In the July/August issue of Jersey Jazz Magazine, drummer Joe Farnsworth spoke of the profound influence William Paterson had on his musical development. His classmates included tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander and drummer Bill Stewart and his most enduring mentor was the late pianist, Harold Mabern.
Farnsworth is now a WPU faculty member, and when his quartet performed at William Paterson’s Summer Jazz Room Series on Wednesday night, July 22, he found a way to repay his alma mater and ensure it keeps cultivating the jazz stars of tomorrow. Toward the end of the concert, which also featured pianist Emmet Cohen and alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, Farnsworth spotted one of the student bassists attending the WPU Jazz Camp that week. “Do you know ‘Body and Soul’,” he asked. When the young bassist nodded yes, Farnsworth invited him to come on stage and perform. But, that was just the prelude. After ‘Body and Soul’, Farnsworth encouraged all of the campers in attendance to get their instruments and join the band on Mabern’s classic “Rakin’ and Scrapin’.”
“This is how we do it at William Paterson U.,” he posted later on Facebook. “There is no other place like this. This where the Giants gave freely to us, and we were able to go back and give to the new generation of swingers! When we started playing Harold Mabern’s ‘Rakin’ and Scrapin’, all the kids from camp jumped up and had to get some. That’s how it works.”
Earlier, Farnsworth also singled out pianist Cedar Walton and tenor saxophonist George Coleman as two of many important mentors to him. The quartet gave a magnificent performance of Harold Arlen’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in tribute to Walton, and Hanahan honored two of her important influences, playing music associated with Jackie McLean and Charlie Parker.
Hanahan was a Jersey Jazz Rising Star in September/October 2020 when she was earning her Master’s Degree at Julliard. At the time, she told me she first got interested in jazz when she watched videos of Buddy Rich’s band (with her drummer father) and “I was fascinated by the visual images and the amazing saxophone section.”
STORY AND PHOTO BY SANFORD JOSEPHSON