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SAXOPHONIST FRANK WESS JOINS THE WILLIAM
PATERSON UNIVERSITY JAZZ ENSEMBLE FOR JAZZ ROOM SERIES
Frank Wess, a legendary Count Basie Orchestra alumnus, will perform
with the William Paterson Jazz Ensemble on Sunday, March 7 at 4 p.m.
at William Paterson University as part of the winter 2004 Jazz Room
Series 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, $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, Wess 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 Kansas City, Missouri, Wess grew up in Washington,
D.C., where he played the alto saxophone with bands around the area.
He later switched to tenor saxophone and briefly played in a band
led by Blanche Calloway. Wess strengthened his musical talents while
serving in the military’s Army band during World War II. After
the war, he played with artists Billy Eckstine and Lucky Millinder.
In 1953, Wess joined the Count Basie band and played mostly tenor
and flute. He left the band in 1964 and worked in studios, led his
own small groups, made records and worked with the New York Jazz Quartet
and Dameronia. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wess led his own
Basie-style big band, which had successful appearances in Japan.
The William Paterson University Jazz Ensemble is one of 25 ensembles,
most varying in size from trios to sextets, which form the core of
the University’s Jazz Studies Program. The musical foundations
of the Ensemble match those of the Jazz Studies Program, providing
a true jazz environment in which students learn firsthand about the
jazz world and the requirements for becoming a successful professional
musician. Jazz Ensemble members come to William Paterson from all
parts of the United States and all corners of the world; current program
enrollment includes students from 27 states and seven foreign countries.
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
2/14/04
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