INFORMATION FOR
Young alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, who has quickly established himself as one of the most talked-about, impactful players on today’s jazz scene, brings the fall 2022 Jazz Room season at William Paterson University in Wayne to a close on Sunday, November 20. The concert begins at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus.
Listeners were introduced to Wilkins and his dynamic sound through his debut album, Omega, which was named the Best Jazz Album of 2020 by The New York Times. This was followed by his sophomore album, The 7th Hand, also featuring his quartet of pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns, and drummer Kweku Sumby, who will join him on the Jazz Room stage.
The group’s dynamic is carried both by Wilkins’s playing, which emerges from the saxophone traditions, and his considerable voice as a composer, paying homage to the Black church, baptism, and coded slave chants.
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.
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. The performance series provides support for the University’s internationally renowned Jazz Studies Program, founded in 1973, which draws students from across the United States and abroad under the current direction of pianist Bill Charlap.
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.
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.
