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The TD James Moody Jazz Festival is back at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark this November, with concerts, a kids show, a free downtown jazz crawl and an international vocal competition. Here are the festival events still ahead from Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November 22, 2026.
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Miles @100 with Jon Faddis and Friends
- Town: Newark
- Where: Victoria Theater, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Stage, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102
- When: Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
This tribute marks 100 years since the birth of Miles Davis, spotlighting his 1957 album Birth of the Cool and the 1959 modal landmark Kind of Blue. Trumpeter Jon Faddis leads a band with Erena Terakubo on alto sax, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Steve Turre on trombone, John Clark on French horn, Bob Stewart on tuba, Mike LeDonne on keys, Todd Coolman on bass and John Riley on drums.
NJPAC notes that TD cardholders can save 20 percent on up to eight tickets through the festival offer.
WBGO Kids Concert: Catherine Russell, Who is Louis Armstrong?
- Town: Newark
- Where: The Newark Museum of Art
- When: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 1 p.m.
Part of the WBGO Kids Concert Series, this family show celebrates jazz through the music and stories of the artists who shaped it. Vocalist Catherine Russell has a personal link to the subject: her father, Luis Russell, was Louis Armstrong’s longtime musical director.
The concert is presented by WBGO and The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and is a great way to introduce kids to the festival.
Jazz Crawl in Downtown Newark
- Town: Newark
- Where: TD Bank Store, 105 Mulberry Street; WBGO, 54 Park Place; Legacy 27, 27 Central Avenue; Clement’s Place, 15 Washington Street
- When: Friday, November 20, 2026, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Cost: Free, RSVP through the event page
The festival’s free jazz crawl moves through four downtown Newark stops in one evening: the TD Bank Store from 5 to 6 p.m., WBGO headquarters from 6 to 7 p.m., Legacy 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. and Clement’s Place from 8 to 10 p.m.
Most sets run about 35 to 45 minutes, which leaves time to walk between venues and catch every stop.
Charles Lloyd Quartet
- Town: Newark
- Where: Victoria Theater, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Stage, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102
- When: Saturday, November 21, 2026, 3 p.m.
NEA Jazz Master Charles Lloyd, now 88, brings his quartet with Bill Frisell on guitar, Larry Grenadier on bass and Kweku Sumbry on drums. NJPAC describes a saxophonist and flutist who keeps moving forward, with a career that has crossed from free jazz to psychedelia.
Lloyd won DownBeat’s quadruple crown in 2024, and this matinee is one of the marquee concerts of the festival.
Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition
- Town: Newark
- Where: Victoria Theater, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Stage, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102
- When: Sunday, November 22, 2026, 3 p.m.
The festival closes with the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, where five finalists, Alyssa Allgood, Vahn Black, Nathan Farrell, Jackie Ribas and Angélique Nicolas, compete for a $5,000 prize and a platform to launch a career.
Gary Walker of WBGO’s DayBreak hosts, the judges are José James, T.S. Monk, Jason Olaine, Gretchen Parlato and Lillias White, and 2024 winner April May Webb performs.
There is plenty more happening around Essex County this month, and we will keep rounding up the best of it here at Shop Essex County.
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