TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL

NOVEMBER 2023

hear the best in jazz

The 11th annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival presents dozens of free and ticketed events! 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 powerhouse vocalist Fantasia takes the stage on November 10th with Jazzmeia Horn.  NJPAC’s talented jazz advisor Christian McBride leading a night of jazz, hip hop, and spoken word with Represent! presented as part of NJPAC’s City Verses program.

The festival kick-starts in person on November 10th with two powerhouse concerts: one of 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.  The spirit of jazz takes center stage with two dance-jazz collaborations: NJPAC dance advisor Savion Glover joins vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater on November 12th and renowned violinist Regina Carter performs with Carolyn Dorfman dance company in a world premiere commissioned by NJPAC.

The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition or the Sassy Awards also pays homage to another Newark jazz legend, Sarah Vaughan. On a Wednesday night in 1942, teenager Sarah Vaughan went to the Apollo Theater to compete in an amateur singing contest. Her win helped launch a career that would transform America's original art form and an icon who elevated the craft of jazz vocal music and garnered the respect and adoration of millions. After a year-long search, the finalists of the Sassy Awards will dazzle audiences.