12 DOWNBEAT MAY 2016
The News Views From Around The Music World Inside 14 / DR Jazz Fest 15 / Jake Shimabukuro 16 / VINYL 17 / Tampere Happening 18 / Edgefest 19 / Mose Allison Deelee Dubé Wins Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocal Competition Deelee Dubé’s performance during the final round of the 2016 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 20 illustrated this truism: As a vocalist increasingly sings with integrity, the potential for her performance to touch audiences—and judges—rises exponentially. Dubé, a house singer at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, adeptly mined the distinctive qualities of her voice to prevail as the winner of the fifth annual competition at New Jersey Performing Arts Center, holding off a challenge from the talented Sinne Eeg of Copenhagen, Denmark. In accepting the award, Dubé expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to participate in a tradition that, for five years, has helped extend the legacy of Newark-born vocalist Sarah Vaughan. “To be here honoring Sarah Vaughan has been not only a dream come true for me because I love Sarah Vaughan, but it is also an honor to be celebrating her voice, her music and her legacy,” said Dubé, whose deft finalround performance pointed to the power inherent in connecting with one’s own unique voice. “I feel so blessed.” Exploring the cello tones that informed her bottom register (and were reminiscent of The Divine One herself), Dubé created an immediacy that resonated with audience members and judges. Her grand prize package consisted of a Concord Records recording contract and $5,000 cash. Eeg, who had delighted the crowd in the first round with a superb blend of technique, self-assurance and professionalism but faltered in her final-round performance, was declared the first runner-up and took home $1,500 cash. Detroit native Lauren Scales was second runner-up, receiving $500. Falling short of the final three were Lauren Bush, a Canadian-born London transplant whose self-released debut album received a 3.5- star rating in DownBeat’s January issue, and Los Angeles-based Teira Lockhart, a finalist in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan competition. The event, emceed by Rhonda Hamilton—an announcer and producer with Newark jazz radio station WBGO—capped off the weeklong TD James Moody Jazz Festival, named for another Newark progeny, saxophonist James Moody. The judges were bassist and Moody festival advisor Christian McBride, singers Dianne Reeves and Sheila Jordan, WBGO host Sheila E. Anderson and jazz journalist Mark Ruffin. Deelee Dubé performs during the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 20. In her welcoming remarks, Hamilton told the audience that the competition’s role in boosting the careers of promising jazz singers fit with Newark’s history as a jazz hotbed. During the first half of the 20th century, the city was home to dozens of nightclubs and live theaters that featured the biggest names in jazz. Besides Vaughan and Moody, it also is the birthplace of saxophonist Wayne Shorter. “Jazz will always be a big part of the cultural life of Newark,” Hamilton told the NJPAC audience. “And certainly, Sarah Vaughan’s legacy is part of the cultural fabric of our country.” Dubé’s climb to the top was no easy feat. She survived three preliminary rounds and an online vote, with 7,500 votes cast at IndabaMusic.com for contestants from 23 countries. Her guiding star was a dedication to her own artistic truths. “In terms of my performance, my delivery, I just gave my heart and soul and spirit, and that was it,” Dubé said. “I just let myself be, as I always do. Even when I am at Ronnie Scott’s. That’s what I do. That’s been my life.” —Michael Barris COURTESY NJPAC/TD JAMES MOODY FEST FEBRUARY 2017 DOWNBEAT 13