Tony Bennett to Headline 4th Annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival at NJPAC, 11/7-15

New Jersey Performing Arts Center is proud to announce the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, headlined by the legendary Tony Bennett, from November 7-15, 2015. With help from NJPAC Jazz Advisor Christian McBride, this festival promises to be one of the largest gatherings for jazz fans on the East Coast, showcasing all-star line-ups with some of the country's best musicians, such as Dianne Reeves, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings and the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition. Now in its fourth year, the festival offers nine days of concerts, panel discussions and workshops around Newark, in honor of saxophonist, bebop pioneer, and Newark native James Moody.

"The beauty of the annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival is that every year we get to reinvent ourselves," said NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber. "The foundation of the festival is the spirit, heart and soul of James Moody, a brilliant player (and singer) whose humanity shone in every note he played. Headliners in this year's roster are artists Moody loved or would have loved: Tony Bennett, Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Bruce Hornsby, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings and Bill Charlap, to name a few, are not only superb improvisers and interpreters, but also beloved citizens of jazz. Moody would have had a ball, and I'm certain fans will, too."

The festival's title sponsor is TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank. "TD Bank is extremely proud and excited to sponsor the fourth annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and we are thrilled that Tony Bennett is kicking it off this year," said Nick Miceli, Market President for TD Bank. "TD is committed to presenting music and the arts in North America, and sponsoring theTD James Moody Jazz Festival continues our rich tradition of supporting some of the most notable festivals and performances." NJPAC is equally proud of its partnership with Newark jazz radio station WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM, co-presenter of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival. "We share John's belief that jazz is America's music," said Amy Niles, president and CEO of WBGO. "We will do everything in our power to together uplift and advance this music we love."

Tony Bennett headlines this year's festival with performances on November 12th and 13th. No one in American popular music has recorded for so long and at such a high level of excellence than Bennett. In the last 10 years alone he has sold 10 million records. A Kennedy Center Honoree and NEA Jazz Master, Bennett has received 18 Grammy Awards, including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for MTV Unplugged that introduced this American master to a whole new generation. His 2007 prime-time special, Tony Bennett: An American Classic, won seven Emmy Awards. He has had 24 songs in the Top 40, including "I Wanna Be Around," "The Good Life," "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" and his signature song," I Left My Heart In San Francisco," which garnered him two Grammy Awards. Tony Bennett is one of a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and now in the first two decades of the 21st century.

The festival also includes highlights from a wide range of jazz's top talents. On November 14th, jazz, funk and soul giants join forces -- jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, neo-soul funk band Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, and bassist/composer Christian McBride -- for an electrifying evening. Reeves' latest album, Beautiful Life, won the 2015 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings have become synonymous with new soul and funk, a sound that can be found on their newest album, Give the People What They Want.

November 9th, NJPAC hosts The Real Sinatra Songbook featuring singers Tom Wopat, Sue Raney and Kevin Mahogany. Co-produced by jazz critic Will Friedwald and under musical direction from Ken Peplowski, this performance features some of Frank Sinatra's classic standards sung by top-flight vocalists. This event, part of NJPAC's Sinatra Centennial series, is preceded by Sinatra Standard Time, a pre-curtain panel discussion led by Sinatra historian and author Charles L. Granata.

As part of NJPAC Jazz Advisor and Grammy-winning bassist and composer Christian McBride's ongoing One on One series, he is joined in conversation and duet with jazz and pop musician Bruce Hornsby on November 12th. Hornsby, whose single "The Way It Is" has become a modern American radio standard, has made a unique music path for himself, collaborating with artists as divergent as Grateful Dead, Spike Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Ornette Coleman, Béla Fleck, and more.

Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Bill Charlap leads a one-time-only all-star tribute to one of the most groundbreaking jazz albums, Miles Davis' 1957 album Birth of the Cool, on November 14th. Charlap, one of the world's premier jazz pianists, will lead a nonet including Jeremy Pelt, Frank Basile, Jon Gordon, Jason Jackson, Jeff Scott, Bob Stewart and Peter and Kenny Washington.

NJPAC is thrilled once again to host the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, which will close the festival on November 15th. In its fourth year, this competition -- the only international jazz vocal competition of its kind -- provides a platform for an outstanding jazz singer to launch a career within the music business. This year, five finalists will compete to win the "Sassy" Award, founded in honor of Vaughan, Newark's own jazz icon.

In an exciting event for swing and stride piano fans, Judy Carmichael Trio will be joined by tenor saxophonist Harry Allen for a night filled with standards and swing on November 8th. Grammy-nominated pianist Judy Carmichael has been called "astounding, flawless and captivating" by The New York Times. Her new album, Come and Get It, features Carmichael's singing debut, from Peggy Lee-inspired standards to humorous takes on Fats Waller tunes.

Dorado Schmitt & Django Festival Allstars carry on the musical legacy of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli on November 11th. Schmitt, one of the leading purveyors of the gypsy guitar style made famous by Reinhardt, leads the Django Festival Allstars through a night of interpretations and arrangements of hot-swing jazz.

The festival continues to highlight jazz's next generation of artists with the All-State Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Choir on November 13th, which features a collective of New Jersey's most promising young jazz musicians and vocalists. This annual concert is co-presented by NJPAC's Arts Education Department and the New Jersey Music Educators Association.

This year's festival also features an impressive offering of free events throughout Newark. OnNovember 7th, top jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon kicks off the festival with his Wycliffe Gordon Quartet at Bethany Baptist Church. On November 10th, Joe Alterman Trio, featuring up-and-coming jazz pianist and composer Joe Alterman, play at Gateway II. Also on Tuesday, at the Newark Museum, is the award-winning 2014 documentary Keep On Keepin' On, about late New Jersey jazz trumpeter Clark Terry and his mentorship of blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin. The Newark Museum also hosts Jazz Wives / Jazz Lives, a panel discussion about the diverse roles lead by "jazz wives," moderated by Linda Moody, widow of James Moody, on November 14th. Finally, on the same day, NJPAC Center for Arts Education hosts Day of Swing, a youth-focused day filled with workshops, open rehearsals and jam sessions. Seating for all free events is first-come, first-served.

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