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Press Releases

The 15th Annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival, New Jersey's Largest Gathering of Jazz Artists- November 6-22, 2026

May 27, 2026 | By April Thibeault | AMT PR | april@amtpublicrelations.com

 

sponsored in part by TD Bank

A Landmark Year for the Preservation and  Celebration of Musical Legacies  

NEWARK, NJ (For Release 05.27.26) – The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced the line-up for the highly anticipated 2026 TD James Moody Jazz Festival taking place Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 22, 2026. Attracting thousands of fans to the city of Newark for the past 14 years, this year’s Festival presents the world’s preeminent jazz and jazz-adjacent artists in manifold events including world premiere concerts, debut collaborations, and free performances too. This year’s lineup bridges the gaps between historic icons and the visionaries of tomorrow, featuring tributes to Miles Davis, Zakir Hussain, and the Festival’s namesake James Moody as well as a rare performance by Tony Award-winning Ben Vereen in a special 80th birthday celebration. Scroll down for a preliminary schedule of Festival events with more details to be announced later this summer.

Quote from John Schreiber, NJPAC President and CEO:               
“What we deliver every year at the TD James Moody Festival is the music you love, performed in new ways; the artists you cherish in surprising and unexpected combinations; as well as new faces and new sounds you’ll want to hear more of.”

Quote from Christian McBride, TD James Moody Jazz Festival Advisor and 11x GRAMMY® Award-Winning Bassist:    
“This year at the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, we'll be remembering and celebrating some of the world's best musicians. Legendary sitar player Niladri Kumaar will pay tribute to one of the Arts Center's much-loved regular visitors, tabla superstar Zakir Hussain, who passed in 2024. The Moody All-Star Band will salute our festival's namesake, James Moody. We'll all help blow out the candles when Ben Vereen celebrates his 80th birthday the best way he knows how -- on stage! And Jon Faddis will lead 'Miles at 100,' a concert in honor of the great Miles Davis's centennial year. So many of your favorite jazz musicians will be on hand at the festival, from Gregory Porter to Charles Lloyd. I'll be there too, playing with my good friend Bruce Hornsby as well as with the New Jersey Symphony. This is a lineup of one-of-a-kind performances you don't want to miss."

Quote from Martin Melilli, TD Bank Commercial Market President:   
“TD is honored to once again support NJPAC and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, a celebration of music, culture and community that continues to inspire audiences year after year. We believe the arts play an important role in building stronger, more connected communities, and this festival is a powerful example of how jazz can educate, uplift and bring people together.”
 

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2026 TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL ARTISTS
Andy Farber Orchestra · April May Webb · Ben Vereen · Bill Frisell · Bob Stewart · Bruce Hornsby · Charles Lloyd · Chris Komer · Christian McBride · Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars · Erena Terakubo · Eric Jacobsen · Gary Smulyan · Gregory Porter · Jesse Cook · John Clark · John Riley · Jon Faddis · Kweku Sumbry · Larry Grenadier · Lillias White · Melba Moore · Mike LeDonne · Moody All-Star Band  · Niladri Kumaar  · NJMEA All-State Jazz Band & Choir · New Jersey Symphony · Shoshana Bean · Stephanie Pope · Steve Turre · Todd Coolman · 
Wallace Roney Jr.

plus surprise special guests and more!

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2026 TD JAMES MOODY JAZZ FESTIVAL LINE-UP
(subject to change)
When: November 6 – 22, 2026
Where: Multiple venues in Newark, New Jersey, including NJPAC (One Center Street), Clement’s Place (15 Washington Street), and Bethany’s Baptist Church (275 West Market Street)
Tickets: Free-$79. To purchase, contact NJPAC at 1.888.GO.NJPAC/1.888.466.5722 
or visit NJPAC.org/jazz.
 
 

Fri 11.06 at 7:30 p.m. | Victoria Theater, NJPAC
NILADRI KUMAAR: THE SPACE BETWEEN THE NOTES HONORING ZAKIR HUSSAIN
A must-see for Indian classical music fans: The sitar star pays tribute to the late table player Zakir Hussain. Sitar star Niladri Kumaar is a musical maverick, redefining the classical Indian sound for the next generation. In this concert, he pays tribute to his friend, mentor and frequent collaborator, the late tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. Before Hussain’s passing, the sitar-tabla duo was captured in the wonderful 2017 documentary The Space Between the Notes. Kumaar will perform original compositions and revisit some of his favorite collaborations with Hussain. 
 
Niladri Kumaar, sitar
Satyajit Talwalkar, table
Charlie Lindner, keys
Dèmitrio Albano, drums

Sat 11.07 at 6:00 p.m. | Bethany Baptist Church free
BETHANY BAPTIST JAZZ VESPERS: DIZZIE GILLESPIE ALL-STARS TRIBUTE TO JAMES MOODY
Co-presented by the Bethany Baptist Church Jazz Vespers, NJPAC begins its season-long  free concert series at Newark’s Bethany Baptist Church. Since 2000, Newark’s historic Bethany Baptist Church has hosted free concerts that combine jazz and worship. This special performance by the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars ensemble pays tribute to the Festival’s namesake: jazz legend James Moody (1925-2010). 

