INFORMATION FOR
World-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli and singer Catherine Russell pay homage to Nat King Cole and the iconic female jazz singers who appeared on his TV show when they close out the fall 2019 Jazz Room series at William Paterson University in Wayne on Sunday, December 15.
The concert will take place on campus in the Shea Center for Performing Arts at 4 p.m. The performance will be preceded by “Sittin’ In,” an informal jazz talk with the afternoon’s artists, at 3 p.m. in the Shea 101 Recital Hall; the event is free to all Jazz Room ticketholders. Sunday afternoon concerts begin with a performance by a William Paterson student Jazz ensemble.
Tickets are $15 for the general public, $12 for the William Paterson community and seniors, $8 for non-William Paterson students and free for William Paterson students with a valid ID.
Pizzarelli and Russell will combine their talents and shift the audience back into time with A Tribute to Nat King Cole and the Ladies of Song, inspired by Nat King Cole’s TV show that brought to the American public singers such as Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, and many others. Pizzarelli, who recently released a Nat King Cole tribute album, shares a deep connection to William Paterson with his father and historic jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and Russell returns by popular demand. Together, they bring Nat King Cole’s most memorable hits such as “Route 66,” “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” and “Paper Moon” along with timeless works from Billie Holiday and the Ladies of Song.
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, as well as William Paterson’s own student ensembles. The series has won numerous grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for its innovative programming.
The Jazz Room at William Paterson University has been made possible, in part, of funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
For additional information or to purchase tickets, please contact William Paterson University’s Shea Center Box Office at boxoffice@wpunj.edu, call 973.720.2371 or visit www.wp-presents.org.
