Laura Hull appearing at Sanofi-Aventis Jazzfest

Madison — Acclaimed jazz vocalist and songwriter Laura Hull will be featured with the Rio Clemente Trio at the Sanofi-Aventis Jazzfest, New Jersey’s longest running jazz picnic, on Saturday, June 6. Hull will join the trio for an hour-long concert beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Jazzfest takes place on the campus of Drew University in Madison. A native of New York City, Hull spent her formative years singing at the resorts of upstate New York’s fabled Catskill Mountains. In her early career, she worked as a session and jingle singer for many agencies, and showcased her singing at clubs in and around New York City. After a 24-year hiatus from music to pursue a business career, she returned to live performance in 2004 and has emerged as a melodic jazz stylist who has a real feel for the Great American song book, with influences ranging from Rosemary Clooney and Carmen McRae to Patsy Cline and k.d. Lang. The Sanofi-Aventis Jazzfest will offer a free concert on Friday evening, June 5, from 7-10 p.m., featuring the “Stars of Tomorrow.” On Saturday, the festival kicks off at noon and the lineup includes Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, Allen Vaché’s Benny Goodman Tribute Big Band, Houston Person Quartet, Trio da Paz, Generations of Jazz with Pam Purvis, Curtis Stigers, and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. There is also food, crafts, vendors, CDs and more. Tickets and information are available at www.NJJS.org/jazzfest.