William Paterson University Jazz Orchestra and Student Ensembles to Perform at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York City on March 7, 2016

Trumpeter Randy Brecker to perform as special guest soloist

The William Paterson University Jazz Orchestra and two student jazz ensembles will perform with special guest trumpeter Randy Brecker at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola/Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Monday, March 7, 2016, with sets beginning at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.  The early set will feature the 18-piece William Paterson University Jazz Orchestra directed by David Demsey; the later set will feature two small groups mentored by two notable pianists:  veteran adjunct faculty member Harold Mabern, and Jazz Studies Director Bill Charlap.

Featured on the program will be compositions by Randy Brecker and his late brother Michael, and by the late jazz trumpeter Clark Terry.  The performance will also include premieres of new arrangements written by William Paterson master’s degree arrangers Zachary Levenson, Caleb Rumley, and Joseph Spinelli.

The evening also will have several important connections to William Paterson’s Living Jazz Archives, which are housed on the University’s campus in Wayne.  When soloist Randy Brecker first arrived in New York as a young player, one of his first employers and champions was the legendary Clark Terry; Brecker will pay tribute to his mentor by performing Terry’s own solo parts on two of the big band arrangements he played as a young band member, taken from William Paterson’s Clark Terry Archive.  As a result of Randy Brecker’s knowledge of the Archive’s educational mission, he was inspired to provide the impetus that resulted in the recent creation of the archive of his late brother, the influential saxophonist Michael Brecker, with whom he appeared on countless jazz and pop recording sessions, and co-led the seminal fusion band The Brecker Brothers for more than 20 years. 

In addition, the Jazz Orchestra set will celebrate the recent 50^th anniversary of the start of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra by performing one of the original arrangements from that first Monday night in 1966.  The arrangement is part of the collection of the William Paterson’s Thad Jones Archive; Jones was the founding director of William Paterson’s Jazz Studies Program.

Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola/Jazz at Lincoln Center is located at 10 Columbus Circle, New York City.  For additional information, call 212-258-9595 or visit www.jazz.org/dizzys.