May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins Passes Away at 95
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
The 8th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, also known as the SASSY awards, is accepting submissions through Sept. 9.
The competition, which is part of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival, is open to vocalists 16 years old and up, who are not signed to a major label, according to a press release from the event. To enter, submit three songs to the competition’s website.
Five finalists will be announced on Oct. 15, who then will perform for a panel of judges, which includes Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Jane Monheit, Gary Walker and Matt Pierson, on Nov. 24.
The grand-prize winner will take home $5,000.
Past winners of the competition include Cyrille Aimée, Laurin Talese, Jazzmeia Horn, Quina Lynell and Arianna Neikrug. DB
Onstage, Rollins would move about restlessly, thrusting his tenor sax in the air as he blew.
May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
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Ava Preston, a 12-time DownBeat Student Music Award winner, is currently pursuing her master’s degree in jazz voice at Juilliard.
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