| TD James Moody Jazz Festival | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The late jazz saxophonist James Moody | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Jazz festival |
| Frequency | Annually in November |
| Venue | New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark Museum of Art, others in the city |
| Location(s) | Newark, New Jersey |
| Inaugurated | October 15, 2012 |
| Sponsor | TD Bank |
The James Moody Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held in Newark, New Jersey. [1] [2]
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]
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]
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]
 |
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
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards. She was given an NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989. Critic Scott Yanow wrote that she had "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century".
The U.S. state of New Jersey is located in the Northeastern United States and is part of the Mid-Atlantic region.
Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in Downtown Newark in Newark, New Jersey, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors have visited the center since it opened in October 1997 on the site of the former Military Park Hotel.
The Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) is the largest and most comprehensive library and archives of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world. It is located on the fourth floor of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University–Newark in Newark, New Jersey. The archival collection contains more than 100,000 sound recordings on CDs, LPs, EPs, 78- and 75-rpm disks, and 6,000 books. It also houses over 30 instruments used by prominent jazz musicians.
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player and very occasional vocalist, playing predominantly in the bebop and hard bop styles. The annual James Moody Jazz Festival is held in Newark, New Jersey.
Newark Arts High School is a four-year magnet public high school, serving students in Ninth through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Newark Public Schools. The school is located in the University Heights section of Newark. Starting in 2011-12, the 7th graders of William Brown Academy were housed there as that school's facility was being constructed.
Newark Symphony Hall is a performing arts center located at 1020 Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey. Built in 1925, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was known for many years as The Mosque Theater, and is the former home of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey State Opera and the New Jersey Ballet Company.
Sparky J's, previously known as the Cadillac Club, was a popular jazz club in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Sparky J's often featured soul jazz or funky jazz best exemplified by the organ combo, a band usually consisting of a Hammond B-3 organist, a saxophonist, a drummer, and a guitarist. The club was located in downtown Newark, on the corner of Halsey and William streets. This area known locally as the "Jazz Corner of the World" in the 70s because it contained two jazz clubs: Spark J's and Key Club. Both clubs closed in the 1970s, and they were the last full-time jazz clubs in the area at the time of closing. While Key Club was free entry, Sparky J's charged admission.
Cécile McLorin Salvant is an American jazz vocalist. Salvant is one of the most highly regarded jazz vocalists of her generation, often winning DownBeat annual critics polls. She has released seven albums since 2010, six of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards. She is a 3-time winner of the Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy Award for her 2013 album WomanChild, her 2017 album Dreams and Daggers, and her 2018 album The Window, each released on the Mack Avenue label. Salvant's most recent album is Mélusine released in 2023 by Nonesuch Records. Salvant primarily sings in English or French, her first language, and has also recorded songs in Occitan and Haitian Kreyòl.
Jazzmeia Horn is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She won the Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition in 2015. Horn's repertoire includes jazz standards and covers of songs from other genres, including by artists such as Stevie Wonder. She has been compared to jazz vocalists such as Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson.
The Newark Black Film Festival (NBFF), is an annual film festival that has taken place since 1974 in Newark, New Jersey, and is the longest running Black film festival in the United States. It operates under the auspices of the Newark Museum of Art. The NBFF focuses on the work and history of African Americans and the African Diaspora. Screenings are typically followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers and scholars.
Oleg Borisovich Akkuratov is a Russian pianist, jazz improviser and singer who has amaurosis – complete blindness. He is a virtuoso performer of jazz and classical works and a laureate of the Prize of the President of the Russian Federation for young cultural workers (2019).
Nicole Zuraitis is a Grammy-winning American jazz vocalist, pianist, songwriter and arranger.
Samara Joy McLendon is an American jazz singer. She released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by JazzTimes. Her second album, Linger Awhile (2022), reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. At the 2023 Grammy Awards, she won the awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist. Her 2023 single "Tight" won Best Jazz Performance at the following ceremony.
The North to Shore Festival is an annual music, comedy, film and technology festival in New Jersey. The event is hosted in June by three New Jersey cities: Atlantic City, Asbury Park, and Newark.
Deelee Dubé is a British jazz vocalist.
Gabrielle Cavassa is an American jazz vocalist.
The Exit Zero Jazz Festival is an biannual jazz festival held each spring and each fall in Cape May, New Jersey. Each installment typically runs for three days. Headliners perform on one of the two main stages, often at the Cape May Convention Hall, and additional performances take place in the bars and restaurants in Cape May. The non-profit Cape May Jazz Festival Foundation operates the festival. New Orleans-style second line parades are typically part of the event.
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