Thu 11.12 at 7:30 p.m. | Victoria Theater, NJPAC
MILES @ 100 | JON FADDIS & FRIENDS
CELEBRATING BIRTH OF THE COOL AND KIND OF BLUE

This one-night-only jazz supergroup honors the legendary Miles Davis (1926-2026) whose Centennial is currently being celebrated worldwide. 

Jon Faddis, trumpet
Erena Terakubo, saxophones/flute
Gary Smulyan, baritone saxophone
Steve Turre, trombone
John Clark, French horn
Bob Stewart, tuba 
Mike LeDonne, piano
Todd Coolman, bass  
John Riley, drums

Fri 11.13 at 7:00 p.m. | Chase Room, NJPAC
NJMEA ALL-STATE JAZZ BAND AND NJMEA ALL-STATE JAZZ CHOIR 
Catch the next generation of great jazz artists from New Jersey. This annual concert event, co-presented by NJPAC's Arts Education Department and the New Jersey Music Educators Association, brings together some of the very best young musicians and vocalists from across the state for a dynamic group performance. Performers include NJMEA All-State Jazz Band and NJMEA All-State Jazz Choir

Fri 11.13 at 8:00 p.m. | Prudential Hall, NJPAC
GREGORY PORTER
The two-time GRAMMY®-winning singer returns to NJPAC with his deep, warm, soulful jazzy voice. Experience “a jazz singer of thrilling presence, a booming baritone with a gift for earthy refinement and soaring uplift” (The New York Times). Gregory Porter sings with passion — and compassion — on studio albums including Liquid SpiritNat King Cole & Me and All Rise. This year, he’s celebrating a decade of his album Take Me to the Alley. It was an instant classic in 2016, jammed with gems like “Holding On,” “Don’t Lose Your Steam” and the indelible title track. 

Sat 11.14 at 8:00 p.m. | Victoria Theater, NJPAC
JESSE COOK
A global artist in every sense of the term, Jesse Cook redefines music’s power to connect people across cultures and continents. The Paris-born, Toronto-raised master of the Spanish guitar weaves together flamenco, samba, jazz and world folk traditions into something spellbinding and uniquely his own. On stage, Cook radiates infectious energy — collaborating with his band to craft immersive experiences celebrated for their warmth, precision and emotional depth. With over a billion streams and views across platforms, his sound remains as relevant as it is revered.

Sun 11.15 at 3:00 p.m. | Victoria Theater, NJPAC
BRUCE HORNSBY WITH CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE ONE ON ONE
The GRAMMY®-winning artists jam together and talk about life, music and collaboration. Singer-songwriter/pianistBruce Hornsby and NJPAC Jazz Advisor/bassist Christian McBride will jam and chat on the intimate Victoria Theater stage, in celebration of Hornsby’s 2026 album, Indigo Park. The two artists share plenty in common: Musical adventurousness that transcends genre. Constant collaboration with the biggest names on the scene. And many well-earned GRAMMY® Awards between them. Pitchfork hails Hornsby as “a solitary spirit drifting through time, bringing people together and bringing out their best, finding the strange resolution in all the dissonance.”

Wed 11.18 at 7:30 p.m. | Clement’s Place free
JAZZ JAMS
Co-presented by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers Institute for Jazz Studies, Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place is a free Jazz Jams Session concert series featuring top-flight New Jersey musicians directed by pianist and bandleader, James Austin, Jr.  Audience members immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the players’ and listeners’ minds. All novice and seasoned jazz musicians and singers are welcomed to jam and improv with the professional band throughout the night. Co-producers: Wayne Winborne, Executive Director, IFJS and Eyesha Marable, AVP, Comm Engagement, NJPAC.

Thu 11.19 at 1:30 p.m. | Prudential Hall, NJPAC
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, bass 
ERIC JACOBSEN, conductor

Jazz and classical meet in this genre-defying program full of color, rhythm, and fun. Montclair’s own jazz legend Christian McBride debuts with the New Jersey Symphony in a concerto tailor-made for his unique groove and virtuosity. Program includes McBride soloing in George Duke’s Dark Wood: Bass Concerto for Christian McBride (2015) and McBride’s first work for symphony orchestra, Fried Bacon (2022). Eric Jacobsen, hailed by The New York Times as “an interpretive dynamo,” returns with the perfumed hues of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Rachmaninoff’s final orchestral work, written in New York City and full of longing for his Russian home.

