INFORMATION FOR
Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano will perform with the William Paterson University Jazz Orchestra at the University in Wayne on Sunday, March 4, as part of the winter 2018 Jazz Room Series. The concert will feature premieres of four new arrangements by William Paterson graduate music students.
The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are available in advance or on the day of the performance at $15 standard and $12 for senior citizens, $8 non-William Paterson students and William Paterson faculty, staff and alumni. William Paterson students may attend free of charge. Prior to the concert, Lovano will be the guest for “Sittin’ In,” an informal discussion about jazz, at 3 p.m. in Shea Center 101. Admission to “Sittin’ In” is free to all Jazz Room ticket holders. A former William Paterson jazz faculty member, Lovano was exposed to jazz and the saxophone at an early age by his father, who performed as a tenor sax player. At age 16, Lovano became a member of the Musician’s Union, and started playing in clubs and in Motown cover bands. He eventually saved enough money to put himself through the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.A four-time Grammy nominee, Lovano was named Jazz Artist of the Year in 1995 and 1996 by Down Beat magazine and is known for his ability to find new forms of artistic expression. He has toured and recorded with musicians such as Mel Lewis, Woody Herman and Thad Jones. He has also released CDs, including his recent ballad album I’m All For You.Lovano will perform with the William Paterson University Jazz Orchestra directed by David Demsey, William Paterson music professor and jazz studies coordinator. The orchestra is one of 25 jazz ensembles that form the core of the University’s Jazz Studies Program headed by Bill Charlap, jazz studies director. Jazz studies students 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.
Launched in 1978, the Jazz Room is now in its 40th year of exciting performances and 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, as well as William Paterson’s own student ensembles. The series has won numerous grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for its innovative programming.
For additional information or to purchase tickets, please contact William Paterson University’s Shea Center Box Office at boxoffice@wpunj.edu, call 973.720.2371 or visit www.wp-presents.org.
