INFORMATION FOR
Renowned bassist Todd Coolman brings an all-star band of nine top New York City musicians to William Paterson University in Wayne on Sunday, September 27 for a fall 2026 Jazz Room series concert marking the 100th birthday of the late jazz great Miles Davis.
The concert, titled “Miles Davis Centennial Celebration: Todd Coolman’s New York All-Star Nonet,” will be held at 3:00 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus. This concert is sponsored by an anonymous donor.
Other fall series performers include the Bill Charlap, Christian McBride, Kenny Washington Supertrio on Sunday, October 11; the Art Blakey Alumni Band: Carl Allen’s Messengers of Jazz on Sunday, November 1; and saxophonist Bob Mintzer with the WP Jazz Orchestra on Sunday, November 22. All concerts begin at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for the general public, and $23 for WP faculty, staff, alumni, and senior citizens. WP students are admitted free with ID. 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 2:00 p.m., one hour prior to the concert, in Shea Recital Hall 101. For tickets or additional information, visit wp-presents.org, or contact the Shea Center Box Office at 973.720.2371 or boxoffice@wpunj.edu.
Much of the concert will focus on Davis’s legendary LP Birth of the Cool, with the nonet performing the same arrangements as recorded on the original recording. Released in 1957, the compilation album featured unusual instrumentation and innovative arrangements influenced by Afro-American music and classical music techniques, and marked a major development in post-bebop jazz.
Coolman is known for many musical associations throughout his extensive career, including work with artists such as Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Benny Goodman, Stan Getz, and most notably a 26-year stint with saxophone legend James Moody. In addition to Coolman on bass, the nonet includes Vincent Herring, alto saxophone; Roger Rosenberg, baritone saxophone; Steve Davis, trombone, Mike Rodriguez, trumpet John Clark, French horn; Bob Stewart, tuba; Helen Sung, piano; and Kenny Washington, drums.
William Paterson University has been a flagship of jazz education for more than 50 years and is recognized nationally and internationally for its Jazz Studies Program and nationally acclaimed Jazz Room series of concerts each fall and spring.
The 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. 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. WBGO 88.3 FM serves as media sponsor for the series.