Sat 11.21 at 8:00 p.m. | Prudential Hall, NJPAC
BEN VEREEN'S 80TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT
It’s a birthday bash for the Broadway icon! The illustrious Ben Vereen has appeared in some of the most groundbreaking works in musical theater and film. He originated Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, won a Tony Award for Pippin and dazzled in everything from Hair to Fosse to Wicked. In addition, there have been his unforgettable roles in the Bob Fosse film All That Jazz, the landmark TV series Roots and the 2026 hit series The Gray House. On stage or screen, Ben Vereen has been at the center of American cultural history. He’ll be joined by an all-star lineup of special guests and the Andy Farber Orchestra, performing songs from Vereen’s career on Broadway, film and TV.

Ben Vereen, vocals (PippinHairFosseWicked)
Shoshana Bean, vocals (WickedMr. Saturday NightThe Lost Boys)
Melba Moore, vocals (HairPurlieLes Miserables)
Stephanie Pope, vocals (ChicagoFosseKiss of the Spider Woman)
Lillias White, vocals (The LifeDreamgirlsFela!Hadestown)
Andy Farber Orchestra
and more TBA…

Sat 11.21 at 3:00 p.m. | Victoria Theater, NJPAC
CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET FEATURING BILL FRISELL, LARRY GRENADIER & 
KWEKU SUMBRY

The pioneering NEA Jazz Master Charles Lloyd is at the top of his game. On sax and flute, “he has no peer save himself” (Jazzwise). At 88, Lloyd has a lifetime of achievements to look back on — but looking back isn’t his style. He’s forever moving forward, earning his crown again and again as “one of America’s most influential, experimental and spiritual musicians” (Memphis Music Hall of Fame). Over his career, he has played everything (free jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, world music, psychedelia) with everyone (B.B. King, Cannonball Adderley, Jimi Hendrix and Brian Wilson, just to name a few). Among his many accolades, he won DownBeat’s 2024 quadruple crown: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Tenor Saxophonist of the Year and Hall of Fame. 
 
Charles Lloyd, saxophone/flute
Bill Frisell, guitar
Larry Grenadier, bass
Kweku Sumbry, drums

Sun 11.22 at 2:00 p.m. | Prudential Hall, NJPAC
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY / CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE / ERIC JACOBSEN  
See Nov 19 for event description.

Sun 11.22 at 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. | NICO Kitchen Bar, NJPAC
DORTHAAN'S PLACE / WALLACE RONEY JR. QUARTET
NJPAC continues Dorthaan’s Place, its popular Sunday jazz brunch series at NICO Kitchen Bar curated by Newark’s First Lady of Jazz, Dorthaan Kirk. The series made its debut during NJPAC’s 2012-13 season and has grown ever since. This edition presents the bold, forward-looking sound of electrifying young trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr., leading his Quartet. He comes from a renowned jazz family — his parents are late jazz luminaries Wallace Roney and Geri Allen. His quartet explores the music of Miles Davis, with fearlessly fresh improvisational talent.
“The finest in jazz is on the menu… anticipation runs high at Dorthaan’s Place, whether you’re there for the music, the food, the scene, Dorthaan, or all of the above.” (All About Jazz)

There are two brunch seatings: 11:00 a.m. (music begins at 11:30 a.m.) and 1:00 p.m. (music begins at 1:30 p.m.). 

Sun 11.22 at 3:00 p.m. | Victoria Theater, NJPAC
15th ANNUAL SARAH VAUGHAN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ VOCAL COMPETITION
The divine Sarah Vaughan—Newark’s greatest musical gift to the world—got her start as the winner of a talent contest. NJPAC honors her legacy every year with the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, the only global jazz vocal contest of its kind, open to all genders and nationalities. This event offers outstanding jazz singers a one-of-a-kind platform for embarking on a career in the music business—and offers audience members a chance to discover the jazz stars of tomorrow. For this 15th annual “The SASSY Awards” event, WBGO Radio’s Gary Walker will host and 2024 SVVC winner April May Webb will perform. A panel of all-star judges—Jose James, Gretchen Parlato, Jason Olaine, Lillias White, and T.S. Monk—will select the winner. Gifted young contestants from around the world are evaluated on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation, and ability to swing. The winner receives a $5,000 cash prize. Past winners include Samara Joy, Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, Quiana Lynell, Laurin Talese, and more. For more information or to enter the competition, visit SarahVaughanCompetition.com

 

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About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®          
TD Bank U.S. is a leading U.S. bank with more than 10 million clients and a network of approximately 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Carolinas and Florida. We support our clients and communities with a full range of retail, small business, and commercial banking products and services. We also offer customized private banking and wealth management services, a comprehensive suite of credit card products for consumers and businesses, and automotive vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. 
 
TD Bank U.S. is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets and is headquartered in Mount Laurel, N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us
  
TD Bank U.S. is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, the sixth largest bank in North America by assets. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD."

About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is an anchor cultural institution for both the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey. It is an artistic, cultural, educational and civic center where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings communities together both on and off our campus – on stages, in schools and community settings – providing access to the arts for 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 Social Impact programs, NJPAC leverages the arts to advance positive outcomes in education, health and well-being, civic engagement and community development. NJPAC has attracted more than 12.7 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997. Learn more at njpac.org.                 
 
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