INFORMATION FOR
Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery and vocalist Carolyn Leonhart will perform at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ on Sunday, October 31 as part of the University’s fall 2010 Jazz Room Series. The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on the campus.
Escoffery and Leonhart are a rare husband and wife combination of world-class musicians. Leonhart grew up singing with her father, bassist Jay Leonhart, and has gone on to win third prize at the prestigious Monk Vocal Competition and multiple tours and recordings with the group Steely Dan and jazz vocalist Al Jarreau.
Saxophonist Escoffery has made a considerable impact since moving to New York a decade ago, including membership in the Mingus Big Band, Lonnie Plaxico Group, and the Monk Legacy Septet, as well as performances with Abdullah Ibrahim. His powerful sound and broad stylistic palette is the perfect foil for Leonhart’s vocal approach. Gig.
Prior to the concert, Escoffery and Leonhart will be the guests 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.
Tickets are available in advance or on the day of the performance at $15 standard; $12 senior citizens, William Paterson faculty, staff and alumni; and $8 for non-William Paterson students. William Paterson students may attend free of charge.
Launched in 1978, 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.
Funding for The Jazz Room at William Paterson University has been made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State.
For tickets or information, call the Shea Center Box Office at 973-720-2371 or order online at www.wplive.org.
