Photos: NJPAC\YouTube
Newark, New Jersey (September 6, 2022) — The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has an exciting line-up of the highly anticipated 11th annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival. This year’s program offers events combining jazz luminaries in collaboration with artists known for R&B, poetry, hip hop, and so much more.
The festival kick-starts November 10th with two powerhouse concerts: one of the today’s most creative forces in the contemporary jazz scene, Terence Blanchard, will be joined by his E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet for a special tribute to Wayne Shorter; and American Idol winner Fantasia pairs up with one of the best new voices in jazz, Jazzmeia Horn (2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition winner).
The festival continues with a pair of contemporary dance-jazz collaborations: famed tap artist Savion Glover with jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater (Nov 12) followed by a world premiere commissioned by NJPAC by Carolyn Dorfman Dance and renowned jazz violinist Regina Carter (Nov 16). On Nov 19, NJPAC hosts for a special night of leading voices in jazz, hip hop and poetry including The Last Poets, Rakim, Chuck D, and more. The future of jazz will be on full display on the final day of the festival (Nov 20) as up-and-coming singers compete in the 11th annual “The Sassy Awards.”
Working with NJPAC’s jazz advisor Christian McBride, NJPAC’s executive vice president and executive producer David Rodriguez has curated a festival honoring the jazz legacy of New Jersey while looking to the future of the music. “I love Newark’s history of jazz, all the legendary musicians who came from Brick City. Celebrating that history is a vital part of this festival — but so is shining a spotlight on new voices, young artists, and collaborations that honor the deep connections between jazz and hip hop, R&B, dance and the spoken word,” says McBride.
“I’ve often said that jazz is the most democratic form of music, because in order for a great jazz performance to happen, the artists need to listen to each other, share their creativity and collaborate to create unforgettable music. Jazz is a metaphor for our democracy. When we work together, when we listen to each other, anything is possible. This year’s Moody Festival is a testament to that principle,” says John Schreiber, President, and CEO of NJPAC.
For the 11th consecutive year, the festival is sponsored by TD Bank, which has supported the event since its inauguration, ensuring that the event annually includes free community performances and educational events, as well as mainstage concerts showcasing jazz superstars. “We know that music brings people together, and jazz, in particular, has a way of dissolving boundaries,” says Martin Melilli, Market President at TD Bank. “We believe in the power of the arts to connect us all, and we are proud to sponsor a Festival that offers everyone in New Jersey so many ways to find joy, community and inspiration.” Below is a complete schedule, along with information about the programs.
TUE 11.8 @ 7:00 P.M.
A BEAUTIFUL BOND
FREE.: VIRTUAL EVENT – NJPAC’S FACEBOOK LIVE
Reggie Workman (bass, hand percussion)
Nasheet Waits (drums)
Sullivan Fortner (piano)
Christian McBride (co-host)
Vincent Toro (co-host)
Poetry and jazz illuminate the intersection of Black and Latinx liberation movements in the Americas in this free City Verses performance. This unique partnership between NJPAC and Rutgers University-Newark celebrates the rich historical connection between jazz and poetry, creates opportunities for public engagement, strengthens community ties through the arts, amplifies the authentic voices of the people of Greater Newark, and engages a new generation of poets, jazz musicians and teaching artists. Conceived of by poet, playwright, director, and educator Vincent Toro (Rutgers University-Newark MFA and mentee of Rigoberto Gonzalez, Poetry AD for City Verses and Director of Creative Writing Program at Rutgers) and NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor Christian McBride, A Beautiful Bond is as a prelude to McBride’s suite “The Movement Revisited,” which celebrates the civil rights movement through the work of four of its leaders – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Muhammed Ali. For this special engagement, the live jazz trio includes some of today’s top artists including NEA Jazz Master Reggie Workman. The featured poets include Mahogany L. Browne (Lincoln Center’s current and first poet-in-residence), John Murillo, Willie Perdomo, and Aracelis Girmay. This program is supported through NJPAC and Rutgers-Newark’s City Verses: Elevating Voices through Jazz and Poetry initiative, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
THU 11.10 @ 7:30 P.M.
