Hoboken Public Library presents Garden State Jazz Greats – Wayne Shorter Listening Session – May 3rd at 6:30pm

Come and join Jazz scholar Ben Young as he explores the majesty, style, and genius of New Jersey’s own jazz greats. Many of these names you may already know and all of them you should know as each of these innovators have left their indelible imprint on world culture through the great African American creation of Jazz.

Ben Young will discuss the lives and contributions of each of these home state heroes along with the musical and historical context to help illustrate what made each of their unique and singular artistic visions have such an impact.

Our featured artist for May is a Newark native and truly a Jazz giant. Tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter is a standout as a player, a writer, a sideman, and a leader. His stints with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and Weather Report alone place him in the upper echelon of Jazz distinction. We all are still grieving Shorter's passing at age 89 just a few weeks ago. Our solace comes from how the vast treasury of Shorter's jazz standards continues to fascinate and inspire players today--along with his sterling recorded history, which we'll survey in this month's session.