" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Pugach released his first big band record, the celebrated drummer-composer brought his large ensemble to The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook for an album release event that was a resounding success by any measure. That 90-seat venue—a performance space, museum and educational hub with a well-earned reputation as the crown jewel site on the Long Island jazz scene—played host to a stellar two-set concert that earned a standing ovation from the sold-out house.

Bianca (Outside In, 2024)—a marvel of musicality and a serious standout in the big band universe—offers no shortage of thrills, and Pugach and company brought its music to vivid life for those lucky enough to be in attendance. Whether delivering an ode to the titular (and dearly departed) rescue pit bull, a winning rejoinder to nose-raised academic intellectualism, a