Newark Jazz Hero
Jazz Woman to the Rescue! A daughter of Newark, the youngest of seven in a musical household, and longtime activist of jazz-imbued New Jersey-New York-Connecticut, Antoinette Montague is a force to be reckoned with. A vocalist with a penchant for turning a tune in any genre into jazz or blues, this Jazz Hero is found where the music meets civil and human rights.
She is a founder and CEO of the non-profit Jazz Woman to the Rescue, which encourages the donation of instruments to young people. She serves on the board of directors of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts and is advisory board chair for International Women in Jazz, as well as on the community advisory board of WBGO. She now proudly brings her heart, joy and experience to the Newark School of the Arts. Antoinette also teaches and performs for many jazz organizations, such as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Syncopated Leadership Workshop, Music on the Inside (for the incarcerated, directed by 2022 Jazz Hero Alina Bloomgarden), Jazz Power Initiative, Jazzmobile festivals and their Saturday workshops at Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music.She has worked with seniors bringing them music, health and a fresh perspective.
As Antoinette’s fellow Jazz Power Initiative teaching artist Richard Miller has written, “She brings the heritage of her music to serve the neediest of our communities. She shows students how to tap into the redemption of the blues and the liberation of jazz, in an organic way that incorporates improvisation, culture, and life lessons. She brings a keen attention to her students and has always been able to elicit the most vulnerable and authentic responses, even from incarcerated students.”
All this and Antoinette hosts a radio show on WHCR (“the Voice of Harlem”), highlighting artists in what she calls “the 3 Es” — Emerging, Established and Elder States-persons of jazz, blues and beyond category.
Jazz Foundation America Executive Director Joe Petrucelli says, “As the name of her alter ego suggests, Antoinette is truly a superhero of the scene. In countless performances with the JFA, she has delighted audiences of all ages, from elementary schoolchildren to seniors, with an approach that edifies and electrifies. She embodies the spirit of jazz and has become not just a messenger for the music but an invaluable mentor, counselor and caregiver for fellow musicians.” The JJA, which enjoyed a rousing set by Jazz Hero Antoinette Montague (with Danny Mixon) at the 2015 JJA Jazz Awards, wholeheartedly agrees.
— Susan Brink
Jazz Music/Program Director, Hudson Mohawk Radio Network
JJA Board Member
