JJA Jazz Awards 2013

JJA Jazz Awards Party June 19 at Blue Note Jazz Club/ NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:16:00 +0000

The Jazz Journalists Association will celebrate the 17th annual JJA Jazz Awards with a cocktail-and-music party on Wednesday June 19, from 4 to 6 pm at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. This event is open to the public; tickets should be purchased in advance.

Edmar Castañeda

Harpist Edmar Castañeda, 2013 winner of the Jazz Award for Players of Instruments Rare in Jazz, vocalist Paulette Dozier with pianist Danny Mixon, and violinist Zach Brock --a finalist nominee for Violinist/ Violist/Cellist of the Year-- and his band will provide entertainment. Josh Jackson, host of WBGO's The Checkout, will emcee.

Only winners of Jazz Awards in categories honoring jazz journalism and media will be announced at the party this year, as winners of categories for excellence in music were announced on May 1. Finalist nominees in the journalism/media categories are vieing for awards for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism, Best Book of the Year, Photo of the Year, Website of the Year, Print Periodical of the Year, Blog of the Year, the Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Writing in the Year 2012 and the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting and Best Short Form Jazz Video.

Paulette Dozier

The Jazz Awards party is well-known as a popular hang for players in all jazz-related industries --the jazz record business, jazz education, festival and concert production, management, publicity and booking agencies included-- and it provides the opportunity to mingle with some of the best-informed, most articulate media experts in jazz today. Party attendees will be treated to Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale, wine, waters, sodas and hors d'oeuvres from the Blue Note kitchen.

Zach Brock

Tickets should be purchased in advance. Reserved ringside seating tickets are $120 per person, tickets to the general public for general admission are $60 and JJA members and 2013 nominees may attend for $45. Winners of the 2013 Jazz Awards for musical achievement are invited to attend as guests of the JJA, but must rsvp in advance by emailing jjaParty@jazzjournalists.org

Josh Jackson

The party is a fund-raiser for the Jazz Journalist Association's year-round educational and outreach programs aimed at building new jazz audiences and training jazz journalists in the skills needed to cover jazz in today's fast changing media landscape. Contributions to the JJA, tax deductible in most cases, can be made here.

BUY TICKETS

2013 JJA Jazz Awards Winners: Music

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Congratulations to the winners of the 17th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards in music and recording, listed below. Professional Journalist Members of the JJA made open nominations in a first selection round; those who received the most nominations advanced to the final ballot. Winners will receive their awards at one of their own upcoming public performances.

Note: We ask that you DO NOT cut-and-paste or copy the entire winners list into your own blog or site, please link to this page instead. We, of course, welcome coverage and commentary on the list that includes some winner names. If you blog about or report on the winners we will be happy to link back to you; please send the URL of your blog post or report to admin@jazzjournalists.org

2013 JJA Jazz Awards for Music

Lifetime Achievement in Jazz:
Wayne Shorter

Musician of the Year:

Wadada Leo Smith

Composer-Arranger of the Year:
Maria Schneider

Up and Coming Artist of the Year:
Aaron Diehl

Record of the Year:
Centennial: Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans
(ArtistShare), Ryan Truesdell

Record Label of the Year:

ECM

Large Ensemble of the Year:
Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project

Small Ensemble of the Year:
Wayne Shorter Quartet

Best Male Vocalist:
Gregory Porter

Best Female Vocalist:
Luciana Souza

Trumpeter of the Year:
Wadada Leo Smith

Trombonist of the Year:
Wycliffe Gordon

Multi-reeds Player of the Year:
Anat Cohen

Alto Saxophonist of the Year:
Rudresh Mahanthappa

Tenor Saxophonist of the Year:
Chris Potter

Baritone Saxophonist of the Year:
Gary Smulyan

Soprano Saxophonist of the Year:
Wayne Shorter

Flutist of the Year:
Nicole Mitchell

Clarinetist of the Year:
Anat Cohen

Guitarist of the Year:
Bill Frisell

Pianist of the Year:
Vijay Iyer

Keyboards player of the Year:
Dr. Lonnie Smith

Bassist of the Year:
Christian McBride

Violinist/Violist/Cellist of the Year:
Regina Carter

Percussionist of the Year:
Bobby Sanabria

Mallets Instrumentalist of the Year:
Stefon Harris

Traps Drummer of the Year:
Billy Hart

Player of Instruments Rare
in Jazz of the Year:
Edmar Castaneda, harp

the JJA is also making a special Award this year:

Emeritus Jazz Artist/ Beyond Voting:
Sonny Rollins more info

Twenty-six JJA Jazz Heroes were also named.

2013 Nominees in all categories

Each 2013 JJA JazzAward Winner named above will receive the Award at one of his or her upcoming performances. If you are a winner, please write Howard Mandel president@jazzjournalists.org to schedule a public Award presentation.

Award winners in the journalism and media categories will be named at a June 19 party at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. Ticket information will be posted on this site soon.

You can help the Jazz Journalists Association continue to get the word out about jazz through programs like JazzApril and the JJA Jazz Awards. Please make a donation --contributions of any size, no matter how small, are gratefully accepted. Or become a JJA Member. Membership is open to jazz musicians, educators, presenters, promoters, publishers or anyone who wants to support our work as well as professional jazz journalists. Thanks.

Sonny Rollins:JJA Jazz Awards Winner Emeritus

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:03:00 +0000

2011 Photo of the Year of Sonny Rollins by John Abbott

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus, stands monumentally atop the list of all-time JJA Jazz Awards winners. He won the "Best Instrumentalist" Award, in 1997, the first year the JJA Awards were presented. In 1998, he was voted both "Best Improviser" and "Best Tenor Sax." The following year, he received the "Lifetime Achievement in Jazz" award, which can be bestowed on an individual only once. But Sonny wasn't done achieving, far from it:

He went on to receive the "Musician of the Year Award" in 2006, 2009 and 2011, and the Tenor Sax of the Year award again in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Then in 2012, he was once again chosen as "Musician of the Year" and "Tenor Sax of the Year" and his album Road Shows, Vol. 2, was chosen as Best Record of the Year. (Road Shows Vol. 1 had been voted "Historical Recording of the Year" in 2009.)

There's little doubt that Sonny Rollins, also the winner of the National Medal of Arts and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, continues, at age 82, to produce music that merits the highest Awards. Each year, JJA voting members are faced with the dilemma of how to honor Sonny's continuing and undeniably "colossal" work while also recognizing other meritorious musicians. So for the 2013 Awards, the JJA decided to honor Sonny with a special award declaring him "Emeritus Jazz Artist: Beyond Voting."

Sonny's Rollins three 2012 Jazz Awards.
Photo by Tom Wetmore.

That isn't "Emeritus" in the sense of "retired,and no longer playing" no, not at all-- it's simply meant to recognize Sonny's unmatched, and perhaps unmatchable, achievements, which began so many years ago. (The "Jazz Colossus" nickname, by the way, was the name of an album Sonny released in 1955.)

Sonny is, what's more, not only still recognized for his musical excellence by the professional jazz journalists who make up the JJA, he's still much beloved by his many, many fans. After the JJA sent word to Sonny that he was to be honored with the "Emeritus" Award, he sent us back the wise words that appear in the photo above. We posted the photo on our Facebook page --and it almost immediately went viral, In just a few days it was shared more than 2,250 times. and racked up hundreds of comments, most of which were a variation on "Sonny, we love you!"

2013 JJA Jazz Awards winners in the 28 music and recording categories will be posted on this site at NOON EDT WED MAY 1. The winners names will also be tweeted from @jjaJazzAwards using #jjaJazzAwards

The winners in Journalism and Media categories will be announced at a reception at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City on June 19. Ticket information will be posted here soon.