TERENCE BLANCHARD FEATURING THE E-COLLECTIVE & TURTLE ISLAND QUARTET
TIX: $59-$69 @ VICTORIA THEATER
Terence Blanchard (trumpet, synths)
Charles Altura (guitar)
Taylor Eigsti (piano/keyboard/synths)
David Ginyard, Jr. (electric bass)
Oscar Seaton (drums)
David Balakrishnan (violin)
Gabriel Terracciano (violin)
Benjamin von Gutzeit (viola)
TBD (cello)
Kick-starting the 11th annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival is trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard joined by his electric ensemble The E-Collective and acclaimed neo-classical string ensemble Turtle Island Quartet with his 2021 Blue Note release Absence—a powerful tribute to the great Wayne Shorter.
Blanchard reimagines songs from across Shorter’s vast catalog and shares original music inspired by the legendary saxophonist—resulting in “a lush and dramatic soundscape that calls to mind Blanchard’s career as a successful film composer.” The New Yorker). According to Downbeat, “Terence Blanchard has always been forward thinking, but with E-Collective he shoots straight into tomorrow adding all sorts of different types of electricity and attitude to a new set of tunes.” When he’s not wowing crowds around the world with his masterful jazz trumpet, two- time Oscar nominee and Grammy Award winner Terence Blanchard is blowing audiences away with his film scores (Spike Lee films including When the Levees Broke, Malcolm X, Da 5 Bloods and BlacKkKlansman) and operas (Fire Shut Up in My Bones opened the Metropolitan Opera’s 2021-22 season).
THU 11.10 @ 8:00 P.M. FANTASIA WITH JAZZMEIA HORN FANTASIA (VOCALS)
TIX: $49-$119 @ PRUDENTIAL HALL.
Fantasia (vocals)
Jazzmeia Horn (vocals)
Grammy-winning R&B superstar, actress, and author Fantasia broke onto the scene in 2004 as the season three winner of Fox’s American Idol. She was the first artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart to debut at No. 1 with her first hit single, “I Believe.” Her other chart-toppers include “When I See U,” “Free Yourself,” and “Without Me.” Fantasia will be joined by Grammy-nominated singer Jazzmeia Horn who has been praised by DownBeat for her “astounding technique,” while All About Jazz lauded her “wonderfully intuitive improvising and heartfelt phrasing.” She’s a major award winner, including first place in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition.
SAT 11.12 @ 3:00 P.M. + 7:30 P.M.
DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER AND SAVION GLOVER: INTERPRETATIONS
TIX: $59-$69 @ VICTORIA THEATER
Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals)
Savion Glover (tap)
Icons Dee Dee Bridgewater and Savion Glover come together in both solo sets and together for an evening of jazz, dance, and improvisation like you’ve never seen before.
Over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics. Ever the fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, the three-time Grammy-winner most recently won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee. Bridgewater’s career has always bridged musical genres. In 2017 she was the recipient of an NEA Jazz Masters Fellows Award with honors bestowed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In December 2017, Bridgewater was presented with the ASCAP Foundation Champions award acknowledging her charitable contributions. In 2018, Bridgewater received the prestigious Doris Duke Artist Award. 2019 brought her induction in the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in recognition of her contributions to music and in celebration of her CD Memphis, Yes…I’m Ready. Savion Glover is a Tony Award-winning choreographer and legendary hoofer, whose career has spanned nearly four decades. He began his Broadway stage career as The Tap Dance Kid, and continued with Black and Blue, Jelly’s Last Jam and his award-winning Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk, which garnered him a Tony Award for Best Choreography. He has performed worldwide with jazz legends including McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes and Jack DeJohnette.
Film credits include Tap, starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.; Spike Lee’s Bamboozled and George Miller’s Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two. Serving as dance advisor for NJPAC and as a member of its board of directors, he is dedicated to furthering arts education programming with Summer Intensives, established to help youth explore artistic expression.
SAT 11.12 @ 6:00 P.M.
BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH JAZZ VESPERS: JON FADDIS
FREE THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE AT BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH LOCATED AT 275 WEST MARKET STREET, NEWARK, NJ.
Jon Faddis (trumpet)
TBA (band)
Co-presented by the Bethany Baptist Church Jazz Vespers, NJPAC begins its season-long free concert series at Newark’s Bethany Baptist Church with trumpeter Jon Faddis. Faddis is known as one of the most innovative and inspiring jazz trumpeters of our time. Marked by both intense integrity and humor, Faddis earned accolades from his close friend and mentor Dizzy Gillespie, who declared of Faddis, “He’s the best ever, including me!” Meeting Dizzy Gillespie at the Monterey Jazz Festival and then sitting in with him at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco proved to be a pivotal beginning of a unique friendship between Gillespie and Faddis, one that spanned almost three decades. Two days before his 18th birthday, Faddis joined Lionel Hampton’s band as a featured soloist, moving from Oakland, CA to New York. Shortly after arriving in Manhattan, Faddis was invited to sit in with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra at the Village Vanguard; he rapidly became lead trumpeter for the band, touring the world. He soon formed his own quartet, and began directing orchestras, including the Grammy-winning United Nation Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie 70th Birthday Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars and so much more.
