Women’s Jazz Festival @30: Renée Neufville and Laurin Talese

IN-PERSON

The Schomburg Center’s annual Women’s Jazz Festival (WJF) is celebrating 30 years of centering Black women in the field of jazz. The Women’s Jazz Festival was founded in 1992 by then Harlem resident and jazz vocalist, Melba Joyce. Year after year, the festival and its curators have brought together musicians, dancers and a melding of musical genres to deliver an exciting series of concerts featuring some of the best-known and emerging talent by women in jazz today. The 2022 festival will be held in person on March 7, 8, 14 and 21.

Join us for an evening with the innovative compositions and vocals of Renée Neufville and Laurin Talese. Laurin and Renée were scheduled to appear at the 2020 Women’s Jazz Festival just before the pandemic and subsequent quarantine closed everything down. We are excited to have them back for a double portion of jazz with Laurin Talese opening the evening and Renée Neufville setting us to flight.

Renée Neufville

Renée Neufville, known as the lead songwriter and co-member of the 90s duo Zhané, which released hits like “Hey Mr. DJ,” “Groove Thang,” “Sending My Love,” and “Request Line” that were all Top 10 R&B hits. Most recently she was the keyboardist and vocalist in the late Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor. In 2015, Neufville dropped her popular single “Watching Me” and in 2018, was featured on the single “Something to Believe” in honor of Hargrove. Learn more about Renee Neufville here.

Take a listen:  Something to Believe (For Roy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KRAg3NLuxY

Laurin Talese

Laurin Talese has been captivating audiences with her pure tone and poignant lyrics since childhood. A Cleveland, Ohio native, Laurin was classically trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music and later studied classical and jazz voice at the University of the Arts where she received a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance. Her debut album, Gorgeous Chaos, released in 2016, features a stellar line up of musicians and was met with wide acclaim. She has shared the stage with international recording artists such as Bilal, Gregory Porter, Patti LaBelle, Robert Glasper, Vivian Green. Ms. Talese’s talents have allowed her to travel around the globe, performing in a host of internationally renowned venues including the Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in 2018 when Laurin won the seventh annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

Take a listen: Laurin Talese – “Love Poems” [Official Video] https://youtu.be/XtC1Ovwb8lc

Visitors must wear a mask the duration of the program, in accordance with the Library policy. Patrons not wearing a face covering will not be permitted to enter. In order to attend in-person programs at the Schomburg Center, patrons age 12 and older will be required to show proof of their full COVID-19 vaccination status, and patrons age 5-11 will be required to show proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

#WJF2022 #SchomburgLive

TICKETS

General Admission $35 // Schomburg Society Member* $25

*Enter promotional code to reveal membership ticket . For more information, contact the Schomburg Society Office at schomburgsociety@nypl.org or 212.491.2252

PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending an in-person program at The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The New York Public Library, its Trustees, officers, agent and employees liable for any illness or injury.