James_Moody_Jazz_Festival

James Moody Jazz Festival

James Moody Jazz Festival

Annual jazz festival held in Newark, New Jersey, USA

The James Moody Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held in Newark, New Jersey.[1][2]

Quick Facts TD James Moody Jazz Festival, Status ...

Background

The festival, organized by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center has been a fall gathering of musicians and audiences held at various Newark venues since 2012.[3] Jazz musician Christian McBride oversees and curates the event.[4] The festival is named for jazz saxophonist James Moody.[5]

Venues

Various locations throughout Newark host festival events.[6] Sites include the Newark Museum of Art, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark jazz club Clement's Place, Bethany Baptist Church, and NICO Kitchen + Bar.[7]

Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

Jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan in 1955

The festival hosts an annual jazz vocalist competition named for Newark-born jazz singer Sarah Vaughan. The event, as of the 2020s, is open to solo vocalists of all nationalities who are not signed to a major record label. The competition judges contestants on criteria "that includes vocal quality, intonation, ability to swing, individuality, and improvisation."[8]

Initially open only to female vocalists, in the early 2020s the competition began allowing male vocalists to apply.[8] The competition is also known as the "Sassy Awards" for Vaughn's nickname.[9][10][11] In 2023, the winning vocalist was Tyreek McDole.[12][13]

Winning vocalists by year

Winners to date are:[14]

2012: Cyrille Aimee

2013: Jazzmeia Horn

2014: Ashleigh Smith

2015: Arianna Neikrug

2016: Deelee Dubé

2017: Quiana Lynell

2018: Laurin Talese

2019: Samara Joy

2020: Gabrielle Cavassa, Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim

2021: G. Thomas Allen

2022: Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso

2023: Tyreek McDole

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Chinen, Nate (April 1, 2013). "James Moody Jazz Festival Announces Lineup". ArtsBeat.
  2. [2]
    "TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival Taps Newark's Heritage - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. October 7, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-07.
  3. [3]
    Jazz, All About (November 22, 2023). "Jazz news: Tyreek McDole Wins 12th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition". All About Jazz.
  4. [4]
    "New Jersey's TD James Moody Festival Offers Diverse Series". downbeat.com. October 28, 2016.
  5. [5]
    NJ.com, Entertainment Desk | NJ Advance Media for (November 3, 2013). "James Moody deeply connected to musicians playing fest named after him". nj.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. [6]
    "TD James Moody Jazz Festival is Explosive and a Jazz Lovers Delight (Nov. 19-21 at NJPAC)". Jersey Indie. November 17, 2021.
  7. [7]
    Lustig, Jay (September 15, 2023). "Dave Grusin tribute, Gladys Knight and more booked for 12th TD James Moody Jazz Fest". NJArts.net.
  8. [8]
    "Inside the prestigious Sarah Vaughan competition for vocalists". KNKX Public Radio. August 5, 2022.
  9. [9]
    "Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition official site". NJPAC.
  10. [10]
    Police, Jazz (November 9, 2023). "One Last Look Back – The 2022 TD James Moody Jazz Festival".
  11. [11]
    Wild, Stephi. "12th Annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival Returns to NJPAC in November". BroadwayWorld.com.
  12. [12]
    "Vocalist Tyreek McDole wins 2023 SASSY Award". JAZZ.FM91. November 23, 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Gallery 3". TYREEK MCDOLE.
  14. [14]
    "Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition". NJPAC.
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