INFORMATION FOR
Master drummer and William Paterson University jazz studies alumnus Carl Allen brings together an all-star band for a tribute to the great jazz drummer Art Blakey as part of William Paterson University’s fall 2026 Jazz Room series on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The concert begins at 3:00 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus.
The program, titled Art Blakey Alumni Band: Carl Allen’s Messengers of Jazz, honors Art Blakey, who was one of the towering figures of jazz—a drummer and bandleader whose group The Jazz Messengers launched the careers of some of the music’s greatest names and defined the hard bop sound for generations.
This concert features an all-star band of jazz artists who themselves played in various bands led by Blakey and have major careers in jazz in their own right. The lineup includes Vincent Herring, alto saxophone; Chris Lewis; tenor saxophone; Brian Lynch, trumpet; Benny Green, piano; and Dezron Douglas, bass, with Carl Allen rounding out the band on drums. Each of these musicians has spent a career at the highest levels of the art form, and together they bring the drive, discipline, and soulfulness that made The Jazz Messengers one of the most important bands in jazz history.
Tickets are $45 for the general public, and $42 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.
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 fall 2026 Jazz Room series concludes with saxophonist Bob Mintzer and the WP Jazz Orchestra on Sunday, November 22.
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.
