| TD James Moody Jazz Festival | |
| Status: | Active |
| Genre: | Jazz festival |
| Frequency: | Annually in November |
| Venue: | New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark Museum of Art, others in the city |
| Location: | Newark, New Jersey |
| Founders: | --> |
| 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]
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