Vocalist Vanessa Perea Will Pay Tribute To Sarah Vaughan at December Luna Stage Concert

In 2014, vocalist Vanessa Perea released her first solo album, Soulful Days, on the Zoho Music label. Jazz Times' Christopher Loudon wrote that her interpretation of the Richard Whiting/Johnny Mercer standard, "Too Marvelous For Words", conveys "a slithery sexiness worthy of Sarah Vaughan while weaving in some wickedly good scatting." Jazzhistoryonline.com's Thomas Cunliffe has praised Perea's "combination of confidence and maturity", predicting that she "could become one of jazz's top vocalists in the near future."

On Sunday, December 11, at the second concert of the Luna Stage 2016-2017 "Music in the Moonlight" jazz series, Perea will pay tribute to Vaughan, one of her musical heroes. Says Perea: "Sarah Vaughan has been a huge influence on my career as a jazz vocalist. I continue to learn from her phrasing, style, pure sound, use of harmony in her improvising, ability to sing with small groups to big bands, and her femininity. I look forward to paying tribute to her in December."

Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road in West Orange. The "Music in the Moonlight" jazz concerts, curated by New Jersey Jazz Society Board member Sandy Josephson, are performed from 7-8:30 p.m.Tickets are $18 in advance; $20 at the door. To order tickets, call (973) 395-5551 or log onto lunastage.org.

In addition to Vanessa Perea,, future concerts are: guitarist Paul Meyers/World on a String, February 26, 2017; and tenor saxophonist/flutist Don Braden, April 30, 2017. The 2016-2017 "Music in the Moonlight" jazz series is sponsored by The Bob Cole Family Fund in memory of the great 20th century composer.