Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocal Competition Tickets

What a maginificent event, especially for a native Newarker, like me. Sarah Vaughan and James Moody are not the only ancestors made deliriously happy by the talents displayed at the third Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition held at NJ PAC on November 16th. Ashleigh Smith, this year’s winner, hails from the small town of LaGrange, Georgia. This was also the hometown of our late Honorable Dr. Wynona Moore Lipman, the first Black woman in the New Jersey Senate. Senator Lipman, on the day before her birthday, surely joined their ancestral rejoicing as the 2014 “Sassy Awards” was won by another powerfully talented lady from LaGrange Georgia – Ashleigh Smith.

It was a great show and it started mostly on time and moved at a steady pace. Rhonda Hamilton was a great host and I loved the short video interviews of each contestant. Well done all around.