Finalists Named for Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

NEWARK, NJ, September 21, 2012 (Press-News.org) In 1942, a teenage Sarah Vaughan won the Apollo Theater's amateur singing competition in a performance that was a launching pad for a career that transformed one of America's original art forms and elevated the craft of jazz vocal music. Seventy years later, Vaughan's legacy continues to resonate and will be celebrated with the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, part of the TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival at NJPAC and at venues around Vaughan's hometown of Newark, N.J.

A distinguished panel of musicians, music industry executives, NJPAC leadership and online voters culled through nearly 900 submissions from around the globe to choose five finalists and a "Rising Star" for the inaugural Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, the largest competition of its kind in the world. Online voters listened to songs submitted to the contest nearly 90,000 times. Today, NJPAC, JAZZ ROOTS and WBGO Jazz 88.3 announced the five competition finalists who will perform in front of an iconic panel of judges, an NJPAC Victoria Theater audience and viewers around the world through a live stream of the concert on October 21, 2012 at 3pm. The finalists are competing for a chance to win the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition SASSY AWARD, a $5, 000 prize, and an opening spot at a 2013 JAZZ ROOTS concert. The first runner-up will win $1, 500, the second runner-up $500. The Competition and final performance are produced by award-winning producer Larry Rosen and powered by Indaba Music (IndabaMusic.com), the leading online community of musicians and marketplace for music opportunities.

Judging the finals at the performance will be Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, vocalese and scat pioneer Jon Hendricks, vocalist and Executive Director of Jazz House Kids Melissa Walker, WBGO radio host and jazz journalist Michael Bourne, and producer of JAZZ ROOTS and co-founder of GRP Records, Larry Rosen.

Through three preliminary rounds, public voting on the IndabaMusic.com website (with over 21, 800 votes cast), jazz vocalists, members of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and GRP Records co-founder Larry Rosen narrowed down the field to five finalists in an effort to discover vocalists who embody Sarah Vaughan with swinging, thought-provoking and inspiring performances reflecting their own understanding of the work. Contestants were judged on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation and ability to swing.

The finalists are:
Alexis Cole (New York, NY) was a winner of the NY Jazzmobile and Montreux Jazz Festival vocal competitions. She has performed at Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Oak Room, Blues Alley, and at the Kennedy Center, and was a featured soloist at Avery Fisher Hall with the NY Philharmonic Brass.

Ashleigh Smith (Lewisville, TX) was awarded the prestigious Downbeat Student Award for Best Undergraduate Jazz Vocal Performance in 2011 and the Outstanding Undergraduate Vocal Jazz Soloist in 2012. She is a member of the world renowned Jazz Singers 1, with whom she also won a 2012 Downbeat Award. Ms. Smith has traveled and performed as a soloist and chorister in Washington D.C, Northern Ireland, Orlando, Florida, and New York City, and recently shared the stage with The Manhattan Transfer and Jon Hendricks during the Kennedy Center's "Swing, Swing, Swing" concert series. She is currently on scholarship as a vocal jazz major at the University of North Texas.

Cyrille Aimee (Brooklyn, NY) was a 2007 winner of both the first and public prizes in the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition. She has released four CDs, recorded songs for feature films, and fronted France's electro-swing/gypsy jazz band Caravan Palace on its European tour, performing in front of crowds of more than 10, 000 people. Ms. Aimee was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition of 2010.

Hilary Kole (New York, NY) co-wrote and originated the lead female roles in the critically acclaimed, award-winning Off-Broadway musicals, Our Sinatra (2000 MAC Award) and Singing Astaire. Her debut recording, Haunted Heart (2009) received four stars in Downbeat and the Gold Disc Award in Japan. Her second recording, You Are There-Duets (2010) was named as a "Record of the Year" by USA Today. Ms. Kole began her professional career at the Rainbow Room as the youngest singer ever to grace the stage. She appeared in a sold-out run at the famed Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, made her concert hall debut at Lincoln Center as part of the "American Songbook Series" with Jonathan Schwartz, and appeared at Carnegie Hall during a Tribute to Oscar Peterson. She was the first singer since Ella Fitzgerald to record a duet with the jazz legend.

