INFORMATION FOR
Vocalist Karrin Allyson, the five-time Grammy nominee whose career has spanned a wide range of musical genres, brings her lyrical sound to the Jazz Room at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey on Sunday, October 15, 2023. The concert begins at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus.
A widely respected vocalist known for her ability to get inside a lyric, Allyson has performed and recorded jazz and pop standards, the Great American Songbook, vocalise versions of instrumental jazz compositions, and repertoire in five different languages.
She released 12 albums on the prestigious Concord label and has received five Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocalist, including recognition for her all-Rodgers & Hammerstein CD and for her recreation of the iconic John Coltrane Ballads album, collaborating with the late WP jazz studies director and pianist James Williams. Her much-praised newest recording is Shoulder to Shoulder: A Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage. Allyson joined the William Paterson adjunct jazz faculty this fall.
The concert will be preceded by “Sittin’ In,” the Jazz Room’s accompanying “meet the artist” concert preview featuring interviews with jazz artists and guest speakers. This informal discussion, free to all Jazz Room ticketholders, begins at 3:00 p.m. in the Shea Recital Hall.
Tickets are $15 for the general public, $12 for WP faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens, $8 for non-WP students, and WP students are admitted free. Tickets are an additional $5 if purchased on show day. For tickets or additional information, visit wp-presents.org, or contact the Shea Center Box Office at 973.720.2371 or boxoffice@wpunj.edu.
William Paterson University’s Jazz Room series is the longest-running program of its kind in the United States. Launched in 1978, the Jazz Room has welcomed more than 500 jazz legends to the stage, including Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Slide Hampton, Kenny Burrell, Joe Lovano, Kenny Garrett, Clark Terry, Michael and Randy Brecker, the Vanguard Orchestra, and more. Concerts have encompassed the entire spectrum of jazz, from early jazz and swing to avant garde, and from intimate solo performances to big bands.
Upcoming performances include baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan with the William Paterson Jazz Orchestra on Sunday, October 22; the multi-horn Spirit of Life Ensemble on Sunday, November 5; and saxophonist Steve Wilson on Sunday, December 3.
The performance series provides support for the University’s internationally renowned Jazz Studies Program, founded in 1973, and currently celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2023. The program draws students from across the United States and abroad under the current direction of Grammy Award-winning pianist Bill Charlap.
The Jazz Room at William Paterson University has been made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
