April May Webb of Connecticut is the winner of the 13^th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on November 24. Known as The Sassy Awards for Vaughan’s longtime nickname, Webb bested the 220 entrants from 21 countries, whittled down to five for the sing-off hosted by WBGO’s Sheila Anderson.

The top five finalists for the 13^th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition—known as The Sassy Awards—have been announced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Over 220 entrants from 21 countries submitted songs and now only five remain.

The Madison Community Arts Center on 10 Kings Road will host a 3:00 p.m. concert November 3 with winners of the New Jersey Jazz Society’s 2024 scholarships.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark has announced the dates at various venues for the 13^th annual James Moody Jazz Festival, happening this year from November 7 to 14.

The Madison Community Arts Center—10 Kings Road—will be the venue for a special October 6 3:00 Sunday afternoon screening of Swingin’ with Frank & Bing, a new documentary about the life and art of composer Jimmy Van Heusen.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has impacted thousands of young musicians for the past 27 years. Registration is now open (closing September 23) for its “Jazz For Teens” 2024-2025 Education Program. The fall semester is October 5 to December 4. The spring semester is January 25 to May 17. Student musicians from ages 13 to 18 can apply.

Circle September 14! The Morristown Green—a three-acre historical park located right smack dab in the center of town that used to be the site of public executions—will host headliner British blues-busting guitarist-vocalist Joanne Shaw Taylor, 39, (discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics when she was 16) at 8:00. Before that, you can thrill to Louis Prima, Jr. & The Witnesses at 6:00 doing the songs of his legendary father (hope he does “Angelina, The Waitress At The Pizzeria”).

The New Jersey Jazz Society will present the eleventh annual Jersey City Jazz Festival May 29 to June 2 with 37 concerts over five days at different Hudson County locations. Tenor sax man Jerry Weldon will perform May 30 at the Brennan Courthouse. Drummer Johnathan Blake will lead his band May 31 at the Nimbus Arts Center. The waterfront location will host vocalist Champian Fulton, pianist David Kikoski and tenor saxophonist Lance Bryant (pictured) June 1 plus tenor saxophonist George Coleman and vocalist Brianna Thomas June 2.

On Saturday, April 13, on the Princeton University campus within Alexander Hall’s Richardson Auditorium, for nine straight hours starting at 1:00 p.m. (the first five hours are FREE), the Princeton University Music Department will present its “Jazz At Princeton” festival. The event will be live-streamed.

Legendary Montclair bassist-composer-arranger-educator Christian McBride, in his capacity as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Jazz Advisor, has announced the lineup for the 12th annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival, to be held in November at NJPAC and other Newark locations from the third to the 19th.

Stephane Wrembel may have been born in Paris but he’s lived in Maplewood in Essex County for years. Considered by many to be the greatest living acoustic guitarist in the world, he’s made a career out of furthering the sound of the legendary three-fingered Belgian guitar hero Django Reinhardt [1910-1953]. Django, in his pioneering band with French violinist Stephane Grappelli, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, invented the sub-genre known as Gypsy Jazz.

The 19th annual Hub City jazz Festival is scheduled for September 28 to October 1 in New Brunswick. Gerald Albright, Lindsey Webster with Special Guest Lin Rountree, New Urban Jazz Party, Oli Silk and Ashley Keiko will perform on the main stage.

Morristown swings! Outdoors! For Free! On September 22 and 23, in the downtown Morristown Green, and across the street at Pioneer’s Plaza, Louis Prima, Jr. & The Witnesses will cover such classic songs by his father, the legendary Louie Prima [1910-1978] as “Sing Sing Sing,” “Jump Jive & Wail,” “Just A Gigolo” and “Angelina The Waitress At The Pizzeria.”

‘A Thousand Pebbles’ (One Trick Dog Records), the second album by the Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project (fourth overall), with composer/producer Ben on piano and accordion, backed by an absolutely stunning lineup of surprising syncopation—with Croatian church bells, trumpet, flugelhorn, alto sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, guitar, bass and drums—travels the world-music spectrum.

“Live Jazz Every Night” proclaims its website. Open 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., Brvsh Cul7ur3 (pronounced Brush Culture), 482 Cedar Lane in Teaneck, will offer dinner, drinks and more affordable prices than Manhattan clubs.

Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs continues to be the place where great jazz is born…and Time Bandits, by trumpeter/composer John Bailey, is no exception. In this one legendary studio, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Thelonious Monk, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Memphis Slim and hundreds of other greats made their best recordings.

On Time Capsule, Bill Warfield’s fourth CD with the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra, he unloads 12 tracks with, as he says, a “fervent emphasis on the power of the horns. My interests are so varied,” he continues, “I love classical. I love commercial. With this band and these horns, I can do anything!” And that’s exactly what he does.