|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Spring 2022 Jazz Room Series Kicks Off Sunday The WP Jazz Room Spring 2022 Series continues its tradition of widely varied programs across the jazz spectrum featuring world-class artists that embody virtuosity, innovation, diversity, and legacy. Outstanding William Paterson student jazz ensembles open each concert. All performances take place in the Shea Center for Performing Arts. Each Jazz Room concert is preceded by a Sittin' In Meet-the-Artist session one hour prior to each performance in Shea Recital Hall. Free to all ticket holders. Audience members have a chance to meet and interact with that day's artist in a question-answer format. Jazzmeia Horn FEBRUARY 20, 4:00 PM One of today's leading jazz vocalists, Jazzmeia Horn grew up in Dallas and went from the famous Booker T. Washington Arts High School to the New School in New York, and was soon mentored by jazz vocal legends Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Bobby McFerrin. After remarkably winning both the 2013 Sarah Vaughn Vocal Competition, and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, she was signed to Concord Records. She has been nominated for Grammy Awards for two of her solo albums, and brings her emotionally powerful voice to open this spring's Jazz Room Series. Randy Brecker with the WP Jazz Orchestra MARCH 6, 4:00 PM Legendary trumpeter Randy Brecker combines forces with the powerful WP Jazz Orchestra. The concert will feature music spanning Brecker's well-known career, which includes his virtuoso playing on bebop, standards, funk, and R&B from the historic Brecker Brothers repertoire with his late brother, master saxophonist Michael Brecker, whose archive is housed on campus. This concert will feature premieres of two new arrangements of Brecker originals by WP graduate arranging students, and new arrangements from Brecker's recent CD with the Hamburg Radio Jazz Orchestra. The concert is certain to be memorable, with Brecker's long association with the WP students and our program. The Royal Bopsters MARCH 27, 4:00 PM Voted the #1 jazz vocal group in the country in the 2021 Jazz Times Critics' Poll, this virtuoso jazz vocal quartet, formed in 2012, bring a new and refreshing approach to the art of vocal jazz. Amy London, Jeanne O'Connor, Dylan Pramuk, and our own WP faculty member and Jazz Room co-producer Pete McGuinness, pay tribute to their jazz heroes through intricate harmonies and wonderful energy. The Bopsters delve into vocal improvisation; vocalese, the art of penning lyrics to instrumental jazz solos; and their original songs and arrangements further the tradition of modern jazz, bebop, and the blues. Their latest release, Party of Four, allows them to swing deeply while singing precise vocal harmonies. Christian Sands Trio APRIL 3, 4:00 PM Sands brings his inventive and swinging approach to the Jazz Room stage with his top-level trio. He was mentored by Dr. Billy Taylor, who featured him early on a WP Summer Jazz performance; former WP jazz director Mulgrew Miller also was a great proponent of Sands' talents. He has been here several times for our students, but this is his first Jazz Room performance, which will be packed with the history of jazz and the blues. Sands has been featured with such jazz giants as Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Ulysses Owens, and vocalist Gregory Porter, and his albums have included saxophonist Craig Handy and drummer Louis Hayes. This five-time Grammy nominee's creative approach to the piano trio tradition will make for an exciting concert. WP Latin Jazz Ensemble with Saxophonist Leo Johnson APRIL 10, 4:00 PM Saxophonist Leo Johnson is one of the true elders of the Newark jazz tradition, maintaining a broad career in the Latin and jazz worlds for decades. He has played in the bands of organists Bill Doggett, Rhoda Scott, Jack McDuff, and Jimmy McGriff, and one led by WP Latin jazz director Chico Mendoza. He was musical director for vocalist Jimmy Scott, and has mentored numerous musicians including Cassandra Wilson, Phillip Harper, and Pulitzer Prize winner Terence Blanchard. This concert combines Johnson's long history with the students of WP's Latin Jazz Ensemble, an unbeatable combination. Artemis Featuring: Renee Rosnes, Anat Cohen, Ingrid Jensen, Nicole Glover, Noriko Ueda & Allison Miller MAY 8, 4:00 PM The fantastic finale of this season brings to our stage a true supergroup, one of the most in-demand ensembles on today's jazz scene, appearing worldwide and at the top of many reader and critics' polls. Artemis features arrangements and original compositions by several of the members, which are a vehicle for their unique sound. Their much-acclaimed debut recording is on the prestigious Blue Note label and they were featured at the Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and on NPR's Jazz Night in America. Each member is a bandleader and unique voice in their own right, and their combined repertoire is reshaping today's jazz world. write your comments about the article :: © 2022 Jazz News :: home page |