2013 JJA Jazz Music Awards winners to be named May 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:35:00 +0000

Voting in the final round of the Jazz Journalists Association 2013 Jazz Awards closed yesterday, April 17, and ballots are now being counted to determine the winners in 37 categories of achievement in jazz musicianship and journalism. The names of the winners in the 26 music categories will be announced on May 1; the winners of the eleven journalism and media Awards will be announced at a Media Party at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City on June 19.

The music categories include Musician of the Year, for which the nominees are Anat Cohen, Chick Corea, Robert Glasper, Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith, and Lifetime Achievement in Jazz, with nominees Muhal Richard Abrams, McCoy Tyner, Randy Weston and Wayne Shorter. Nominees for the Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism Award are Ted Panken, W. Royal Stokes and Willard Jenkins.

Nominations in all categories were made in first round voting by the Professional Journalist Members of the Jazz Journalists Association; those named most often in each category became the finalists in the second, and last, voting round. Each category has at least three finalist nominees, more nominees were on the final ballot in the categories where some top-ranked nominees received the same number of votes in the first round.

Complete list of 2013 JJA Jazz Awards Nominees.

2013 JJA Jazz Awards Nominees and Jazz Heroes Named

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:06:00 +0000

2013 JJA Jazz Heroes named
for their dedicated community work.

Today the Jazz Journalists Association kicks off both JazzApril --a month long celebration of all things jazz-- and the 2013 JJA Jazz Awards season by announcing this years Awards' finalist nominees along with the names of this year's JJA Jazz Heroes, cited for their exemplary work in keeping jazz alive and well in their communities.

The final-round nominees in 37 categories of jazz musicianship, recording, media and journalism were the most-often named by JJA Professional Journalist members during first round voting in February and March The full list is posted on the 2013 Nominees page on this site. Winners of the music awards will be announced here on jjajazzawards.org on May 1. The winners in media/journalism categories will be announced at the JJA Media Awards party, a ticketed event scheduled for June 19 at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.

This year's twenty-five Jazz Heroes --the complete list is on the Jazz Heroes page-- were named on the basis of nominations from their home communities, in consultation with the JJA. They represent a wide range of contributions to their local jazz communities, as well as the national and international jazz world: among the group are musicians, educators, presenters and businesspeople. What they all have in common is their dedication to local efforts that nurture the spirit of jazz and ensure its transmission to new generations of jazz lovers.

Most of Jazz Heroes will be celebrated and receive their awards at "satellite" parties hosted by local jazz organizations or groups of enthusiasts. This year, many of the parties have been scheduled during April to better highlight the fact that "April is Jazz Month"

.

COMING SOON: 2013 JJA Jazz Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:22:00 +0000

Preparations are underway for the 2013 JJA Jazz Awards. JJA Members have made their nominations for Awards for musicianship and journalism, the ballots are being counted and the 2013 Nominees will be announced on April 1. Stay tuned ...

2012 JJA JAZZ AWARDS WINNERS

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 01:42:00 +0000

Three 2012 JJA Jazz Awards to Sonny Rollins. Photo by Tom Wetmore.

Sonny Rollins, saxophone colossus, was the big winner of the 2012 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, announced this afternoon at a gala party at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. The tenor saxophonist was named Musician of the Year, his album Road Shows, Vol. 2 chosen as Best Record of the Year and he was judged Best Tenor Saxophonist, too.

Horace Silver, who at age 84 is residing in an assisted care facility in upstate New York, was hailed for his Lifetime Achievement in Jazz.

Amiri Baraka, author of the books Blues People and Black Music as well as plays, poetry and social criticism, was the recipient of an Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism; author Albert Murray, age 94, was honored with a "Words and Music" Award, co-presented by the JJA and the Jazz Foundation of America. Robin Bell-Stevens, executive director of JazzMobile, and Adrian Ellis, recently resigned executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, were celebrated as New York City "Jazz Heroes."

Other Awards in the 40 categories of excellence in music and music journalism voted on by professional members of the JJA went to a broad spectrum of jazz stylists; all the winners are listed below.

2012 JJA JAZZ AWARDS WINNERS

Nominees in all categories
These awards honoring excellence in jazz music, recordings, presentation and journalism were presented by the Jazz Journalists Association at the 16th annual JJA Jazz Awards Awards gala on June 20, 2012 at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.
Note: We ask that you DO NOT cut-and-paste or copy the entire winners list into your own blog or site, please link to this page instead. We, of course, welcome coverage and commentary on the list that includes some winner names. If you blog about or report on the winners we will be happy to link back to you; please send the URL of your blog post or report to admin@jazzjournalists.org

AWARDS FOR MUSIC
Lifetime Achievement in Jazz: Horace Silver
Musician of the Year: Sonny Rollins
Composer-Arranger of the Year: Maria Schneider
Up and Coming Artist of the Year: Ben Williams
Record of the Year: Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records)
Best Historic Recording/Boxed Set: Miles Davis, Bootleg Sessions, Vol. 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy)
Record Label of the Year: ECM
Large Ensemble of the Year: Mingus Big Band
Small Ensemble of the Year: Joe Lovano Us Five
Best Male Vocalist: Kurt Elling
Best Female Vocalist: Gretchen Parlato
Trumpeter of the Year: Ambrose Akinmusire
Trombonist of the Year: Wycliffe Gordon
Multi-reeds Player of the Year: Anat Cohen
Alto Saxophonist of the Year: Rudresh Mahanthappa
Tenor Saxophonist of the Year: Sonny Rollins
Baritone Saxophonist of the Year: Gary Smulyan
Soprano Saxophonist of the Year: Jane Ira Bloom
Flutist of the Year: Nicole Mitchell
Clarinetist of the Year: Anat Cohen
Guitarist of the Year: Bill Frisell
Pianist of the Year: Vijay Iyer
Keyboard player of the Year: Gary Versace
Bassist of the Year: Christian McBride
Violinist of the Year: Regina Carter
Percussionist of the Year: Poncho Sanchez
Mallets Instrumentalist of the Year: Gary Burton
Drummer of the Year: Roy Haynes
Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz of the Year: Toots Thielemans, harmonica

AWARDS FOR JAZZ JOURNALISM
Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism: Amiri Baraka
Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Writing in the Year 2011: Larry Blumenfeld
Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting: Josh Jackson
Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award for Photography: Herb Snitzer
Print Periodical of the Year: JazzTimes
Website of the Year: AllAboutJazz.com
Blog of the Year: Marc Myers' Jazz Wax
Book of the Year: Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice (University of California Press), by Tad Hershorn
Liner notes of the Year: Francis Davis, Sonny Rollins' Road Show, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records)
Photo of the Year: Chick Corea by Pavel Korbut
Short Form Jazz News Video of the Year: Victory! - The Making of J.D. Allen's Album by Mario Tahi Lathan

NYC Awards Gala Photos by Fran Kaufman

JJA President Howard Mandel on the Jazz Awards and how they "celebrate the world-wide nature of the jazz network."

JJA International Jazz Blogathon April, 2012

2012 Jazz Journalists Association Awards winners announced today at Awards Gala in New York City

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Today's the day! The winners of the Jazz Journalists Association's 2012 Jazz Awards will be announced at the Awards gala at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. We'll be live tweeting from the gala, and you'll be able to view the winners' names and more right here. Congratulations to ALL the 2012 Nominees; the work of every one of you is a demonstration that jazz lives and thrives.

Follow us on Twitter Follow @jjajazzawards
Between now and June 28, Awards satellite parties will be held in many places. You are cordially invited to the one near you. (Parties are scheduled for today in Auckland, New Zealand, Boston, San Francisco and Tallahassee, Florida.)

To support the Awards and the year-round work of the JJA in using media to tell the story of jazz, consider becoming a JJA Member or making a tax-deductible donation to the JJA. We thank all of the Awards sponsors and we thank all of the JJA supporters and volunteers who contributed time and effort to producing the gala and satellite parties; without them all the Awards program would not be possible.

