Proceeds from John Sebastian Performance to Support Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Research

“Just go and listen it'll start with a smile,” John Sebastian sang in his ‘60s hit “Do You Believe In Magic.” His words still ringing true, John Sebastian and the J-Band will be smiling when they perform jug band and country-blues music at the first “Benefit for the Brain” to raise funds for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Saturday, October 30, 2004.

Best-known as the leader of the folk-rock band The Lovin’ Spoonful, Sebastian was responsible for a string of Top Ten hits in the late ’60s, including “Daydream” and “Summer in the City.” Since going solo in 1968, Sebastian has accompanied a wide range of artists including Judy Collins; Crosby, Stills and Nash; the Doors; Bob Dylan; the Everly Brothers; and Art Garfunkel. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sebastian has recently teamed up with a group of old friends to form John Sebastian and the J-Band.

The first “Benefit for the Brain” will honor Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman. Father Tom announced his Parkinson’s diagnosis earlier this year. Since then, he founded The Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson's Research, which will provide some funding for research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

“There are few missions as far-reaching as that of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s quest to discover the roots of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Too many of us know loved ones who are suffering from the consequences of these diseases. Money raised by this benefit will directly fund some of the most advanced neuroscience research in the world,” Edward Travaglianti, committee co-chair, said. Kathy DiMaio is co-chairing the event with Mr. Travaglianti. The event is underwritten by William S. Robertson and the Banbury Fund.

A dinner tasting featuring Barney’s Restaurant; Coles House; Fiddleheads; Indigo; The Main Ingredient; Michele Brown Bakery; On 3; Robbins Wolfe Eventeurs and others will begin at 6:30pm. A champagne dessert reception will follow the concert. Tickets are $300. Underwriting opportunities are still available. To make reservations or sponsor the event, call 516-367-6822.

In 1991, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory solidified its long-standing interest in neurobiology by opening a Neuroscience Center. Recognizing that this is one of the great problems facing biological scientists in the next 100 years, the Laboratory’s neurobiology program has molecular, cellular, physiological and behavioral aspects that surround a unifying theme of neuronal plasticity underlying learning and memory processes and neurodegenerative disease. This effort now includes more than 60 neuroscientists researching the causes of non-dementia age-related memory loss; Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases; fragile X syndrome; neurofibromatosim, autism and more.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a private, non-profit basic research institution. Under the leadership of Dr. Bruce Stillman, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society (London), more than 330 scientists at the Laboratory conduct groundbreaking research in cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics, and bioinformatics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is one of eight National Cancer Institute-designated basic research centers in the U.S. and the only such center in the tri-state area. For more information, visit www.cshl.edu.