WAYNE The late Martin Krivin, who founded the acclaimed William Paterson University Jazz Studies program 40 years ago and the Jazz Room series 34 years ago, will be honored Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, in a tribute as part of the spring Jazz Room Series at Shea Center for Performing Arts at William Paterson University.
Krivin passed away in Sept. 2011.
An extraordinary ensemble, featuring renowned jazz artists Mulgrew Miller and Rufus Reid, will celebrate his life in the musical tribute.
The Martin Krivin tribute concert will begin at 4 p.m. with tickets ranging from $8 to $15. Prior to the concert, featured musicians will be the guests for Sittin In, an informal discussion about jazz, at 3 p.m. in room 101 of Shea Center.
Miller, current director of the William Paterson Jazz Studies Program and an internationally known jazz pianist, and Reid, former Jazz Studies director and globally acclaimed bassist, will headline the concert. Also joining in this tribute will be drummer Horacee Arnold; saxophonist Bob Keller; saxophonist David Demsey, William Paterson professor of music and coordinator of jazz studies; trombonist Tim Newman, William Paterson assistant professor of music; and other special guests.
Krivin, a professor emeritus of music at William Paterson, retired in 1992 after 32 years of service at the university. In addition to founding William Patersons Jazz Studies Program and the Jazz Room Series, Krivin served as executive director of the Wayne Chamber Orchestra.
Marty Krivin was a great friend, colleague and mentor, says David Demsey, coordinator of jazz studies at William Paterson. He literally invented our Jazz Room Series as well as our Jazz Studies Program, which was one of the first five degree programs in the nation to concentrate on jazz studies. When Marty hired Thad Jones to be a part of the full-time faculty, we became the first school anywhere to bring a major league jazz star onto the tenured resident faculty; that now is a model for numerous other schools. His mentorship and Rufus Reids guidance and partnership are still major factors in the building and development of the program in the two decades that I have been here.
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, from practitioners of traditional jazz to avant-garde to bebop to swing to Afro-Latin jazz, as well as William Patersons own student ensembles. The series has won numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and more than 25 years of continuous support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for its innovative programming.
For tickets or more information, call the Shea Center Box Office at 973-720-2371 or visit www.wplive.org.