JJA Jazz Awards NYC Gala June 20; performers announced

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:32:00 +0000

On Wednesday June 20, the best jazz place to be in New York City will be the 16th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards gala, scheduled for 4 to 6 pm at the Blue Note Jazz Club. A whos-who of the jazz world will be on hand and a wide range of jazz will be performed live as winners of the 40 categories of the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards are announced and honorees-in-attendance introduced. Tickets for the public event are now available.

Musical entertainment at the gala will include Organ Monk, Greg Lewis’s Hammond-B4 quartet (with guitarist Ron Jackson, drummer Jeremy Clemons and tenor saxophonist Reggie Woods). Vocalist Paulette McWilliams and pianist Nat Adderley, Jr. will perform a song from McWilliams' debut album Telling Stories, and double-necked guitar discovery Gabriel Marin will share his own brand of 21st century sci fi/ Middle Eastern funk-fusion in duet with bassist John Ferrara (both of the power-jazz trio Consider the Source)

Josh Jackson of WBGO’s “The Checkout” and Angelika Beener of Alternate Takes will preside over brief Awards ceremonies and Jazz Awards winners and nominees, jazz industry activists and influencers, JJA members, unaffiliated colleagues and the jazz-devoted public will have plenty of time to socialize, enjoying wine, beer, waters and hors d’oeuvres.

Several of this year's JJA Jazz Heroes --Robin Bell-Stevens, executive director of Jazzmobile and Adrian Ellis, former executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center-- will also be celebrated at the gala, as will author Albert Murray, recipient of the “Words and Music Award” co-presented by the JJA and Jazz Foundation of America.

All tickets must be reserved in advance; space is limited. Reservations are free for this year's JJA Jazz Awards nominees and available for a discount to JJA members and nominees’ representatives.

The Jazz Awards party in New York City is a fundraiser for the JJA, the 24-year-old non-profit professional organization of writers, photographers, broadcasters, new media producers and journalistic supporters interested in jazz coverage in print, over-the-airways and/or online. JJA Industry Associate members are musicians and educators or work in the music, music promotion and publishing industries or allied fields.

The JJA’s year-long activities include training, mentoring and consulting with jazz journalists, production of enhancement programs for jazz festivals and educational institutions and networking to sustain and improve the documentation and dissemination of information about jazz. The JJA’s ongoing eyeJAZZ video project, mini-conference on Media for Audience Development at the 2012 APAP and Chamber Music America conventions, and 12 satellite parties toasting their own Jazz Heroes across the U.S. and in Auckland, New Zealand in conjunction with the 2012 Jazz Awards demonstrate the JJA’s efficacy and breadth.

The JJA Jazz Awards are sponsored by BMI, Inc., Reviver Records, Blue Note Records, Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale, the Blue Note Jazz Club, and some two-dozen other jazz-related entities, including colleges, festivals, labels, publications, the Jazz Foundation of America and Tekserve, the Apple Specialist.

Since 1997, the Jazz Journalists Association has celebrated excellence in both jazz and jazz journalism, raising jazz’s profile while hosting significant jazz industry parties -- and in 2010 and 2011 producing memorable live-streamed video of the events. No live video this year -- to enjoy the Jazz Awards you have to be there.

Writer Albert Murray to be Honored; More 2012 JJA Jazz Heroes Named

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Albert Murray, one of America's most significant writers on the blues, jazz and their influence on American culture, is the recipient of a special "Words and Music" award co-presented by the Jazz Journalists Association and Jazz Foundation of America as part of the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards celebration. The JJA has also announced a second group of 2012 Jazz Heroes; these are "activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz" being honored by their local jazz communities for their unstinting work over many years.

This group of Jazz Heroes includes Robin Bell-Stevens, the president and CEO of New York City's famous free summer out-of-doors performance series, Jazzmobile, and Adrian Ellis, former executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Stevens and Ellis will receive their awards at the June 20 JJA Jazz Awards Party at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. Albert Murray will also be honored at this event, a cocktail party/fundraiser for the JJA. The party is open to the public and tickets are now available.

Two dedicated jazz entrepreneurs who have for years supported the development of this music in their communities --Catalina Popescu, the owner of Catalina's Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, and Bert Dearing, Jr., the owner, since 1968, of a number of successful jazz spots around Detroit--will be honored at Awards parties in those cities.

The names of these additional 2012 Jazz Heroes are being placed on a list that already includes eleven others from around the U.S. as well as Canada and New Zealand.

2012 JJA Photo of the Year Finalist Nominees Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

The five finalist nominees for Photo of the Year-- one of forty awards to be conferred as part of the Jazz Journalist Association's 2012 Jazz Awards in jazz musicianship and journalism-- have been announced.
They are:

Vijay Iyer, by Lena Adasheva
Chick Corea, by Pavel Korbut
Wadada Leo Smith, by Michael Jackson
Esperanza Spalding, by Gulnara Khamatova
Carla Bley, by Patrick Hinely

JJA Professional Journalist Members selected these five finalists in a previous round of voting from among forty-five submissions that can be viewed below. The winning Photo of the Year will be chosen during a final round vote that ends May 13 and the winner will be announced in June along with other JJA Jazz Awards winners.

to view captions click on photo (to view captions in large screen view, click on "Show Info" at upper right")

First 2012 JJA Jazz Heroes Announced; more to come.

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

It takes the heroic efforts of many people to keep jazz alive and thriving. Today, in honor of International Jazz Day, we're announcing the first group of 2012 Jazz Heroes-- named by members of their local communities as important activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz.

This initial group includes JazzBoston co-founder and executive director Pauline Bilsky; Atlanta trumpeter Danny Harper; long-time jazz educator R. Gary Langford of Gainesville, Florida; Leon Anderson, Jr., dedicated jazz educator in Tallahassee, Florida; Roger Manins, also a jazz educator as well as one of New Zealand's leading tenor saxophonists; and Philadelphia saxophonist Sam Reed, a leading member of the local jazz scene for more than six decades.

Tucson will honor musician, composer and teacher Lamont Arthur, while in the San Franciso Bay Area John Calloway is a Jazz Hero for, among other things, his role as a cornerstone of the local world and Latin music scenes. Chicago named trumpeter and multi-faceted educator Orbert Davis this year's Jazz Hero and Ottawa, Canada, is honoring Jacques Emond for his long-time involvement with the Ottawa International Jazz Festival--and most of the other jazz-related activity in town--and Schenectady, New York is paying tribute to Bill McCann for his many contributions to local jazz radio and jazz organizations.

More 2012 Jazz Heroes will be announced in the days to come, and all the Jazz Heroes will be honored at local parties being planned for the last weeks of June in conjunction with the June 20 JJA Jazz Awards Party at the Blue Note Jazz Club. Check back here for details and updates.

The Jazz Journalists Association has given honors for special service to the jazz community in the form of "A Team" awards since 2001. Local "Jazz Heroes" have been honored since 2010.

Previous years' 'A Team' honorees and Jazz Heroes

Jazz Journalists Association Announces Nominees for 16th Annual JJA Jazz Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Finalist nominees for the 16th annual Jazz Awards presented by the Jazz Journalists Association have been announced at JJAJazzAwards.org – the nominations demonstrate the rich diversity of music which may have been overlooked by mainstream media and other music industry-generated Awards programs.

Iconic veteran instrumentalists including Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, Phil Woods Lee Konitz, Gary Burton, Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny and John Scofield are among the nominees who will vie for votes with newly emerged talents such as trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Craig Taborn, tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Esperanza Spalding, vibist Warren Wolf and drummer Eric Harland in some of the 40 categories celebrating excellence in jazz and jazz journalism. Winners of the Jazz Awards will be selected from the nearly 200 nominees through voting by the JJA's international membership of writers, photographers, broadcasters and new media producers professionally involved with jazz. Awards are for accomplishments and productions from calendar year 2011, except in two categories for Lifetime Achievement.

