April May Webb Wins Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

By DownBeat I Dec. 26, 2024

“Sassy Awards” winner April May Webb performs at this year’s finals.
(Photo: Shakiru Bola Okoya)

As part of NJPAC’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark named April May Webb as the winner of the 13th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition on Nov. 25. Hosted by WBGO Radio’s Sheila Anderson, the “Sassy Awards” presented the top five finalists on the iconic NJPAC stage in front of a live audience and a distinguished panel of judges that included drummer, producer and educator Terri Lyne Carrington; Bill Charlap, pianist and director of jazz studies at William Patterson University; powerhouse vocalist Lisa Fischer; bassist Christian McBride, NJPAC’s jazz advisor; and acclaimed singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux.

Pulled from 220-plus entrants from 21 different countries, the five finalists represent the next generation of jazz vocalists. Ultimately, it was Webb who received the top honor and a $5,000 cash award. Webb is originally from Kansas and currently calls Connecticut home.

A musician, composer, educator and co-founder of the jazz ensemble Sounds of A&R, she is a 2023 Chamber Music America Grant recipient and 2023 Jazz Road Artist, and has toured with Thelonious Sphere Monk III. She was selected by NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater as a Woodshed Network recipient, and she took center stage in Tschabalala Self’s New York play Sounding Board. Webb made history as the first Black woman to graduate from the William Paterson University Jazz Education program. Audiences can catch her performing at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan during an engagement booked for spring 2025.

Second place honors and $1,500 prize went to Syndee Winters, a Los Angeles-based singer known for her role as “Nala” in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. Third place and a prize of $500 was awarded to Oberlin alumna Georgia Heers from South Carolina. Rounding out the top five finalists was Amira B of New York City and Angélique Nicolas of France.

The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition is open to singers over the age of 18, of all genders and nationalities, from anywhere in the world, who are not signed by a major label. Entrants are judged on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation and ability to swing. DB