong conversational link between LoRe's bass clarinet and Tomoko Omura's violin before segueing back into her own original universe.  And a Mays twofer closed out the set—"Au Lait," initially presented on Offramp (ECM, 1982); and a knockout take on "Chorinho," a piece appearing on both Street Dreams and The Lively Air, featuring Johnson's astonishing, hyper-virtuosic runs. 

In the space between those last two numbers, Johnson took the time to further salute Mays, pointing out his pictorial presence on the bandstand, reading a short biography that highlighted the late great's many and varied passions and musical accomplishments, and thanking Manuel for housing and presenting the exhibition. And after a short break, the magic continued. 

Omura's "The Miracle Is In Us," opening on her effects-laden, mandolin-esque violin pizz work, kicked things off.  A strong run of Johnson originals constituted the core of the set—"The Words I Cannot Say," "For Luna," and "I'll Never Need To Know" (with lyrics from her brother, Gentry Johnson).  Mays' "Slink," from his eponymous debut (with Drewes, among others), held the penultimate slot, painting the sextet as a weaver of dreams and themes while offering one of many opportunities to appreciate the orienting and colorful work of the band's rhythmic mainstays—bassist Sam Weber and drummer Jay Sawyer. And "Quem é Você (Close To Home)," another Mays masterwork, given over to the Portuguese lyrics of Luiz Avellar, served as the show's emotive finale.

The entire evening was a testament to the enduring powers of artistry, the bonds of family, and the ephemeral, you-had-to-be-there beauty inherent in jazz.  Hearing was believing.  But so to was seeing, as this selection of photos hopefully makes clear...