The JJA Jazz Awards for journalists themselves recognize a distinguished field. Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism nominees are Amiri Baraka, Stanley Crouch, Will Friedwald, Willard Jenkins and Neil Tesser – authors of books, articles and record liner notes who have doubled as broadcasters, educators and performers. Separate honors will be conferred for writing, broadcasting, photograph, a Photo of the Year and Short Form Jazz News Video.

The 2012 JJA Jazz Awards' nominees are being announced on Jazz Day (so designated by the U.S. Council of Mayors) which the JJA, a non-profit professional association, is also marking with the launch of an international "Blogathon" based on the theme of "jazz in my community." Videos, photos and text reports from jazz scenes in Kuwait, Scandinavia and Italy, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Minneapolis- St. Paul, Cambridge MA and Spartanburg SC scenes are already posted. More will be added throughout the month of April.

Winners of the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards will be announced during the month of June, leading up to announcement of Lifetime Achievement Awards winners, Musician of the Year, Record of the Year, Male and Female Jazz Vocalists of the Year at a cocktail party to be held at the Blue Note Jazz Club, New York City, on June 20, 4 to 6 pm. Buy tickets here.

2012 JJA Jazz Awards Nominations Coming April 13

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:26:00 +0000

Nominees for the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards in 40 categories of excellence in jazz musicianship and jazz journalism will be announced by the Jazz Journalists Association on Friday, April 13. All nominees will be listed here on the JJA Jazz Awards website. Honors in jazz's only independent, international, culture-and-community-wide awards program will be given for work done in calendar year 2011 and include Best of the Year Awards for musicians, presenters, recordings, photos, journalists, publications, blogs and websites. Lifetime Achievement Awards in Music and in Journalism will also be bestowed.

Professional Journalist Members of the JJA will begin voting for the winner in each category on April 14, voting closes on April 29. (There will be an additional round of voting, between May 1 and May 12, to chose the Photo of the Year.) In a change from the JJA's previous practice, this year's winners in various categories will be announced periodically during May and June, with the winners of the Lifetime Achievement awards and several others to be revealed on June 20 at the New York City Awards Party at the Blue Note Jazz Club. Follow @JJAjazzawards on Twitter, or friend JJA Jazz Awards on Facebook to be among the first to be notified of the winners of all the 2012 Awards as they are made public.

The JJA will also begin its first ever Jazz Blogathon on April 13-- Jazz Day as designated by the U.S. Council of Mayors. Bloggers, videographers, photographers and other jazz media makers are expected to contribute to the Blogathan, which aims to show that jazz is alive and well in a wide variety of communities around the world.

This year's JJA Jazz Awards celebrations will have the same focus on community, with "satellite parties" already being planned for June in a number of locales, including Boston; Atlanta; Tucson; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Saratoga Springs, New York; Tallahassee and Gainesville, Florida; Ottawa, Canada and Auckland, New Zealand. "Jazz Heroes" --local activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz-- will be honored at many of these parties.

Photos from 2011 JJA Jazz Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:22:00 +0000

All photos by Fran Kaufman; all rights reserved.
For i.ds, view full screen (click arrows at far right),then click "show info".
Satellite party photos below.
Photos from the Boston satellite party at Wally's Cafe, co-hosted by JazzBoston.

Photos from the Nashville satellite party

2011 JJA Jazz Awards: A Video Report

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:55:00 +0000

A video report prepared for eyeJAZZ.tv by Lindalee Lawrence.

2011 Winners JJA Jazz Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:58:00 +0000

Thanks to all who attended or watched the live webcast of June 11, 2011 JJA Jazz Awards presentation at City Winery. JJA President Howard Mandel gives a full report of the day's events at JJA News. The winners of this year's awards in 39 categories of jazz music-making and journalism are listed after the jump.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN JAZZ

Jimmy Heath

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Sonny Rollins

COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

Jason Moran

UP AND COMING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Ambrose Akinmusire

RECORDING OF THE YEAR

Bird Songs
Joe Lovano Us Five(Blue Note)

HISTORICAL RECORDING, BOXED SET OR SINGLE CD REISSUE OF THE YEAR

The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia, and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra - Duke Ellington (Mosaic)

RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR

Blue Note

FEMALE SINGER OF THE YEAR

Dee Dee Bridgewater

MALE SINGER OF THE YEAR

Kurt Elling

LARGE ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR

Mingus Big Band

SMALL ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR

Joe Lovano Us Five

ARRANGER OF THE YEAR

Bill Holman

TRUMPETER OF THE YEAR

Ambrose Akinmusire

TROMBONIST OF THE YEAR

Wycliffe Gordon

TENOR SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR

Sonny Rollins

ALTO SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR

Rudresh Mahanthappa

BARITONE SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR

James Carter

SOPRANO SAXOPHONIST OF THE YEAR

Jane Ira Bloom

CLARINETIST OF THE YEAR

Anat Cohen

FLUTIST OF THE YEAR

Nicole Mitchell

GUITARIST OF THE YEAR

Russell Malone

PIANIST OF THE YEAR

Fred Hersch

BASSIST OF THE YEAR

Christian McBride

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

Matt Wilson

PERCUSSIONIST OF THE YEAR

Bobby Sanabria

ORGANIST/KEYBOARDIST OF THE YEAR

Dr. Lonnie Smith

MALLET INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR

Stefon Harris

VIOLINIST OF THE YEAR

Billy Bang

PLAYER OF THE YEAR INSTRUMENTS RARE IN JAZZ

Toots Thielemans, harmonica

PERIODICAL/WEBSITE OF THE YEAR

JazzTimes

BLOG OF THE YEAR

A Blog Supreme, by Patrick Jarenwattananon

BEST BOOK ABOUT JAZZ

I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath, by Jimmy Heath and Joseph McLaren (Temple University Press)

BEST LINER NOTES OF THE YEAR

Steven Lasker – The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia, and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra (Mosaic)

THE HELEN DANCE-ROBERT PALMER AWARD FOR REVIEW AND FEATURE WRITING

Nate Chinen

THE WILLIS CONOVER–MARIAN MCPARTLAND AWARD FOR BROADCASTING

Phil Schaap

THE LONA FOOTE- BOB PARENT AWARD FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Jimmy Katz

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN JAZZ JOURNALISM

Bill Milkowski

SHORT FORM VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Sonny Rollins: Getting It Back Together - Bret Primack, producer/director

PHOTO OF THE YEAR

Sonny Rollins by John Abbott
Complete 2011 Nominees List

2011 JAZZ HEROES

JJA 'Jazz Heroes' are activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have had significant impact in their local communities.

