The UTA Staten Island JAZZ Festival honors women’s contribution to jazz | 70 photos
By Amanda Faublas
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Universal Temple of the Arts (UTA) hosted the 36th Annual Staten Island Jazz Festival on Friday, Dec. 20.
This year’s festival, “Joyful Women of Jazz,” celebrated the diverse and influential contributions of women to the art form.
The event, which hosted 583 attendees at the St. George Theatre, featured artists like Camille Thurman with the Darrell Green Quartet, an acclaimed saxophonist and vocalist.
The lineup also included harpist Brandee Younger and Olatuja, a vocalist who blended jazz, blues, and gospel.
Lakeisha Benjamin, a Grammy-nominated saxophonist, also was included in the lineup.
The festival paid tribute to several prominent figures in the jazz community, including:
Sajda Musawwir Ladner, founder of UTA and the Staten Island Jazz Festival
Tracy Hyter-Suffern, Executive Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem
Robin Bell-Stevens, Director and Executive Producer of Jazzmobile Inc.
