Performing Arts Center, Purchase College Celebrates Sonny Rollins

THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, PURCHASE COLLEGE (PAC) is pleased to present A CELEBRATION OF Sonny Rollins, the latest in their JAZZ AT THE CENTER series. Ravi Coltrane, James Carter, Jimmy Heath, James Brandon Lewis, and Joe Lovano are headlining this evening honoring one of the jazz world's living legends.

The Jazz at The Center series of events, new this season, are co-curated by Jon Faddis, Professor and Director of Jazz Performance in the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, SUNY, and one of the most innovative and inspiring jazz trumpeters of our time. They are one-of-a-kind happenings, festival-style programs that bring together the genre's greats and rising stars. Previous performances in the 2016-2017 Jazz at The Center series included Piano Spectacular (which featured Bill Charlap, Gerald Clayton, Benny Green, Pete Malinverni, and Helen Sung, as well as Ted Rosenthal in a surprise appearance) and Ann Hampton Callaway: Celebrating Ella Fitzgerald! (performing with her trio and The Purchase Jazz Orchestra).

"One of my primary goals is to present adventurous jazz with some of my favorite musical heroes, many of whom are also my colleagues and friends, in ways that are approachable yet also potentially challenging to the listener," remarks Faddis. "These musicians are people who make me think and who make me feel joy and inspire me. I hope that will prove true for audience-members as well. Sonny Rollins is extraordinary, as is Jimmy Heath, and the generations of younger saxophonists they've influenced are legion. It's a privilege to be able to honor Sonny Rollins in this way, and I personally am looking forward to welcoming these musicians who look up to and love Sonny for his artistry and character."

The culminating event for the 2016-2017 JAZZ AT THE CENTER series, A CELEBRATION OF Sonny Rollins will take place on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 8pm in the PepsiCo Theatre at The PAC, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577. Tickets are $52.50-$77.50, and are on sale at 914-251-6200 and https://tickets.artscenter.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=6144.

A pre-concert Artist Talk with series co-curators Jon Faddis and Seth Soloway will take place at 7pm, free to concert ticket holders.

More about Jazz at The Center III: A Celebration of Sonny RollinsVoted by MiLes Davis as the greatest tenor ever, Sonny Rollins is an inventive saxophonist and an astonishing soloist. His fluid and harmonically innovative ideas, effortless manner, and easily identifiable sound have influenced generations of performers and fueled the ethos that mainstream jazz music can be widely enjoyed and recognized.While Mr. Rollins won't take the stage on this night, his legacy will be on full display by some of the great talents celebrating the man and his music, so inspirational to so many.

Featuring: Baritone saxophonist and multi-DownBeat Critics' and Readers' Choice winner James Carter, 2017 Grammy-nominee saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, NEA Jazz Master (2003) and nonagenarian saxophonist Jimmy Heath, Visionary composer and tenor saxophonist James Brandon LewisGrammy-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano, and Purchase College's own Grammy-nominated trumpeter and conductor Jon Faddis.
With:David Hazeltine, pianoTodd Coolman, bassVictor Lewis, drums
Pre-Concert TalkApril is Jazz Appreciation Month! In the spirit of JAM, please join us at 7pm for an informal conversation with our Jazz Series co-curators, Jon Faddis and Seth Soloway. Free with ticket purchase.

Learn more about Jazz Appreciation Month here: http://americanhistory.si.edu/smithsonian-jazz/jazz-appreciation-month/resources