TD James Moody Jazz Festival

The TD James Moody Jazz Festival is a 17-day jazz program presented by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, running 6 to 22 November 2026. Named for saxophonist James Moody, this is its 15th year, and NJPAC describes it as New Jersey's largest gathering of jazz artists. Christian McBride is the festival's jazz advisor. The 2026 bill includes Gregory Porter, Bruce Hornsby with Christian McBride, the Charles Lloyd Quartet, a Miles Davis centenary tribute led by Jon Faddis, Ben Vereen's 80th birthday concert and the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

This is a series of separate concerts rather than a single site. Most are ticketed shows at NJPAC, One Center Street in Newark, with others at Clement's Place and Bethany Baptist Church, and several are free. Individual tickets range from free to $79 and go through NJPAC's box office on 1.888.466.5722 or its Ticketmaster page. Eligible TD cardholders receive perks at TD Jazz performances. Each show has its own date, time and venue, so check the listing before planning a visit.

It suits listeners who want a choice of jazz styles across a few weeks, from bebop and the American Songbook to Latin and contemporary sounds, in a seated concert-hall setting. Families are catered for with a WBGO kids' concert, a Sunday jazz brunch, and student performances by the New Jersey Music Educators Association all-state jazz ensembles, and visitors can mix free and ticketed events.

Reviewers of past editions describe enthusiastic, engaged audiences in NJPAC's Prudential Hall: crowds singing along to funk classics, shouting encouragement to players at a GRP Records tribute, and giving spontaneous ovations to tap dancer Savion Glover. Jazz Police coverage also praises the free community events, such as the Bethany Baptist Church jazz vespers, where the crowd laughed along with trumpeter Jon Faddis and roared at the finale.