Sandra Booker (Sherman Oaks, CA) was the first vocal student to receive the Julian Cannonball Adderley Memorial Scholarship and John Densmore Music Scholarship at UCLA. Her voice has appeared in radio and television commercials for Coca-Cola and Ralph Lauren. 'Wandering Road, ' an original composition, co-written by Booker and long-time colleague and producer, John Leftwich, was featured in the 2010 film, Blood Done Sign My Name a biopic chronicling the life of NAACP President Ben Chavis. She has performed with Lalo Schifrin, Wynton Marsalis & The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Ernie Watts, Billy Higgins and many others.

Rising Star Award
Each year one outstanding young artist will be chosen as a Rising Star. The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Rising Star Award was created for the purpose of discovering young talented jazz vocal artists that deserve wider recognition and mentoring in their career as a jazz singer, while keeping in the tradition of Sarah Vaughan. This year's winner is Jazzmeia Horn. Ms. Horn (Dallas, Texas) attended the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She currently attends The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City.

The TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival will make a donation in the name of Sarah Vaughan to develop an enhanced jazz vocal training program at Newark Arts High School. Sarah Vaughan was a proud graduate of Arts High.

NJPAC President and CEO John Schreiber, who presented Vaughan at dozens of domestic and international jazz festivals through the years, said: "Sarah Vaughan was nothing less than a game changer for jazz vocalists. What better place than Newark, N.J., Sarah Vaughan's hometown, to find the next game changer? We are proud to be hosting and presenting this competition that will give up-and-coming talents a world-class showcase. We will bring the best singers in the world to the Victoria Theater in October for one swinging afternoon of competition, and set at least one on the course to a Sarah-caliber career."

"I'm thrilled that we had the opportunity to launch the Sarah Vaughan competition through the use of new online technologies, where all entrants can post their performances online and allow music fans around the world to sample, check out, and vote for their favorite artists through Facebook and the Indaba web site, " said competition producer Larry Rosen. "By utilizing these cutting edge technologies, we were able to make over 22, 000, 000 total impressions, expose folks across the planet to Sassy's legacy, and spawn a platform to discover incredible new jazz vocalists. What could be better?"

Cephas Bowles, President and CEO of WBGO, said "WBGO has had the privilege and pleasure to broadcast the music of some of the greatest vocalists in the world, including Sarah Vaughan. Her music is timeless, and will always find a spot on WBGO and jazz radio stations around the world. We look forward to hearing the finalists at the Victoria Theater, and we're excited to be a part of the competition that is helping to expand the careers of these vocalists while honoring the legacy of Ms. Vaughan."

The competition is part of The TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival, a celebration of jazz and the musical legacy of longtime Newarker and beloved jazz saxophonist and composer James Moody. Presented by NJPAC and WBGO Jazz88.3FM, the Moody Festival will run from Oct. 15-21st at NJPAC and in other venues around the region.

The Festival's centerpiece events include two star-studded concerts: For Love of Moody: A Jazz Celebration featuring jazz icons George Benson, The Manhattan Transfer, David Sanborn, Kenny Barron, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Heath, John Lee, Paquito D'Rivera, Christian McBride, Paul Lieberman, Todd Coolman, Adam Nussbaum, and Renee Rosnes (the evening's Music Director), and Miles Davis and Gil Evans: Still Ahead, a recreation of the original Gil Evans arrangements of the Miles Davis recordings of Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Miles Ahead featuring trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Sean Jones with Christian McBride, Jimmy Cobb, Vince Mendoza leading the orchestra, Howard Johnson, Peter Erskine and others.

