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Five by Design in Club Swing
October 3, 2009, 2:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Admission: Orchestra $25.00, Loge $15.00
Whether performing their seductive arrangement of Cole Porter’s
“Begin the Beguine,” the madcap parody of Spike Jones’ “Cocktails
for Two,” or the lush romance of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa,” Five
By Design enchants audiences by deftly blending music and
theatrics effortlessly. So check your coat and grab a seat for a night
of unparalleled delight at the fabulous Club Swing!...Where the music’s hot, the folks are
cool and the legend lives forever.
“This is a first-rate singing group. They can do Andrews Sisters, sophisticated swing, and that lovely, sleepy late-night crooning.“
– The Buffalo News
fivebydesign.com
Mulgrew Miller and Friends:
Duo with Saxophonist Gary Bartz
October 4, 2009, 4:00 PM
A new Jazz Room mini-series continues with influential pianist and William Paterson Director of Jazz Studies Mulgrew Miller connecting with the veteran alto saxophonist Gary Bartz in an intimate duo performance. Bartz brings decades of experience, and Miller's tenure on the WPUNJ faculty is a recent development in a long career that has included recordings and tours with his Trio and his larger group, Wingspan.
Acoustic Brotherhood Tour featuring
Los Lonely Boys and Alejandro Escovedo
Plus Special Guests!
October 10, 2009, 7:30 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Admission: Gold Circle $45, Orchestra/Loge $40, Back Loge $30
Los Lonely Boys has fully realized the potential shown as its first two studio albums, the multi-platinum 2003 debut Los Lonely Boys and 2006’s Sacred (a No. 2 arrival on the Billboard albums chart), made the group one of the most beloved and acclaimed new arrivals in rock. The gripping third album, Forgiven, reaches a whole new level of their playing and singing. Powered by passion and true brotherly love, Forgiven is in every note a rock ‘n’ roll classic. From the band’s initial, global hit “Heaven” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart and earned a Grammy Award for best pop performance with vocal, the Texas trio Los Lonely Boys have torn up stages around the world and will do it again at the Shea Center during their Acoustic Brotherhood Tour accompanied by Alejandro Escovedo. Escovedo, a pioneer in the music industry, is the founding member of the mid-70’s San Francisco-based punk band, The Nuns, and forged the sound of what later became known as alternative country in the early 1980’s. He has had several critically acclaimed solo albums in his career and has made stage appearances with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as well as performances on the Conan O’Brian show and the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
“Extraordinarily compelling and rocking musical performance…”
– San Antonio News
“Los Lonely Boys aren’t exactly an act that goes quietly into the night. The Grammy Award winning Garza brothers are known for creating an electrifying, Texican-sized noise…”
– Yahoo! Buzz
“Escovedo…is an engaging, immediate performer from the off, taking possession of the audience…”
– The Independent, London
loslonelyboys.com
alejandroescovedo.com
Carl Allen and Rodney Whitaker
October 18, 2009, 4:00 PM
The Carl Allen-Rodney Whitaker Project features these two powerful rhythm players (drummer and bassist respectively) as co-leaders of an outstanding ensemble that also features Antonio Hart (sax), Aaron Goldberg (piano), and Rodney Jones (guitar). Their most recent CD, Work to Do (Mack Avenue Records), has garnered outstanding critical acclaim.
Paul Meyers:
World on a String Quintet with
Donny McCaslin, Helio Alves,
Leo Traversa & Vanderlei Pereira
October 25, 2009, 4:00 PM
Paul Meyers, a virtuoso guitarist and improviser, has performed with an ever growing list of jazz greats and has toured for years with some of the greatest jazz singers ever. For his latest recording, World on a String, he has managed to assemble an all-star cast, who are all at their best on every tune.
Saxophonist/Flutist Frank Wess
November 8, 2009, 4:00 PM
Saxophonist/flutist Frank Wess, a longtime featured soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra for more than a decade, brings his powerful solo voice and his well-known arrangements to the stage as he joins forces with the talented students of the William Paterson University Jazz Orchestra.
Sounds of the Andes, a Peruvian Festival
featuring Jaime Guardia and Raul Garcia Zarate
November 21, 2009, 7:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Admission: Orchestra $30.00, Rear Orchestra $25.00,
Front Loge $20.00, Rear Loge $15.00
Join us for a night of the Sounds of the Andes! Experience the charango mastery of internationally renown Jamie Guardia and the guitar virtuosity of the equally renown Raul Garcia Zarate. Between these incredible instrumentalists, you'll witness the breathtaking folk dance of Ballet folkloric Imagenes y Tradiciones del Peru, Cinthia Paniagua from Soy Andina and the Sissors Dancers (Danzantes de Tijera). Spend a night in the Andes without leaving the comfort of Shea Auditorium!
Interandina Culture & Arts.com
This tour engagement of Cherish the Ladies is funded in part through the American Masterpieces program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius, a major initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.
Cherish the Ladies - Celtic Christmas
December 6, 2009, 2:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Admission:
Gold Circle $35.00, Orchestra $30.00, Loge $20.00
A Shea Center audience favorite, Cherish the Ladies are back for another night of engaging and high-spirited music to start your holiday season off right. Cherish the Ladies are the most successful and sought-after Irish-American group in Celtic music. Taking their name from a traditional Irish jig, the group gained recognition as the first all-women traditional Irish band. Voted the Top North American Celtic act by NPR Radio’s “Thistle and Shamrock”, and recently the Irish Heritage Award from the City Council of New York, this powerhouse group combines all the facets of Irish traditional culture and puts it forth in an immensely humorous and entertaining package. Their seasonal show features a mix of holiday favorites as well as traditional Irish jigs, reels, songs and step dancing.
“It is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do.”
– The Boston Globe
“An astonishing array of virtuosity.”
– The Washington Post
“Expands the annals of Irish music in America…the music is passionate, tender and rambunctious.”
– The New York Times
cherishtheladies.com
Vistas Series Gospel Festival featuring
The Dixie Hummingbirds
Plus Special Guests!
February 6, 2010, 8:00 PM
Shea Center for Performing Arts
Admission:
Gold Circle $40.00, Orchestra $30.00,
Loge $20.00
The legacy lives on as the Grammy-Award winning, Philadelphiabased
Dixie Hummingbirds come to you live from the Shea Center
stage. While they have always remained deeply rooted in the gospel
tradition, their influence has made itself known far and wide in
American popular music. From recording albums on the prestigious
Decca label to bringing down the house at the Apollo Theater, America
knew their music even before they became mainstream. They
reached greater fame when they backed Paul Simon on his smash hit
“Loves Me Like a Rock.” The Birds’ own rendition of that song won
them a Grammy in 1974. These National Treasures continued their
success with hits like “The Last Man Standing” and “Still Keeping
it Real”. On the road for over 80 years of dedication and song, the
Dixie Hummingbirds are “Still Keeping it Real.” Their appearance at
the Shea Center is part of the WPUNJ Gospel Festival.
“In the beginning, after the word, and before there was rap, hip-hop…soul, Motown…before bebop, doo-wop, and the big band swing, there was the Dixie Hummingbirds.”
– Isaac Hayes
myspace.com./thedixiehummingbirds