Liebman Headlines Kick-Off Winterfest Weekend

One of the biggest jazz stars to perform at this year's Long Island Winterfest jazz festival played to full house at on Saturday.

Saxophonist Dave Liebman, who's been a leading jazz musician since the 1970s, was joined by pianist and educator Lewis Porter for an intimate saxophone-piano duet performing pieces from composers including Thelonious Monk to Lee Konitz.

Porter, a professor in the jazz department of Rutgers University, just completed writing a biography on Liebman, which is slated to hit stores later this year. He has also penned a biography on saxophone legend John Coltrane.

Liebman has played with jazz greats including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones and Chick Corea, and has written several instructional music books that have become required study for any serious saxophone student.

The performance was spontaneous and stripped down, which is what you'd expect for a saxophone-piano duo, and often was drowned out by the large crowd at the winery. Though most of the aficionados made sure to sit up front, where they listened and watched in silence.

Liebman and Porter on the music of John Coltrane at in Greenport.

Henry Powderly, a regional editor for Patch.com, previously studied jazz saxophone at Manhattan School of Music and has performed professionally throughout the state.