Omrao Brown Washington, D.C.
Peggy Cafritz Washington, D.C.
John Gilbreath Seattle
Dr. Maitreya Padukone New York
Don Z. Miller Phoenix
Ed Reed Richmond, CA
Mike Reed Chicago
Roger Spencer and Lori Mechem Nashville
Elynor Walcott and sons Paul, Frank and Lloyd Poindexter Boston

Credits: 2011 JJA Jazz Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 10:13:00 +0000

2011 JJA JAZZ AWARDS COMMITTEE

Howard Mandel, producer

Yvonne Ervin, associate producer, planning

Colleen Growe, associate producer, onstage director

JoAnn Kawell, associate producer, online media

Maryclaire Sullivan, associate producer, staging

Joshua Jackson, master of ceremonies

Gala Assistants

Judy Balos, Nancy Barrell, Susan Brink,
Steve Dalachinsky, Jim Eigo, David Goldman,
Alan Hershowitz,Rosie Mandel, Carolyn McClair,
Yuko Otomo, Joseph Petrucelli,Marianne Pillsbury,
Emilie Pons, Joanne Robinson Hill, Arnold Jay Smith,
Marquia Walton, Joan Watson-Jones,Adina Williams

Publicity/Media

Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services, nominees liaison

Don Lucoff, DL Media, public relations

Kim Smith, KSmithPR, public relations

Forrest Dylan Bryant, JJA art director

Ilana Esquenazi, program book layout

Webcast production

iB Creative: G.Byron Speight, Ilan Lieman

Team Twitter (Awards social media)

Alex Rodriguez ( Chief Twitter-er)
Michael J. West,Jared Negley, Matthew Kassel

Gala Photographer

Fran Kaufman

Satellite party organizers/hosts

Yvonne Ervin/ Susan Brink
Pauline Bilsky (Boston), Omrao Brown (D.C.),
Michele Drayton (Chicago),Michael Eldridge(Arcata),
Herb & Lorene Ely(Phoenix), John Gilbreath(Seattle),
Craig Havighurst (Nashville), Susan Muscarella (Berkeley),Mark Niemann-Ross (Portland), Giovanni Russonello (D.C.),Clarence & Gerri Seay (Tallahassee),
Walcott/Poindexter Family (Boston),Floyd Webb (Chicago)

Awards/Ballot Committee

Neil Tesser, chairman, ballot committee

Laurence Donohue-Greene, ballot committee

John Abbott, photo awards consultant

Bret Primack, video awards consultant

Floyd Webb, video awards consultant

Thanks to our Sponsors/Supporters

Alma Records
Blue Note Jazz Club
BMI
CityArts
High Note/Savant
Jan Matthies Music Management
Mack Avenue
Motema Records
North Coast Brewing
Pi Recordings

Blue Note Records
Fully Altered Media
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz Corner
Jazz Foundation of America
JTE Spirits
Paulette Dozier
WBGO-FM

Absolutely Live
ASCAP
Delmark Records
Detroit Jazz Festival
ECM
Jazz Education Network
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
The New York City Jazz Record
Resonance Records
Sunnyside Records
Tanglewood Jazz Festival

JJA JAZZ AWARDS: TODAY IS GALA DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 04:05:00 +0000

WATCH THE JJA JAZZ AWARDS **LIVE** FROM CITY WINERY IN NEW YORK CITY STARTING AT 1PM EDT

Free video chat by Ustream

Performer lineup and gala highlights
Click black rectangle at lower right of viewer to view webcast FULL SCREEN.
You can even watch the webcast on your smart phone with a Ustream app.
Join the online chat at http://www.ustream.tv/jjajazzawards
On Twitter: Include #jjajazzawards in your tweet about the Awards
We'll be LIVE TWEETING the winners as they are announced @jjajazzawards
Please consider making a donation to support the Awards and the year-round educational and new media work of the JJA--all aimed at building new audiences for jazz.

2011 Satellite Parties

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:36:00 +0000

2011 JJA Jazz Awards Satellite Parties
Arcata CA | Berkeley CA | Boston | Chicago | Nashville | Portland OR | Seattle | Tallahassee FL | Washington D.C.

Jazz happens everywhere-- and the JJA Jazz Awards will be celebrated everywhere on Saturday afternoon June 11. In a number of places, jazz fans will gather at informal "satellite parties" to watch the live webcast of the awards presentations and performances as they happen at City Winery in New York City. These parties are a way for local jazz supporters to affirm that jazz is alive and well in their communities and to share notes and plans for the coming year.
There may be a satellite party near you: Each party is different and is being organized by local hosts. Most are open to the public with no cover, cash bar and free light snacks; some will also offer free Brother Thelonious Ale, courtesy of JJA Jazz Awards sponsor North Coast Brewing Company. All promise big screens on which to watch the Awards. Check back soon if there's no party listed in your area; more are still in the planning stage. Confirmed parties are listed below, check with the organizers for more details and RSVP information.

Arcata, CA - Redwood Jazz Alliance hosts an awards webcast party at

Robert Goodman Wines Good Taste Tasting Room

937 10th Street
Arcata, CA 95521

Sat June 11 10am-2pm PDT

The winery will have a no-host bar (including mango mimosas) and brunch hors d'oeuvres available for purchase.

Berkeley, CA – Susan Muscarella, a past JJA "A Team" honoree, hosts a brunch at

The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance

2087 Addison St.

Berkeley CA

(510) 845-5373

Sat June 11 10am-2pm PDT

At this second annual Jazzschool satellite party, local vocalist Ed Reed will be honored as a JJA "Jazz Hero." Call the school for more information.
UPDATE: JazzWest reports on the party and profiles Ed Reed

photo of Ed Reed with Jazz Hero award: by Stuart Brinin

Boston, MA – JazzBoston, a nonprofit organization serving the Greater Boston jazz community, and Wally's Café, founded in 1947 and designated as a Boston historical site in 2009, are hosting a satellite party for local jazz lovers of all persuasions and jazz journalists in all media at

Wally's Cafe

427 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, MA 02118
Mass. Ave. stop on the Orange Line or Symphony on the Green Line

(617) 424-1408

Light snacks, cash bar

Sat June 11 1-5pm EDT

Elynor Walcott and her sons Paul, Frank, and Lloyd Poindexter, who own and run Wally's, will be honored as JJA "Jazz Heroes" for their decades-long dedication to providing a forum for young players to develop their craft. WGBH jazz radio hosts and former JJA honorees Eric Jackson and Steve Schwartz will present the awards to the family.

UPDATE:

Elynor Walcott receives her Jazz Hero Award from Eric Jackson and Steve Schwartz

More photos from the Jun 11 party

Chicago - Second we-hope-annual satellite party in Chicago at
Jazz Showcase
806 S Plymouth Ct
Chicago, IL 60605
Sat June 11 Noon-4pm CDT
Drummer/composer/promoter Mike Reed will be honored as a "Jazz Hero." Free admission, cash bar, snacks, more information on the Chicago - 2011 Jazz Journalists Awards Party. '
The Chicago party will be webcast on Ustream, too.
'Like' the Chicago party Facebook page.

Nashville, TN – JJA member Craig Havighurst is organizing this first ever JJA activity in Nashville. Rumours Wine Bar
2304 12th South
(in the heart of the 12 South village
615 292 9400

Sat June 11 Noon-4pm CDT
more info: craig.havighurst@comcast.net

Bassist Roger Spencer and pianist Lori Mechem, husband/wife partners who operate the Nashville Jazz Workshop, a music community education center, will be honored as JJA "Jazz Heroes." Cash bar, buy-your-own-menu. Bring jazz fan friends; enjoy lunch and the Jazz Awards webcast.
UPDATE: PHOTOS FROM THE NASHVILLE PARTY

Portland, OR – Local writer and jazz journalist Mark Niemann-Ross and Jim Conway of Doc George's Jazz Kitchen are hosting the JJA Jazz Awards webcast-watching party at

Doc George's Jazz Kitchen

4605 NE Fremont St., #101

Portland, OR 97213
Sat June 11 10am-2pm PDT

Cash bar & brunch menu available at this gathering for local jazz fans and supporters. Please RSVP via Evite

Seattle, WA – Earshot Jazz, Seattle's nonprofit music, arts and service organization is organizing a jazz brunch at

Egan's Ballard Jam House

1707 NW Market St 98107

Sat June 11 10am-2pm PDT
John Gilbreath, director of Earshot Jazz and radio broadcaster extraordinaire, will be honored as a JJA "Jazz Hero" at this second annual JJA Jazz Awards satellite party organized by Earshot Jazz.
UPDATE: Report by Doug Ramsey (a previous Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism and Blog of the Year winner)

Tallahassee, FL – Clarence and Gerri Seay of B Sharp's Jazz Club, located in a historic building that still serves the community through the presentation of jazz, one of America's greatest art forms, are hosting the party at

B Sharp's Jazz Club
648 W Brevard Street Tallahassee, Fl 32304 850-681-2400
Sat June 11 1-5pm EDT
We're pleased to say it's the first JJA Jazz Awards party in Florida-- Gerri says there'll be "cash bar, snacks and our B Sharp's Gumbo for as long as they last. All B Sharp's customers and any other area jazz lovers are invited!"

