INFORMATION FOR
The multi-horn Jersey City-based Spirit of Life Ensemble brings it unique sound to the Jazz Room at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey on Sunday, November 5, 2023. The concert begins at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus.
Founded by percussionist David Daoud Williams, the Spirit of Life Ensemble is heavily grounded in the loft scene of the 1970s. This is jazz with a world beat, paying homage to the all-important African roots of jazz. The band has had numerous jazz legends as its members, including Archie Shepp, Randy Weston, Pharoah Sanders, Eddie Henderson, Kenny Barron, and Joe Ford. The ensemble has deep Paris roots; it is regularly heard in the city’s jazz clubs and has collaborated with many great French jazz musicians.
This performance is part of a yearlong celebration of the American artist, activist, Paterson native and William Paterson University alumnus Ben Jones ‘63, in collaboration with New Jersey City University and funded in part by a Mellon Foundation grant. Jones is a professor emeritus of art at New Jersey City University.
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.
The fall 2023 Jazz Room series will conclude with 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.
