She wrote a song about missing her Kansas hometown. It helped her win prestigious title
April May Webb said she and her two older brothers had everything they could have wanted as kids growing up in Newton.
And the centerpiece of a lot of those childhood memories was a large cottonwood tree that grew in the backyard of her family home. Little did she know that the same tree she grew up sitting under would play a role in her winning an international title.
“One of the times when I would go back home ... to visit, I found myself sitting under the cottonwood tree,” Webb explained. “It was just such a beautiful day. And I said, ‘Oh, I’m finding what I need sitting under cottonwood tree.’”
That line ended up becoming a major line in Webb’s original song “Cottonwood Tree,” which was one of the three songs that brought her to victory in the 2024 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.
Previous winners of the competition include Samara Joy, awarded best new artist at the 2022 Grammy Awards, and Grammy nominee Jazzmeia Horn.
“Those who win this competition, it really is a catalyst that helps them greatly in their career,” Webb said.
The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition began in 2012 and is open to any solo vocalists who are not signed to a major label. The competition is held in Newark, New Jersey, and was started to honor acclaimed jazz vocalist and Newark native Sarah Vaughan.
From the moment Webb stepped off the competition stage, she said she felt a change in her career.
“Before they even came out with the results, I was getting phone calls from festivals who wanted to book me,” Webb said. “That was very strange, because usually I’m the one reaching out to people. So you kind of feel a shift happening.”
A passion that started at church
Webb’s passion for music began at a young age at her hometown church, Second Missionary Baptist Church, where her parents made her sing for the choir.
“Your parents kind of … make you, you know, join the choir and all these things, but then I found that I actually liked it,” Webb said. “It’s a great place to learn how to perform in front of an audience, because those church ladies will let you know if you sounded good or not, [and] they’ll say it in a very endearing way.”
Webb was not the only one in her family who liked music. Her two older brothers were also passionate about it, which led to the siblings starting a band called the Webb 3.
“We would perform all around the Newton and Wichita area doing jazz and gospel,” Webb said. “There was a lot of training that was happening when I was younger as well.”
Webb moved from Kansas to New Jersey in 2010 to study music at William Paterson University. At the time, the jazz studies program was overseen by famous jazz pianist and composer Mulgrew Miller, which was a big selling point for Webb. She said the experience made her step up creatively.
“When you put in a situation where everybody’s good, you like, find yourself honing even deeper in to your own artist and your own craft. And like, how do I stand out?” Webb said.
Webb’s first vocal competition was in 2016.
“It really just kind of helped me to [learn] how to cultivate a music set,” Webb said. “Because a lot of times with these competitions, you have to do three songs. It’s kind of like you’re trying to create a mini set, [so] how do you showcase all of what you can do in those three songs?”
Webb’s journey to compete
Webb started applying for the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal competition in 2014.
“It was 10 years ago when I first applied,” Webb said. “I was able to get into the finals in 2021, and I got second, and then so I applied again the following years, didn’t get in, and then I applied this year, and I got in.”
Webb said the difference between how she approached the 2024 competition and the previous years was she wanted to especially push herself vocally.
“I decided to do a piece called ‘Giant Steps,’ which is song written by John Coltrane, and it is notoriously difficult, not just for vocalists, but for instrumentalists as well,” Webb said. “I wanted to choose the most difficult song that I could think of and give a shot at it.”
Webb ended her set with her original composition, “Cottonwood Tree,” which is about her the transition of moving from Kansas to New Jersey to pursue music, which is what she thinks put her over the top.
“That transition was hard because I got really homesick,” Webb said. “It’s a heartfelt song about my life and how it’s not always easy when you leave home, but you can always go back.”
If you want to listen to the piece yourself, the song will be released on all streaming platforms on Feb. 21, 2025.
Webb also has a band with her husband, Randall, called the Sounds of A and R, which they started in 2014.
“Last year, we were appointed as United States cultural ambassadors. We were able to go to the South Pacific ... presenting American jazz to those people, and it was such a it was a whirlwind experience,” Webb said. “We just had an amazing time, and to be able to headline a tour was really awesome.”
Webb, who now lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, said the main goal is to to touch people through the art she makes.
“At the end of the day, I love to write, and I love to sing, and I just want the opportunity to do so,” Webb said. “I want this to continue to be how I make my living.”