Washington, D.C. – Two movers and shakers in the newly burgeoning Washington, D.C. jazz scene: Giovanni Russonello of Capital Bop, and Omrao Brown of Bohemian Caverns are organizing the party at

Bohemian Caverns

2001 Eleventh Street N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001

202.299.0800

Sat June 11 1-5pm EDT

Cash bar and snacks.

Omrao Brown, managing co-owner and curator of the Caverns, will be honored with a JJA "Jazz Hero" award presented by JJA member WPFW-FM radio jazz host Rusty Hassan.
UPDATE:

Rusty Hassan giving Omrao Brown his Jazz Hero award.

2010 JJA Jazz Awards Satellite Parties were held in:

2011 Jazz Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Ozmotic Media) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 22:39:00 +0000

JJA 'Jazz Heroes' are activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have had significant impact in their local communities. The 2011 'Jazz Hero' awards were presented on June 11, 2011 in conjunction with the presentation of the Jazz Journalists Association's Jazz Awards honoring significant achievements in jazz music and journalism.

2011 JJA Jazz Awards 'Jazz Heroes'

Omrao Brown
Peggy Cooper Cafritz
John Gilbreath
Don Z. Miller
Dr. Maitreya Padukone
Ed Reed
Mike Reed
Roger Spencer and Lori Mechem
Elynor Walcott and Sons

Omrao Brown

Omrao Brown, co-owner and manager of Bohemian Caverns in Washington, D.C., has garnered a local and national reputation as best jazz venue in the capital for a club celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2011.

Omrao grew up in Connecticut and Massachusetts, immersed in jazz from birth as son of Dr. Leonard Brown, an accomplished saxophonist and musical scholar at Northeastern University. Surrounded by the music and its practitioners, he dabbled in violin and saxophone, but after graduating from Northeastern embarked on a career as a computer engineer, his work for nearly a decade. In 2006, however, Brown decided to reinvest in his love of music —"I figured it's best to do it when you're young," he says — and joined a partnership to purchase Bohemian Caverns.

Five years later, under Brown's stewardship, the Caverns balances weekly spoken-word and open-mic nights with a full schedule of jazz legends, up 'n' coming national acts and a steady rush of homegrown District talent. His support of local musicians has brought a particular charge to the D.C. scene. With the establishment of the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra as the house big band, an artist-in-residency project and a weekly late-hours jam session led by a rotating cast of players, he has created a de facto headquarters for area musicians which gratifies loyal audiences every night.

Brown operates three successful businesses out of the same building: the Caverns in the basement, the Tap and Parlour bar and restaurant on the ground floor and the hip-hop nightclub Liv on the second floor. His activities, musical actuity and focus on regeneration make him not merely a club owner or an entrepreneur but a jazz hero. Still, Brown demurs. "I'm a pretty simple guy," he says. He'll receive his JJA Jazz Hero award at a Jazz Awards satellite party at Bohemian Caverns on June 11. – Mike West

Mike Janssen produced this video portrait of Omrao Brown and Bohemian Caverns

top

Peggy Cooper Cafritz

Peggy Cooper Cafritz has been a significant jazz – and education -- hero in Washington D.C. at least since 1971, when she co-founded the Duke Ellington School of the Arts with Mike Malone. She served the school and its non-profit affiliate the Ellington Fund from then until January 2001, when she became the first publicly elected president of the District of Columbia Board of Education (and served two consecutive terms).

This is but the top layer of Ms. Cafritz's arts community activism and doesn't touch on her journalistic background: She was an Award-winning programming executive and documentary producer for Post-Newsweek Stations and WTOP-TV (now WUSA) during the mid 1970s, and after leaving those positions executive director of the Minority Cultural Project, with Harry Belafonte and WQED/Pittsburgh working to develop a dramatic literary series for the Public Broadcasting Corporation. Starting in 1986, she had a 14 year tenure as WETA's "Around Town" arts critic – for which she received an Emmy Award. Besides many educational positions, she chaired the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and in 1993 was appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton to serve a vice-chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. From 1989 to '90, she co-chaired the Smithsonian Institution's Cultural Equity Committee, initiating greater racial and cultural diversity to the Smithsonian's personnel and programs.

She has been a longtime art collector, has sat on the boards of many significant arts and cultural institutions, always working to have minority artists receive equitable consideration in exhibitions and financing. Youth is also an important focus on her work and life – she now concentrates on refining her collection to emphasize younger artists, and she gives college scholarships to three Duke Ellington School of the Arts students every year, in honor of her own children.

Thanks to the great good works of Peggy Cafritz, the world is a more colorful and musical place for everyone. This certainly qualifies her as an exemplary Jazz Hero, and she will be honored as such at the JJA Jazz Awards June 11 gala in New York City. – Howard Mandel
top

John Gilbreath

John Gilbreath is the executive director of Earshot Jazz, Seattle's non-profit jazz-support organization, and by thinking globally, acting locally, he has demonstrated the attributes of a genuine jazz hero. Gilbreath is responsible for Earshot Jazz, a monthly publication; various educational programs and services to the community, and the presentation of more than 100 concerts annually, including the highly regarded Earshot Jazz Festival, now in its 23rd year as a major annual Seattle event.

Gilbreath serves as artistic director of regional jazz initiatives such as the Bellevue Jazz Festival and the Art of Jazz series at Seattle Art Museum, and has programmed the Anacortes Jazz Festival, Experience Music Project's Jazz in January series, and myriad other events. He's also a busy radio programmer, six days a week hosting a mix of jazz and international music on KBCS-FM's morning weekday show "The Caravan," bringing new and adventurous jazz to "Jazz Theater," Sunday nights on KEXP-FM.

An active member of the Western Jazz Presenters Network, Gilbreath has become an important activist and collaborator even beyond the Pacific Northwest, without ever forgetting his home base. His ideas and activities extend beyond Washington state, though his activities are focused on what Seattle and its environs need and can best support. The JJA is proud to honor John Gilbreath as a Jazz Hero and will do so at the JJA Jazz Awards satellite party in Seattle on June 11.. – Yvonne Ervin
top

Don Z. Miller

Don Z. Miller is Arizona's jazz impresario, an active producer, advocate and supporter of live music for four decades.

Founder and president of Concerts and Music Productions Inc., Miller has booked top-name musicians for 34 years of the annual Paradise Valley Jazz Party -- world-renowned stars of the swing, bebop, hard bop and modern eras. He's also one of nine founders of Jazz in Arizona Inc., a 34-year-old nonprofit jazz-support organization. From 1989 through 1992 he produced the Phoenix and Scottsdale Jazz Festivals, featuring a stylistic range from the Lionel Hampton Big Band to Spyro Gyra, Rebirth Jazz Band, Dave Brubeck Quartet and the Clark Terry-James Moody Quintet, among others. For Jazz in AZ, he conceived and produced "Treasures of Jazz" concert series, with artists such as Ellis Marsalis, Danny Barker, Bud Freeman, Dave Frishberg and Art Van Damme.

He's also organized and led tours to jazz festivals in Europe and produced several Festivals de Jazz in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. Don was proclaimed "Arizona's First Citizen of Jazz" by Gov. Bruce Babbitt of Arizona, and named "Promotor Turistico" by the State of Sonora Tourism Department in Sonora, Mexico. He is author of two non-fiction books and publisher of music-instruction books.