The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition is presented as part of NJPAC's JAZZ ROOTS series with producer Larry Rosen. The TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival's title sponsor is TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank , and is sponsored, in part, by The Prudential Foundation, Verizon, Audible.com, The Women's Association of NJPAC, PSEG and Whole Foods.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey -- where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. As New Jersey's Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over 6 million visitors (more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit http://www.njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC for more information.

JAZZ ROOTS - A Larry Rosen Jazz Series is a concert and educational program created for performing arts centers across America. The JAZZ ROOTS series, now celebrating its 5th Anniversary, was first launched in 2008 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, the series debuted in 2009 in Dallas at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, in 2010 in Carmel, IN. at the Center for the Performing Arts, and in 2012 debuts in Las Vegas at the Smith Center, in Atlanta at the Cobb Energy Centre, and in New Jersey at NJPAC, with additional PACs to be announced. Artists presented include: Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, Keith Jarrett, Bobby McFerrin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Miller, Al Di Meola, Ramsey Lewis, Sergio Mendes, Michael Feinstein, Terence Blanchard, David Sanborn, Paquito D'Rivera, John McLaughlin, Patti Austin, Count Basie Orchestra, Arturo Sandoval, Dave Valentin, The Machito Orchestra, Ivan Lins, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Manhattan Transfer, Jon Hendricks, Dave Grusin, Jon Secada, Eddie Palmieri, Michel Camilo, and many more. The JAZZ ROOTS series includes educational and outreach programs that organically connect to local community groups, art centers, and the local board of education. Mr. Rosen, co-founder of GRP Records is the award-winning producer of the PBS TV Series LEGENDS OF JAZZ, producer of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and is the creator and producer of RECORDING: The History of Recorded Music with hosts, Quincy Jones and Phil Ramone. http://www.jazzroots.net. http://www.larryrosen.com

WBGO Jazz 88.3FM/WBGO.org
Founded in 1979, WBGO (Newark Public Radio, Inc.) is a publicly supported cultural institution that champions jazz at WBGO 88.3 FM in Newark, New Jersey and worldwide via WBGO.org. WBGO is the recognized world leader in jazz radio and one of the most respected jazz presenters in the country, and offers award-winning news and innovative children's programs. Beyond reaching 350, 000 weekly listeners (including 17, 000 contributing members) on air, online and via mobile devices, WBGO presents live broadcasts from prestigious jazz venues and produces acclaimed programs for NPR heard by millions. http://www.wbgo.org

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing nearly 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1, 299 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth , and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine. To learn more, visit http://www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TDMoneyLoungeUS and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank is one of the few banks in the world rated Aaa by Moody's and trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD." To learn more, visit http://www.td.com.

Indaba Media
Indaba Media, LLC is an entertainment technology and marketing services company. Established in 2005, the company operates Indaba Music (www.indabamusic.com), a musician community and contest platform with over 750, 000 independent artists, as well as Indaba Sync (www.indabasync.com), a portal for licensing the best emerging content from the Indaba Music community. Indaba Music pioneered the online music collaboration and community space when it launched in 2007, enabling anyone with internet access to create, edit and mix studio-quality music online. Indaba Music now provides musicians with opportunities ranging from remix contests to sync and licensing opportunities to branded marketing programs. Indaba Music currently boasts musicians from 205 countries and territories. To date, Indaba Music contests have featured artists and brands including Daft Punk, Red Bull, Snoop Dogg, Peter Gabriel, Linkin Park, Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, Foster The People, Bacardi and Usher.

Jazz Education Network (JEN)
The Jazz Education Network (JEN) is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences. With a home base in the United States and members in more than 20 countries, this thriving organization hosts a popular annual conference that serves teachers, students, artists, performing arts presenters, music industry partners, and more. It runs ongoing programs of scholarships for students and educators, student composition showcases, community outreach, music and instrument donations to schools in need, and mentoring between jazz pros and students. http://www.jazzednet.org/