WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES 27th SEASON OF THE JAZZ ROOM CONCERT SERIES SUNDAYS BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 26
—Special memorial concert for James Williams on September 19

The legendary Vanguard Jazz Orchestra opens the fall 2004 season of The Jazz Room at William Paterson University in Wayne. The series continues with Jeri Brown and the Onaje Allan Gumbs Trio, Greg Osby, The Rufus Reid Quintet Plus 4, Steve Turre, John Bunch with Bucky Pizzarelli and John Beal, and includes a holiday jazz celebration with renowned trumpeter Clark Terry.

A special concert, “A Tribute to James Williams,” will precede the series on September 19 and will benefit the James Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund. Williams, William Paterson University’s director of jazz studies since 1999, passed away in July. The concert will feature his students, faculty colleagues and special guests.

The Sunday afternoon series, one of the most prestigious university-sponsored jazz events in the country, will run from September 26 through December 11, 2004.

Concerts begin at 4 p.m. on Sundays in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus. “Sittin’ In,” informal jazz talks with the afternoon’s artists or other special guests, will be presented prior to the concerts. The talks begin at 3 p.m. in Shea Center 101 and are free to all Jazz Room ticketholders. Each concert begins with a performance by student ensemble composed of WPU jazz majors.

The series officially opens on September 26 with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Originally led by drummer Mel Lewis and Thad Jones, the first director of the William Paterson Jazz Studies Program, this all-star group now holds a unique permanent residency at the University.

Vocalist Jeri Brown joins pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs and his trio on October 3. Brown, a singer, songwriter, actress and producer, possesses a wide vocal range and superb musicianship. She received six Juno nominations for best jazz vocalist and best jazz album. Gumbs, a 27-year veteran in jazz, pop and R&B, is a keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer.

Greg Osby, alto saxophonist, is featured on October 10. A contemporary jazz artist for 20 years, Osby established himself as a notable sideman for artists as varied as Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Muhal Richard Abrams, Jim Hall and Jaki Byard, as well as with many ethnic and new music ensembles in the New York area. His latest disc, “Public,” on the Blue Note label, was recorded live at the Jazz Standard earlier this year.

The Rufus Reid Quintet Plus 4 “Linear Surroundings” performs October 17. Reid, jazz bassist and former director of the William Paterson jazz program for two decades, appears with his new quintet. One of today’s premier jazz bassists, Reid performed and recorded with jazz greats such as Thad Jones, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Mel Lewis, Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. Joining Reid for this concert are: Rich Perry, tenor saxophone; Freddie Hendrix, trumpet; John Stetch, piano; Montez Coleman, drums; as well as special guests: Dana Hanchard, vocals; Mark Taylor, French horn; Marty Ehrlich, bass clarinet; and Akua Dixon, cello.

On October 24, jazz trombonist and virtuoso conch shell player Steve Turre is featured. Turre, a member of the “Saturday Night Live” band since 1984, has been a fixture on jazz stages for three decades. Highlights of the program will include jazz, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian sounds.

Veteran pianist John Bunch joins Jersey guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and bassist John Beal on October 31. In a career that began during World War II, Bunch played in the bands of Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson and Benny Goodman on the West Coast and, later on the East Coast with Zoot Sims/Al Cohn, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. More recently, he has recorded solo and with a trio.

The fall series is capped off with a holiday celebration concert on December 11. This special Saturday concert features Clark Terry, the renowned jazz trumpeter. As a performer and jazz educator, Terry has made a definitive impact on the jazz world in his six-decade career. The concert includes a performance of the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn “Nutcracker Suite” by the William Paterson Jazz Ensemble, directed by David Demsey, coordinator of jazz studies at William Paterson.

Admission prices are $12 standard and $9 for senior citizens. For information, call the Shea Center for Performing Arts Box Office at 973-720-2371. Funding for The Jazz Room at William Paterson University has been made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State.

Launched in 1978, 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.
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For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966

9/15/04