The seeds of both the Paradise Valley Jazz Party and Jazz in AZ were sown during a 1976 series with live music by local professionals and Arizona State University students at the University Club of Phoenix; Don produced those in conjunction with weekly jazz-history lectures by ASU music professor Wally Rave. Since then, he has been responsible for bringing hundreds of major jazz stars to the state. Such jazz activism, without parallel in Arizona, makes Don Z. Miller a true Jazz Hero and he will be honored on June 11 at a private gathering in Phoenix. – Patricia Myers
top

Dr. Maitreya Padukone

Dr. Maitreya Padukone moved to the United States in 1977 and opened his dental practice on the Upper West side of Manhattan in 1981. From that base, he has treated pro bono numerous musicians referred to him by the Jazz Foundation of America, become president of the New York County Dental Society, and has also been able to pursue his passion for music, continuing studies and performing on tabla, traditional tunable Indian drums. He is both a world music maven and a jazz hero.

Originally inspired and initiated in the art of tabla playing by the late Indian percussionist and musicologist Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, Dr. Padukone has presented solo performances in New York City, accompanied diverse Indian vocalists and instrumentalists, presented lecture-demonstrations at senior citizens centers, performed in Damrosch Park and at the Turtle Bay Music School with bansuri flutist Steve Gorn. He has promoted musicians himself, as vice president of the Raga Music Circle of New York. One has to have rhythm to be a tabla player, precision to serve as a dentist and deep humanity to offer his talents to musicians as generously as Dr. Padukone has done. He's an exemplary Jazz Hero, and will be honored for this at the June 11 JJA Jazz Awards gala in New York City. – Joseph Petrucelli
top

Ed Reed

"I believe that everybody is born to be blue," says Ed Reed, the 82-year-old, Richmond, California-based jazz singer, who made his recording debut just four years ago. "We need to acknowledge that." After 40 years of heroin addiction and incarcerations in San Quentin and Folsom prisons, the singer – now clean and sober for 25 years -- proves with music and extra-musical activities, too, that such recognition is a step towards better days.

"The good stuff takes care of itself," Reed continues. "It's the sad stuff that you really need to pay attention to, 'cause it'll really drag you through the mud if you don't acknowledge it and let it go. So many of us hold onto our sadness, but we need to shout about it, sing about it."

Reed (no relation to JJA Jazz Hero Mike Reed) emphasizes such insights as a substance abuse educator at Kaiser-Permanente's Chemical Dependency Recovery Program in Vallejo, California, and at other health agencies. "This work," he says, "is as important to me as music."

He fell in love with jazz on Los Angeles radio around 1940. Introduced to heroin while in the army, Reed tried to launch a singing career upon discharge but was undermined by his addiction. He kept singing while jailed, but didn't emerge publicly until the early '90s, gigging at Bay Area restaurants. In 2005, Reed impressed JazzCamp West instructor Peck Allmond, who co-produced his initial release, Ed Reed Sings Love Stories. His follow-ups are The Song Is You and Born to be Blue.

Coming to terms with pain and sadness has been key to Reed's recovery, as he relates in his health lectures and the songs he sings. "Until you have the blues and allow yourself to acknowledge them, you're stuck," he says. "You're stuck because you keep choosing to be stuck. You keep walking down that street full of mud puddles." As a truth-teller, Ed Reed is a Jazz Hero and will be recognized as such at the June 11 JJA Jazz Awards satellite party at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. – Terri Hinte
top

Mike Reed

Drummer/composer/promoter Mike Reed has played a significant role in Chicago's music scene for the past 15 years. More concerned with driving a band than producing virtuosic fireworks, and with becoming a presenter to innovatively support local efforts, Reed's projects have come to gratifying fruition.

At age 36, Reed leads People, Places & Things, a quartet paying tribute to Chicago jazz of the mid-to-late 1950s, and the quintet Loose Assembly, in which he explores spontaneously and collectively shaped and structured music. Besides his musical achievements, in 2001 he started co-curating with cornet player Josh Berman the Sunday Transmission Series at the Hungry Brain. Since then, he has been involved with the indie rock Pitchfork Music Festival -- now a major summer event for the Windy City – and the Umbrella Music Festival, which promotes exchanges with fellow improvisers from Europe and elsewhere. He has also served on the programming committee of the Chicago Jazz Festival.

In 2005, Reed became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), the organization founded in 1965 by Muhal Richard Abrams, among others. As vice-chairman of the Association, he has helped refresh an esteemed entity. Concurrently, he has been one of the rare Chicago musicians to successfully bridge the southside and northside segments of the local jazz community. Chicago needs more jazz heroes with the multi-tasking abilities of Mike Reed. – Alain Drouot
top

Roger Spencer and Lori Mechem

Roger Spencer and Lori Mechem would have given more to Nashville's jazz scene than most had they merely served as dedicated educators and players since their arrival in Music City in 1988. But they've gone much further, becoming true jazz heroes. Their crowning accomplishment, the non-profit Nashville Jazz Workshop, turned ten years old last fall, and the city wouldn't be the same without it.

A school for mid-career pros and advanced amateurs and a live venue with a unique vibe, it has become the gathering place for a community of jazz players and fans. Roger and Lori's genial but demanding journeyman/apprentice teaching style, establishment of visual arts exhibits and performance series and support of other local jazz educational and performance events has built the NJW into an irreplaceable institution in a town where, due to an abundance of talent and activity across many genres, jazz has to fight hard to be heard.

Roger attended Indiana University to study jazz under David Baker (a JJA "A Team" member), and graduated from Indiana State with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Bassist for Les Brown and His Band of Renown, Harry James, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Terry Gibbs and Buddy DeFranco, among others, he's also performed and recorded with Lori, is a longtime member of the Beegie Adair Trio and is on Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music faculty. At the NJW, Roger is responsible for administration and financial management, and teaches improvisation, theory and ensembles.

Lori, a pianist also from Indiana, received a BA in Jazz Studies from Ball State University and has collaborated with a long list of stellar jazzers, Dizzy Gillespie among them. Her well received recordings Welcome to Brazil, a Nashville Music Awards nominee of 1997. At the NJW, Lori concentrates on curriculum, student advisement and special events. She teaches vocal, instrumental, and keyboard classes. Together, she and Roger are an inspiring and productive team, helping Nashville thrive as a jazz city, too. They will be honored as Jazz Heroes at a June 11 JJA Jazz Awards satellite party in Nashville.– Craig Havighurst
top

Elynor Walcott and Sons

Elynor Walcott and her sons don't seem to consider themselves "jazz heroes," only people who've had a great time carrying on a family tradition. But to the thousands of music fans and musicians who have been to Wally's Cafe Jazz Club, the funky and storied, no-cover Boston music room run by Elynor and her progeny, 'heroes" sounds exactly right.

Wally's has been a family operation from the time Elynor's father Joseph "Wally" Walcott, an immigrant from Barbados, opened it as Wally's Paradise in 1947. Today Elynor is fulltime CEO, sharing responsibility with sons Paul, Frank and Lloyd Poindexter for a business that has become an official cultural treasure. The Bostonian Society has marked Wally's as a historic site, on a list with Faneuil Hall and Old South Meeting House.

In 2009 Elynor told the Boston Herald, "My father and mother told me they brought me there in a basket when I was a baby." Jazz royalty, including young Roxbury native Roy Haynes, graced the place from early on, and Wally had the idea of hiring music students from Berklee, New England Conservatory and the Boston Conservatory to perform, a practice that continues. So well before moving across Massachusetts Avenue in 1979 to its current location, Wally's ushered new generations into jazz.

"My father was a pioneer, but as a little girl I didn't know that," said Walcott. "I did know that he was a very hard worker. He was always at Wally's, working so hard. Our mission - myself and my three sons - is to be legacy-keepers for my father. He created Wally's, along with my mom."

