Grammy-Winning Jazz Musicians To Take Wayne Stage

WAYNE, NJ — Grammy winners, acclaimed jazz veterans and musicians from some of the genre’s most celebrated ensembles are headed to Wayne this fall as William Paterson University’s Jazz Room Series returns for another season.

The Fall 2026 series at the university’s Shea Center for Performing Arts features five Sunday concerts running through Nov. 22, beginning with trombonist Vincent Gardner.

All performances begin at 3 p.m., with each preceded by a 2 p.m. “Sittin’ In” Meet-the-Artist session, where ticket holders can hear from and interact with the day’s performers.

The Jazz Room Series dates back to spring 1978 and is billed by William Paterson as the longest-running campus-based jazz concert series in the nation.

“For nearly 50 years the Jazz Room Series has endeavored to present a complete spectrum of jazz, enlightening and awing audiences from jazz aficionados to first-time concertgoers,” Professor Pete McGuiness, co-producer of the series, said. “We look forward to a fall bounty of wonderful performances.”

Gardner kicked off the season on Sunday. A featured soloist with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for more than two decades, the trombonist is known for a repertoire that stretches from intimate ballads to hard-driving jazz.

On Sept. 27, this Sunday, bassist Todd Coolman will lead a nine-piece band in a celebration of what would be Miles Davis’ 100th birthday. The performance will focus on Davis’ landmark album, “Birth of the Cool.”

The series continues Oct. 11 with the Bill Charlap-Christian McBride-Kenny Washington Super Trio.

McBride, a 2026 Grammy Award winner and a driving force behind the Montclair Jazz Festival, will join fellow Grammy recipient Charlap, who serves as William Paterson’s director of jazz studies. Washington, a renowned drummer, is a faculty member at the Juilliard School and SUNY Purchase.

On Nov. 1, drummer Carl Allen’s Messengers of Jazz will lead a nine-piece Art Blakey Alumni Band. Allen has performed with a wide range of artists during his career, including Freddie Hubbard, the Benny Green Trio and Rickie Lee Jones.

Grammy winner Bob Mintzer will close out the fall season on Nov. 22. Mintzer, a member of jazz-fusion group the Yellowjackets, has performed with numerous prominent musicians and appeared on live albums by Buddy Rich, Jaco Pastorius and Bobby McFerrin, among others.

The concerts will be held at the Shea Center for Performing Arts at William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Road in Wayne.

Tickets and additional information are available online here or by calling 973-720-2371.