New Orleans-Based Dirty Dozen Brass Band to Perform on March 25

The New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band brings its unique sound, which combines the traditional foundation of brass band music with bebop jazz, funk and R&B/soul, to William Paterson University in Wayne on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

The special concert, presented jointly as part of the University’s spring 2023 WP Presents! series and spring 2023 Jazz Room series, begins at 8 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus.

In their 40 years, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has toured through five continents and more than 30 countries, bringing their high-octane, genre-bending performances worldwide. Dating back to a time when brass bands provided music for New Orleans funerals (first slow dirges, then jubilant dance tunes), the seven-piece band traces a virtual history of jazz and American culture in their wide-ranging repertoire.

Featured with an array of artists such as Widespread Panic, Norah Jones, and Modest Mouse, they have recorded 12 studio albums. The ensemble won a 2023 Grammy Award with Aaron Neville for Best American Roots Performance.special

Members include Roger Lewis, baritone sax/vocals; Kevin Harris, tenor sax/vocals; Gregory Davis, trumpet/vocals; Kirk Joseph, sousaphone; TJ Norris, trombone/vocals; Julian Addison, drums; and Takeshi Shimmura, guitar. 

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 7:00 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 $45, Gold Circle, $40 for orchestra/front loge and $35 for rear loge. A 10 percent discount is available for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. 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.

03/16/23