"These kids are the future," Frank Poindexter, Elynor's middle son, recognizes. "We have to do everything we can to make sure they can develop their craft. We've dedicated decade after decade to that. . . Jazz is the great American art form, and we've got to take care of the garden." Wally's, tended by Elynor Walcott and sons, is fertile ground. For all of this, they will be honored as JJA Jazz Heroes at a June 11 JJA Jazz Awards satellite party held at Wally's. – Bob Young

top

Sat Jun 11 JJA Jazz Awards Gala: Participate wherever you are

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:36:00 +0000

The JJA Jazz Awards gala is coming up fast: Saturday June 11, 1-5pm EDT at City Winery in New York City. This star-studded event, m.c'd by Josh Jackson of The Checkout from WBGO, will feature presentation of 39 awards for high achievement in jazz music and journalism as well as performances by Randy Weston, Wallace Roney, Gregory Porter, Jane Bunnett and Hilario Duran and the Hammer Klavier Trio. Tickets are going fast, so buy them now .

Not going to be in NYC? You don't need to miss any of it . . .

There are many ways to participate wherever you are:

Satellite Parties Drop by one of the Awards satellite parties in Arcata or Berkeley CA, Boston, Chicago, Nashville, Portland OR, Seattle, Tallahassee FL or Washington D.C. where fellow jazz fans will be celebrating and watching the live webcast.

LIVE Webcast That's right, we'll be webcasting live video of all the performances and awards presentations via Ustream-- there's nothing to download or configure-- you can watch right on your home computer or, with the easy-to-download Ustream app, you can watch it all live on your iPhone, Android, or Windows phone.

Online chat Check in with us during the webcast via Twitter --include #jjajazzawards in your Tweet and it will be displayed right on our web widget at jjajazzawards.org Or you can chat with us right on Ustream during the webcast.

Live Tweet Finally, we'll be "live tweeting" the Awards winners as they are announced: You can follow it all on Twitter by searching for #jjajazzawards or on our website.

Donate And one more thing: The JJA Jazz Awards gala is a fundraiser, so if you are enjoying the live webcast or satellite parties --or any other JJA programs-- please consider making a donation to help the JJA continue its work of spreading the word about jazz and developing new jazz audiences.

Get ready! It's all happening this Saturday.

More JJA Jazz Awards Satellite Parties: Chicago, Nashville, Arcata CA

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Just confirmed! Jazz fans and supporters will gather in Chicago, Nashville and Arcata, California to watch and celebrate the June 11 JJA Jazz Awards. These satellite parties are in addition to the previously announced parties in Berkeley CA, Boston, Portland OR, Seattle, Tallahassee FL and Washington D.C.

The Chicago party will be held, for the second year, at that city's legendary Jazz Showcase. This year's local honoree is drummer/composer/promoter Mike Reed. In Nashville, partygoers will gather at Rumours Wine Bar; that party will also honor new JJA Jazz Heroes Roger Spencer and Lori Mechem, founders of the Nashville Jazz Workshop. In Arcata, CA, the festivities, organized by the Redwood Jazz Alliance will be at the Robert Goodman Wines Good Taste Tasting Room.

For more details about these and the other parties, see our satellite party page.

Celebrate the June 11 JJA Jazz Awards at a satellite party near you

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Sun, 22 May 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Jazz happens everywhere-- and the JJA Jazz Awards will be celebrated everywhere on Saturday afternoon June 11. In Berkeley, CA, Boston, Nashville, Portland Oregon, Seattle, Tallahassee Florida and Washington, D.C., jazz fans will gather at informal "satellite parties" to watch the live webcast of the awards presentations and performances as they happen at City Winery in New York City. These parties are a way for local jazz supporters to affirm that jazz is alive and well in their communities and to share notes and plans for the coming year.

There may be a satellite party near you: Each party is different and is being organized by local hosts. Most are open to the public with no cover, cash bar and free light snacks; some will also offer free Brother Thelonious Ale, courtesy of JJA Jazz Awards sponsor North Coast Brewing Company. None will charge a cover or entrance fee. All promise big screens on which to watch the Awards. Check back soon if there's no party listed in your area; more are still in the planning stage.

JJA Jazz Awards Performers Announced; Tickets On Sale Now

noreply@blogger.com (Jazz Journalists Association) — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:14:00 +0000

Pianist Randy Weston headlines the artist lineup and tickets are now on sale for the 15th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards gala, to be held on Saturday, June 11, from 1 pm to 5 pm EDT at City Winery in New York City.
Performers besides Weston include trumpeter Wallace Roney’s sextet, Canadian flutist/soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett in duet with Cuban-born pianist Hilario Duran, singer Gregory Porter (a nominee for the JJA's 2011 Male Vocalist of the Year Award) and the Hammer Klavier Trio from Hamburg, Germany.

Jazz Awards headliner Randy Weston, 85 years old and a recently named Guggenheim Fellow, is a nominee for the JJA's 2011 Best Book of the Year Award for his autobiography African Rhythms ("arranged" by former JJA vice president Willard Jenkins).
.

Jazz-soul singer Gregory Porter will be also be performing at the gala. Porter is a 2011 nominee for the JJA's Best Male Singer of the Year award and his album Water was nominated for a Grammy as vocal jazz cd of the year. Weston's and Porter's performances are being supported by Motema Records.

Pianist Hilario Duran, born in Cuba and residing in Canada, has been nominated for two Juno Awards for his 2010 album Motion, hailed as #1 of the year by the Latin Jazz Network.

Soprano saxophonist/flutist Jane Bunnett, a multiple Juno winner who led her Spirits of Havana ensemble at the 2009 JJA Jazz Awards, has been Duran's guest artist on tour with a 13-piece Latin Jazz band. Their performance at the Awards gala is supported by Alma Records, which will release their new album "Cuban Rhapsody" on June 7 in the U.S. and Canada.

The performance by acclaimed trumpeter Wallace Roney and his band with his brother Antoine and Arnold Lee on saxophone is being supported by HighNote/Savant Records.

The Hammer Klavier Trio, presented by Jan Matthies Music Management, is the subject of a JJA-nominated Short Form Video of the Year, and the group appears at the Jazz Awards as part of its debut American tour.

Other surprise musical guests are expected at the June 11 JJA Jazz Awards gala, which will be hosted by Josh Jackson, winner of the 2010 Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting and host of The Checkout from WBGO. The gala is a fundraiser for the non-profit professional organization that promotes coverage of jazz in all media.

The JJA gala at City Winery will also feature announcements and presentations of the Awards to the winning nominees in 39 categories of excellence in jazz music and journalism. "Jazz Heroes" from across the U.S. will be honored for their extra-musical jazz activism (there are no "A Team" inductees this year, the better to highlight that jazz activism now has mostly local rather than national impact).

Light refreshments and beverages will be served, including Brother Thelonious Belgian Ale supplied by sponsor North Coast Brewing, Celebrity Jazz cognac from Awards supporter JTE Spirits, and wine from City Winery's own reserves.

The general public may purchase tickets to the Awards gala in New York for $150, with discounts available for JJA Members.

The Jazz Awards will be live videostreamed for free viewing online around the world. Free satellite parties have been convened to watch the Awards in Arcata, CA, Berkeley, Boston, Chicago, Nashville, Portland OR, Seattle, Tallahassee, Florida and Washington, D.C.

The JJA Jazz Awards is the only broad-based, independent, international celebration of jazz excellence. Begun in 1997 as a collaboration between the Jazz Journalists Association and Michael Dorf (then executive director of the Knitting Factory, now director of City Winery), it has been produced annually since 1999 by the JJA as part of its effort to increase awareness of jazz throughout the U.S., North America, and the rest of the world through writing, photography, audio/video and new media productions.