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Legendary Trumpeter Player Donald Byrd , Appointed Distinguished Visiting
Professor at William Paterson University, To Present Jazz Room Series
Concert
Donald Byrd, the legendary trumpeter, flugelhorn player and prominent
jazz educator whose career spans more than 50 years, has been appointed
as William Paterson University’s Distinguished Visiting Professor
for the spring 2004 semester. His role on campus will include lecturing
and participating in a variety of University programs. He will perform
on the campus in Wayne on Sunday, February 15 at 4 p.m. in Shea Center
as part of the 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, Byrd 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.
Joining Byrd for the concert will be James Williams, director of the
jazz studies program and associate professor of music, piano; Don
Braden, saxophone; Marcus McLaurine, bass; and Tony Reedus, drums.
Byrd has been an influential figure in jazz for the past four decades.
Originally from Detroit, he debuted with the original lineup of Art
Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in New York. He quickly became one
of the most sought after musicians of the hard bop era, and performed
and recorded with prominent musicians including Max Roach, John Coltrane,
Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Lionel Hampton.
His style evolved with the times. In the 1970s, he founded the Blackbyrds,
a group composed of his former Howard University students that is
credited with launching the jazz fusion movement. Byrd recently collaborated
with GURU, of the hip-hop duo GangStarr, on his Jazzmatazz compilations.
A graduate of Wayne State University, Byrd holds a master’s
degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and two master’s
degrees and a doctorate from Columbia University. He has taught at
Rutgers University, Howard University, and the Hampton Institute,
among other institutions.
Williams is one of the most sought after pianists on the New York
jazz scene. He first gained recognition as a pianist and music director
with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He has played, toured and recorded
with such prominent artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, George
Duvivier, Art Farmer, Kenny Burrell and many others. Williams is featured
on dozens of recordings and since producing his own album "Alter
Ego" in 1984, he has gone on to produce albums for many other
musicians, including Phineas Newborn, Jr. and Harold Mabern. As a
performer and composer, Williams has been praised in the reviews of
countless publications worldwide. He has published a folio of his
original piano compositions and several of his tunes appear on other
artists' albums, including those of Art Farmer, Kenny Barron and Victor
Lewis.
Now in its 26th 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.
# # #
- For
Further Information, contact:
- Mary
Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966
1/29/04
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