As part of William Paterson University Summer Jazz Room series, singer April May Webb and trumpeter Randall Haywood bring the Sounds of A & R to the Shea Center for Performing Arts on July 23.
Named “Best Jazz Group” at the 2019 New York City Reader’s Jazz Awards, Sounds of A & R is the creation of the powerful husband-and-wife duo. Both are rising artists: Webb won the 2024 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, while Haywood was recognized as the "Male Rising Star" at the Hot House and Jazzmobile NYC Reader's Jazz Awards.
April May Webb and Randall Haywood joined WBGO's Doug Doyle to talk about what turns out to be a homecoming event for the vocalist. She made history as the first Black woman to graduate from The William Paterson University Jazz Education program, where she studied under the mentorship of Mulgrew Miller.
"It's the first time we are actually going to be performing since I graduated there. We just so excited. My two older brothers are in the band as well. Nathan and Jacob Webb are part of our rhythm section. They graduated from William Paterson as well. It's definitely a homecoming and we're really excited to bring what we've learned from the past decade since we've graduated. We are storytellers and we just love to connect with people."
Haywood studied at Juilliard and is also an educator. Randall says he's also looking forward to the performance.
"We talk about how we met during our live performances. Our music that we perform is the soundtrack or playlist of our lives together. We met in an intimate setting. We met at a jazz club in Jersey City. That's where we would go to learn and perfect our craft. "
You can SEE the entire interview with April May Webb and Randall Haywood below.
