April May Webb, a native of North Newton, KS, is the winner of one of the most prestigious honors for jazz singers, the 13th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, also known as the “Sassy Award” for Vaughan’s nickname.
The award, named for the singer who started her career singing with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and became a great herself, offers outstanding jazz singers a platform for embarking on a career in the music business, and offers audience members a chance to discover the jazz stars of tomorrow.
The competition began with more than 220 entrants from 21 different countries. They were whittled down to five finalists, who performed at the TD James Moody Jazz Festival at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in front of a live audience and a distinguished panel of judges on Nov. 24.
Entrants were judged on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation, and ability to swing. Ultimately, it was Webb who received the top honor and a $5,000 cash award.
One of the top annual vocal competitions in jazz, winning a “Sassy” has become a building block for many artists’ careers, including 2019 winner Samara Joy, who went on to score a Grammy Award in 2023 for Best New Artist.
Webb’s Career
Webb is a musician, composer, educator, and co-founder of the jazz ensemble Sounds of A&R. The group’s third album, “Questions Left Unanswered,” was released in 2021, peaked at No. 12 on the National Jazz Week Charts and landed on Jazz Week’s Top 50 Jazz Albums for the year.
She is also a 2023 Chamber Music America Grant recipient and 2023 Jazz Road Artist, and has toured with jazz legends such as Thelonious Sphere Monk III and was selected by NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater as a Woodshed Network recipient.
Webb took center stage in internationally known artist Tschabalala Self’s New York play “Sounding Board” and made history as the first Black woman to graduate from the William Paterson University Jazz Education Program.
“I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I have three albums out with my band. I have two solo albums out,” Webb told a reporter for UK Jazz News. “So, sometimes you just need that attention grabber for people that literally just didn’t know who you are. You’re now getting that exposure.”
Personal
Webb and her husband, a Julliard-trained musician whom she calls her coach, now live in Connecticut, but she’s originally from North Newton.
The 33-year-old grew up in a musical home and like many professional singers, she sowed her singing roots in the church. In this case, she and her two older brothers sang at Second Baptist Church but they also toured the Midwest with their group Webb 3, singing both gospel and jazz.
Her parents, Stanley and Felicia Webb, still reside in North Newton. Her brothers, Nathan and Jacob Webb, live on the East Coast.