SUN 11.13 @ 7:00 P.M.
TROUBLE NO MORE FEATURING SPECIAL GUEST DUMPSTAPHUNK IN TRIBUTE TO THE ALLMAN BROTHERS ALBUM, EAT A PEACH
TIX: $40.50-$80.50 @ PRUDENTIAL HALL
Brandon “Taz” Niederaurer (guitar, vocals)
Daniel Donato (guitar, vocals)
Dylan Niederauer (bass guitar)
Jack Ryan (drums)
Lamar Williams Jr. (vocals)
Nikki Glaspie (drums)
Peter Levin (keys)
Roosevelt Collier (pedal steel guitar)
Tony Hall (bass/guitar/vocals)
Nick Daniels (bass/vocals)
Alex Wasily (trombone)
Ashlin Parker (trumpet)
Devin Trusclair (drums)
Ivan Neville (vocals/keyboards)
Ian Neville (guitar)
Trouble No More (TNM) consists of six, seasoned Memphis musicians who have adored the Allman Brothers Band and played their music since the Allman Brothers first appeared on the scene in the late 60s. With the recent passing of Gregg Allman, Trouble No More endeavors to preserve the heritage and legacy of the great Southern Rock the Allman Brothers instigated.
TNM will be joined by New Orleans funk powerhouse Dumpstaphunk comprised of original core members Tony Hall and Nick Daniels, and the new additions of Alex Wasily, Ashlin Parker and Devin Trusclair, and Ivan and Ian Neville (the sons of Aaron Neville and Art “Poppa Funk” Neville respectively). Dumpstaphunk has built upon its family’s iconic NOLA legacy and transformed into an eminent 21st-century funk-fusion export. Modernizing and reinvigorating the Neville/Meters family groove has been one of the driving forces of Dumpstaphunk since the band spontaneously formed during the 2003 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Dumpstaphunk recently made its Madison Square Garden debut in 2021 opening for Dave Matthews Band. The band continues to celebrate its 2021 release Where Do We Go From Here (Mascot Label Group/The Funk Garage), the band’s first full length album in seven years, and undeniably the most powerful and politically pointed of their career.
In celebration of the Allman Brothers Band’s, the group Trouble No More will perform the album in its entirety. The iconic record was released 50 years ago in 1972 and contains some of the ABB’s most beloved songs, including “Melissa,” “Blue Sky,” “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More,” “One Way Out” and “Mountain Jam.”
SUN 11.13 @ 7:00 P.M.
YELLOWJACKETS
TIX: $65 @ VICTORIA THEATER
Russell Ferrante (piano, synths)
Bob Mintzer (woodwinds, EWI)
Will Kennedy (drums)
Dane Alderson (bass)
NJPAC welcomes back the Grammy Award-winning Yellowjackets: Russell Ferrante (piano, synths), Bob Mintzer (woodwinds, EWI), Will Kennedy (drums) and Dane Alderson (bass). After 25 albums and countless sold-out tours, the longstanding jazz-fusion quartet continues to push the creative boundaries of genre and composition. One of the most popular contemporary jazz ensembles of the 1980s and 1990s, the Yellowjackets was cited by JazzTimes as “…a perfectly combustible electric- acoustic outfit whose smart, often challenging and unpredictable compositions draw from fusion, postbop and contemporary jazz.”
WED 11.16 @ 7:00 P.M.
REGINA CARTER AND CAROLYN DORFMAN DANCE
TIX: $30 & $45 @ VICTORIA THEATER.
