Acclaimed vocalist Jane Monheit opens Jazz Room series at William Paterson University this Sunday, Feb. 8

Wayne - Jane Monheit, critically acclaimed as one of the post-millennial jazz world’s foremost vocalists, will perform at William Paterson University in Wayne on Sunday, Feb. 8, at the opening of the spring Jazz Room Series. At the tender age of 20, Monheit was first runner-up in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, launching her vocal career. She has collaborated with artists such as Michael Bublé, Ivan Lins, Terence Blanchard, and Tom Harrell, and has received Grammy nominations for two of her recordings. After a series of best-selling CDs and a number of network television appearances including Late Night with David Letterman and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, her most recent collaboration is with leading arranger Gil Goldstein, bassist Scott Colley, guitarist Rumero Lubambo, and drummer Antonio Sanchez. She will perform songs from her brand new CD, The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me, released on Jan. 20 on Concord Records. 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 Paterson’s own student ensembles. The series has won numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for its innovative programming. Funding for the Jazz Room at William Paterson University has been made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State. The concert will begin at 4 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus. Prior to the concert, Monheit will be the guest for “Sittin’ In,” an informal discussion about jazz, at 3 p.m. in room 101 of Shea Center. Admission is free for all Jazz Room ticket holders. Richard DeRosa, associate professor of jazz arranging at William Paterson and Monheit’s former instructor, will host the discussion. Tickets are available in advance or on the day of the performance for $15; $12 for senior citizens, William Paterson faculty, staff and alumni; and $8 for non-William Paterson students. William Paterson students may attend free of charge. For tickets or information, call the Shea Center for Performing Arts box office at 973-720-2371 or visit www.wplive.org.