Steve Turre to Perform in the Jazz Room Series at William Paterson

Steve Turre, the preeminent jazz trombonist and shell player, will perform at William Paterson University in Wayne on Sunday, October 24 as part of the fall 2004 Jazz Room Series.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on the campus in Wayne. Tickets are available in advance or on the day of the performance at $12 standard and $9 for senior citizens, non-William Paterson students and William Paterson faculty, staff and alumni. William Paterson students may attend free of charge.

Prior to the concert, Turre will be the guest for “Sittin In,” an informal discussion about jazz, at 3 p.m. in room 101 of Shea Center. Admission is free to all Jazz Room ticketholders.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Turre absorbed daily doses of mariachi, blues and jazz as a child. He joined the Escovedo Brothers salsa band while attending Sacramento State University. After touring with Ray Charles in 1972, he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

Turre has worked with renowned musicians including Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Tito Puente and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who introduced him to using the seashell as an instrument. He has been a member of the Saturday Night Live band since 1984. Turre has also led several different ensembles including Sanctified Shells, which transforms the horn section into a shell choir.

Now in its 27th year of exciting performances, The Jazz Room is one of the largest and most prestigious college-sponsored jazz events in the country. Performers include renowned professionals who encompass the complete spectrum of jazz, from practitioners of traditional jazz to avant-garde to bebop to swing to Afro-Latin jazz as well as William Paterson’s own student ensembles. The series has won numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for its innovative programming.

For more information, call Shea Center for Performing Arts Box Office at 973-720-2371.

Note to reporters and editors: High-resolution, downloadable photographs are available at:
http://ww2.wpunj.edu/publicityphotos/Jazz

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For Further Information, contact:
Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966