Jazz Legends and The Power of Now! world premiere (NJPAC commission)
Regina Carter (violin)
NJPAC welcomes back the acclaimed New Jersey-based dance troupe, Carolyn Dorfman Dance. This performance features the world premiere of Jazz Legends and The Power of Now! (co- commissioned by NJPAC) choreographed by Carolyn Dorfman and Juel D. Lane set to a live performance by jazz violinist extraordinaire Regina Carter and the vibrant jazz recordings of trumpet legend Louis Prima. Carter is the Artistic Director of NJPAC’s Geri Allen Jazz Sumer Camp for young women and was recently awarded a 2023 NEA Jazz Master. With virtuosity, speed and depth, these artists take you on a heart-pounding roller coaster ride of life’s journeys—resulting in pure joy. According to Limón Dance Company, Carolyn Dorfman Dance is “musical, magical, and full of surprises.”
THU 11.17 @ 7:00 P.M.
JAZZ JAMS AT CLEMENT’S PLACE
PERFORMER TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON FREE
This event takes place at Clement’s Place located at 15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ. Co-presented by NJPAC and Wayne Winborne, Executive Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark, this marks the first in a series of Jazz Jam Sessions to be held during the 2022-23 school year. Held at Clement’s Place on the campus of Rutgers-Newark, this series is curated and directed by pianist and bandleader James Austin, Jr. in consultation with the Jazz. Advisory Committee of NJPAC’s Community Engagement Department. Don’t miss a top-flight lineup of jazz musicians!
FRI 11.18 @ 7:00 P.M.
NJMEA ALL-STATE JAZZ BAND AND CHOIR WITH SPECIAL GUEST
TIX: $30 @ THE CHASE ROOM
Christian McBride
NJMEA All-State Jazz
Band NJMEA All-State Jazz
Choir Christian McBride (special guest, bass)
This annual concert event, co-presented by NJPAC’s Arts Education Department and the New Jersey Music Educators Association (NJMEA), brings together some of the very best young musicians and vocalists from across the state for a dynamic group performance. NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor and acclaimed jazz bassist/bandleader/composer Christian McBride will grace the stage as a special guest.
FRI 11.18 @ 8:00 P.M.
ISSAC DELGADO AND ALAIN PEREZ
TIX: $49-$79 @ PRUDENTIAL HALL
Issac Delgado (vocals)
Alain Perez (bass)
One of Cuba’s most famous stars and a respected musical innovator and vocalist Issac Delgado makes his NJPAC debut with Cuban multi-instrumentalist Alain Perez. Together, Cha Cha Chá: Homenaje a lo tradicional they won a 2021 Grammy for their platinum album, and now they’re bringing their dazzling style of salsa and jazz to NJPAC. A dazzling live performer who was mentored by legendary Cuban jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Delgado has continually rewritten the rules of Caribbean dance music, constantly playing with time and tempo, employing jazz-inspired passages and mixing in cutting edge rhythms and avant-garde electronics.
SAT 11.19 @ 2:00 P.M.
BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH JAZZ VESPERS ON FILM: OSCAR PETERSON: BLACK + WHITE FREE
This event takes place at Bethany Baptist Church located at 275 West Market Street, Newark, NJ.
Co-presented by the Bethany Baptist Church Jazz Vespers, NJPAC continues its season-long series at Newark’s Bethany Baptist Church with a free screening of the jazz documentary Oscar Peterson: Black + White.
The film explores the life and music of Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, told through rare archival footage and interviews with jazz greats including Jon Batiste, Herbie Hancock and Branford Marsalis. Jazz aficionados won’t want to miss this story of a young piano prodigy turned legendary icon, directed by Barry Avrich (Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art, The Talented Mr. Rosenberg).
SAT. 11.19 @ 8:00 P.M.
REPRESENT! A NIGHT OF JAZZ, HIP HOP AND SPOKEN WORD RAKIM, SPEECH, AND CHUCK D
TIX: $29-$89 @ PRUDENTIAL HALL
Nikki Giovanni, Jessica Care Moore, Mayor Ras Baraka and The Last Poets (poets)
Javon Jackson (tenor saxophone)
Christian McBride (musical director, bandleader)
TBA (band)
For one unmissable night, NJPAC unites the leading voices in jazz, hip hop and poetry. The legendary lineup includes hip hop stars Rakim (Paid in Full), Speech (Arrested Development), and Chuck D (Public Enemy); award-winning poets and spoken word performers Nikki Giovanni, Jessica Care Moore, Mayor Ras Baraka and The Last Poets (Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan, and Babadon Babatunde); saxophonist Javon Jackson and Musical Director (and NJPAC Jazz Advisor) Christian McBride; as well as young poets from NJPAC’s City Verses program. Blaring horns and baring souls, these masterful artists exclaim their vision of justice, change, and joy.
