one outstanding jazz singer to
launch a career within the music
business. Jazz fans were encouraged to vote for their favorite
vocalist on NJPAC’s social media
platforms, where they were able
to listen to an audio track submitted by the five finalists. The
competition, co-produced by
NJPAC and WBGO, is presented
as part of the TD James Moody
Jazz Festival.
Entrants from all around the
globe, such as Australia, Italy,
Canada and the Czech Republic
were represented on the website. A total of 119 were deemed
eligible submissions. The competition also drew more than 2
million social media impressions.
Judges for the competition
included Grammy Awardwinning bassist Christian McBride, WBGO – Jazz 88.3 host
Michael Bourne, acclaimed
jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin, Edward Arrendell, founder of The
NewJerseyStage.com
Management Ark, a personal
management firm for leading
entertainers, and Cyrille Aimée,
the first winner of NJPAC’s Sarah
Vaughan International Jazz Vocal
Competition.
The Concord arrangement is a
three-year commitment by the
record label to present an exclusive recording contract offer to
the winner of the annual competition. “It’s always great to be
involved in the process of discovering and nurturing new artists and working together in the
development of their careers,”
said Wexler, COO of the Concord Label Group.
In related news, Jazzmeia Horn,
the 2013 winner of the Sarah
Vaughan competition and who
works as a teaching artist with
NJPAC, won first prize in the
2015 Thelonious Monk Institute
International Jazz Competition
in Los Angeles.
2015 - ISSUE 11
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