This unique partnership between NJPAC and Rutgers University-Newark celebrates the rich historical connection between jazz and poetry, creates opportunities for public engagement, strengthens community ties through the arts, amplifies the authentic voices of the people of Greater Newark, and engages a new generation of poets, jazz musicians and teaching artists. This program is supported through NJPAC and Rutgers-Newark’s City Verses: Elevating Voices through Jazz and Poetry initiative, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
SAT 11.19 @ 3:00 + 7:30 P.M.
MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA
TIX: $59 @ VICTORIA THEATER
Maria Schneider (conductor)
NJPAC is thrilled to welcome back the award-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra for what has or the past quarter–century, beginning with her orchestra’s debut album Evanescence (1994), composer/conductor and NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider has developed a deeply personal way of writing for her 17–member collective; like Duke Ellington, she has tailored her compositions to highlight the individually expressive voices of her soloists. Her highly original work often blurs the lines between post-bop, classical and the avant- garde. Maria and her orchestra are fresh off of winning two Grammy Awards, “Album of the Year” award from Grand Prix de L’Academie du Jazz, Jazz Journalists Association, and NPR Jazz Critics Poll, as well as a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize for their latest album, Data Lords.
SUN 11.20 @ 11:00 A.M. + 1:00 P.M.
DORTHAAN’S PLACE: VANESSA RUBIN TRIO
Tix: $49 (adult) $19 (child) each NICO RESTAURANT
There are two brunch seatings: 11:00 a.m. (music begins at 11:30a.m.) or 1:00 p.m. (music begins at 1:30 p.m.). This event takes place at NJPAC’s NICO kitchen + bar located at One Center Street, Newark, NJ.
Vanessa Rubin (vocals)
Brandon McCune (piano)
Kenny Davis (bass)
Winard Harper (drums)
NJPAC’s NICO kitchen + bar continues Dorthaan’s Place, its popular Sunday jazz brunch series curated by Newark’s First Lady of Jazz, Dorthaan Kirk. The series made its debut during NJPAC’s 2012-13 season and has grown ever since. “The finest in jazz is on the menu…anticipation runs high at Dorthaan’s Place, whether you’re there for the music, the food, the scene, Dorthaan, or all of the above.” (All About Jazz)
SUN 11.20 @ 3:00 P.M.
11TH ANNUAL SARAH VAUGHAN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ VOCAL COMPETITION
TIX: $39 @ VICTORIA THEATER
Gary Walker (host)
Regina Carter (judge)
Christian McBride (judge)
T.S. Monk (judge)
Pat Prescott (judge)
Maria Schneider (judge)
special guest artists: Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim (vocals) Gabrielle Cavassa (vocals)
The Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, also known as “The SASSY Awards”, has become one of the top annual vocal competitions in jazz. The SASSY Awards offers outstanding jazz singers a one-of-a-kind platform for embarking on a career in the music business—and offers audience members a chance to discover the jazz stars of tomorrow.
For one night only, this year’s Top Five finalists will compete at NJPAC in front of a live audience and before a distinguished panel of judges, including premier jazz violinist Regina Carter, NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor and multi-Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride, drummer T.S. Monk (Thelonious Monk, Jr.), NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider, and WBGO Radio personality Pat Prescott. the Vanessa Rubin Trio. Revered as both a torchbearer and a storyteller, Vanessa’s voice exudes crystalline clarity, hearth-like warmth and playful lioness sass. The Cleveland native brings a wealth of diverse influences to the microphone, including the Trinidadian/Caribbean roots of her mother, traditional jazz by way of her Louisiana-born father, and her love of the Motown Sound…especially girl groups like the Supremes. Thehumble beginnings of legendary jazz singer/NEA Jazz Master Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) who, back That memorable night helped launch the lifework of one of the most successful, influential jazz The competition recalls thein 1942, was a Newark teenager and winner of an amateur singing contest at the Apollo Theater.
Past winners of The SASSY Awards include Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, Ashleigh Smith, Arianna Neikrug, Deelee Dubé, Quiana Lynell, Laurin Talese, Samara Joy, Gabrielle Cavassa and Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim, and G. Thomas Allen.
Hosted by WBGO Radio’s Gary Walker, this special event will also include performances by the 2021 co-winners of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim and Gabrielle Cavassa, and more to be announced soon. The first-prize winner of The SASSY Awards will receive a $5,000 cash award, second-place $1,500, and third-place $500.00.
