What are the Jazz Awards?
The Jazz Journalists Association initiated its awards honoring excellence in jazz music, recordings, presentation and journalism in 1997. At the 14th annual JJA Jazz Awards Awards gala on June 14, 2010, a star-studded coterie of musicians, journalists and music-world movers and shakers will assert again the unique status of these honors as jazz’s only independent, international, culture-and-community-wide celebration.
Winners in the Jazz Awards’ 42 categories of excellence will be announced including Lifetime Achievement and Best of the Year Awards for musicians, presenters, recordings, photos, journalists, publications, blogs and websites. New members of the JJA’s growing “A-Team” of activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz will also be introduced.
Read more about the Jazz Awards at www.jjajazzawards.org.
Event Info
Our annual gala, set for the afternoon of June 14, 2010 at City Winery in New York, will feature live music by Bobby Sanabria’s Big Band, Tia Fuller’s Quartet, Marc Cary’s Focus Trio, guitarist Rale Micic’s trio and solo pianist Ayako Shirasaki plus a buffet reception. This year’s MC will be Terrance McKnight from WQXR-FM 105.9 New York.
Tickets available now at acteva.com/go/jazzjournos
Sponsors for the 2010 JJA Jazz Awards so far include: CTA Records, Jan Matthies Music Management, Mack Avenue Records, Motema Music and North Coast Brewing Company. Media sponsors include JazzCorner.com and Ozmotic Media.
Nominees
1. Lifetime Achievement in Jazz
- Muhal Richard Abrams
- Jimmy Heath
- James Moody
- Paul Motian
- Wayne Shorter
- Randy Weston
2. Musician of the Year
- Dave Douglas
- Vijay Iyer
- Joe Lovano
- Sonny Rollins
- Henry Threadgill
3. Composer of the Year
- Darcy James Argue
- John Hollenbeck
- Vijay Iyer
- Steve Lehman
- Maria Schneider
- Henry Threadgill
4. Up & Coming Artist of the Year
- Darcy James Argue
- Gerald Clayton
- Darius Jones
- Linda Oh
- Esperanza Spalding
5. Events Producer of the Year
- Todd Barkan, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center
- Jack Kleinsinger, Highlights in Jazz
- André Menard/Alain Simard, Montreal Jazz Festival
- Brice Rosenbloom, boomBOOM Presents: Winter Jazz Fest, Brooklyn Masonic Temple, (le) Poisson Rouge
- George Wein, New Festival Productions LLC: CareFusion Jazz Festival New York, CareFusion Jazz Festival Newport, Newport Folk Festival
6. Record of the Year
(CDs issued between March 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010)
- Infernal Machines, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, New Amsterdam Records
- Historicity, Vijay Iyer Trio, ACT Music
- Travail, Transformation and Flow, Steve Lehman Octet, Pi Recordings
- Folk Art, Joe Lovano, Blue Note Records
- This Brings Us To, Vol. 1, Henry Threadgill Zooid, Pi Recordings
- Esta Plena, Miguel Zenón, Marsalis Music
7. Historical Recording, Boxed Set, or Single CD Reissue of the Year
(Note: Condensed editions of previously issued boxed sets are ineligible)
- The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946), Mosaic Records
- Twelve Nights in Hollywood, Ella Fitzgerald, Verve Music Group
- Without a Song: Live in Europe 1969, Freddie Hubbard, Blue Note Records
- Pieces of Jade, Scott LaFaro, Resonance Records
- Saga of the Outlaws, Charles Tyler, Nessa Records
- The Columbia Studio Trio Sessions, Denny Zeitlin, Mosaic Records
8. DVD of the Year
- 21st Century Chase, Fred Anderson, Delmark Records
- Extraordinary Life and Music of a Jazz Legend, Svend Asmussen Shanachie
- Live in Berlin & Stockholm 1968, Count Basie & His Orchestra, Impro Jazz
- Thelonious Monk: American Composer, Medici Arts
- Anita O’ Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer, AOD Productions/Elan Entertainment
- Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker, Medici Arts
9. Record Label of the Year
- Blue Note Records
- Clean Feed Records
- ECM
- Pi Recordings
- Sunnyside Records
10. Female Singer of the Year
- Dee Dee Bridgewater
- Roberta Gambarini
- Sheila Jordan
- Gretchen Parlato
- Cassandra Wilson
11. Male Singer of the Year
- Tony Bennett
- Andy Bey
- Freddy Cole
- Kurt Elling
- Giacomo Gates
- Bill Henderson
12. Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz
- Edmar Castaneda, harp
- Bela Fleck, banjo
- Grégoire Maret, harmonica
- Scott Robinson, unusual reeds and brass
- Daniel Smith, bassoon
13. Large Ensemble of the Year
- Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
- Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
- Maria Schneider Orchestra
- Mingus Big Band
- Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
14. Arranger of the Year
- Darcy James Argue
- Carla Bley
- John Hollenbeck
- Bill Holman
- Maria Schneider
15. Small Ensemble of the Year
(less than 10 pieces)
- Henry Threadgill Zooid
- Joe Lovano Us Five
- Mostly Other People Do The Killing
- Vijay Iyer Trio
- Wayne Shorter Quartet
16. Trumpeter of the Year
- Terence Blanchard
- Dave Douglas
- Tom Harrell
- Wynton Marsalis
- Wadada Leo Smith
17. Trombonist of the Year
- Steve Davis
- Robin Eubanks
- Wycliffe Gordon
- Roswell Rudd
- Steve Turre
18. Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
- Fred Anderson
- Joe Lovano
- Tony Malaby
- Branford Marsalis
- Chris Potter
- Sonny Rollins
19. Alto Saxophonist of the Year
- Ornette Coleman
- Lee Konitz
- Steve Lehman
- Rudresh Mahanthappa
- Miguel Zenón
20. Flutist of the Year
- Jamie Baum
- Holly Hoffman
- Nicole Mitchell
- Lew Tabackin
- Frank Wess
21. Baritone Saxophonist of the Year
- Hamiet Bluiett
- James Carter
- Ronnie Cuber
- Claire Daly
- Gary Smulyan
22. Soprano Saxophonist of the Year
- Jane Bunnett
- Dave Liebman
- Branford Marsalis
- Evan Parker
- Wayne Shorter
- Steve Wilson
23. Clarinetist of the Year
- Don Byron
- Evan Christopher
- Anat Cohen
- Eddie Daniels
- Ken Peplowski
24. Guitarist of the Year
- Bill Frisell
- Jim Hall
- Lionel Loueke
- Pat Metheny
- Bucky Pizzarelli
25. Pianist of the Year
- Kenny Barron
- Vijay Iyer
- Keith Jarrett
- Jason Moran
- Matthew Shipp
26. Organist of the Year
- Joey DeFrancesco
- Larry Goldings
- Dr. Lonnie Smith
- Gary Versace
- Sam Yahel
27. Violinist of the Year
- Regina Carter
- Mark Feldman
- Jenny Scheinman
- Billy Bang
- Mark O’Connor
28. Bassist of the Year
(includes Acoustic & Electric)
- Ron Carter
- Charlie Haden
- Dave Holland
- Christian McBride
- John Patitucci
29. Mallet Instrumentalist of the Year
- Jason Adasiewicz
- Gary Burton
- Stefon Harris
- Joe Locke
- Steve Nelson
30. Percussionist of the Year
- Cyro Baptista
- Hamid Drake
- Zakir Hussain
- Kahil El’Zabar
- Bobby Sanabria
- Daniel Sadownick
31. Drummer of the Year
- Brian Blade
- Jack DeJohnette
- Roy Haynes
- Paul Motian
- Jeff “Tain” Watts
- Matt Wilson
32. Periodical of the Year
- AllAboutJazz-New York
- Cadence
- Down Beat
- Jazz Times
- Signal To Noise
33. Website of the Year
- AllAboutJazz.com
- Jazz.com
- JazzCorner.com
- JazzTimes.com
- PointOfDeparture.org
34. Blog of the Year
- The Gig, Nate Chinen
- A Blog Supreme, Patrick Jarenwattananon
- Do The Math blog and webzine, Ethan Iverson
- JazzWax, Marc Myers
- Rifftides, Doug Ramsey
35. Best Book about Jazz
- Jazz, Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux, W.W. Norton
- I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath, Jimmy Heath and Joseph McLaren, Temple University Press
- Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, Robin D.G. Kelley (Free Pres)
- The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from 821 Sixth Avenue, 1957 – 1965, Sam Stephenson, Alfred A. Knopf
- Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, Terry Teachout, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
36. Best Liner Notes
- The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946), by Dan Morgenstern
- Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions, by John McDonough
37. Photo of the Year
Submissions for Photo of the Year will be displayed on this site after May 10. Professional JJA members are voting in two rounds to choose the winner, to be announced at the Awards gala on June 14.
38. The Helen Dance–Robert Palmer Award for Review and Feature Writing
(Print and/or Online)
- David Adler: Lerterland; JazzTimes; Philadelphia Weekly; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Time Out New York; AllAboutJazz-New York
- Nate Chinen: The New York Times; JazzTimes
- Gary Giddins: JazzTimes, Vintage magazine
- Marc Myers, JazzWax.com
- Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
- Ben Ratliff, The New York Times
39. The Willis Conover–Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting
- Josh Jackson, Host of “The Checkout,” “Live at the Village Vanguard,” WBGO.org, Newark
- Bobby Jackson, Music Director, WCPN, Ideastream, Solace.fm, Cleveland
- Gary Walker, Music Director, Host of “Morning Jazz,” WBGO.org, Newark
- Jim Wilke, Host, “Jazz After Hours,” Hatchcover Productions, Seattle, distributed by Public Radio International
- Linda Yohn, Music Director, weekday morning host, WEMU-FM, Ypsilanti
40. The Lona Foote–Bob Parent Award for Photography
- Alan Nahigian: Down Beat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, AllAboutJazz, New York Times, Village Voice, Musica Jazz, jazz festival program books, album covers
- Mitchell Seidel: Hot House, JazzTimes, Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Swing Journal, Musica Jazz; album covers.
- Herb Snitzer: Jazz — A Visual Journey; Herb Snitzer: Photographs from the Last Years of Metronome; photography editor, associate editor Metronome; Life, Look, The Saturday Evening Post, Fortune, Time, New York Times, Herald Tribune.
41. Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism
- Stanley Crouch: Considering Genius: Writings on Jazz; The Artificial White Man: Essays on Authenticity; Kansas City Lighting: The Life and Times of Young Charlie Parker; Notes of a Hanging Judge: Essays and Reviews, 1979 – 1989; fiction; columnist, New York Daily News; JazzTimes, Village Voice, liner notes.
- Paul deBarros: Seattle Times; newspapers in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver; Down Beat, Signal To Noise, Coda, JazzTimes; radio: NPR “Jazz Riffs”; co-founder Earshot Jazz; co-leader, JJA “Who Asked You Anyway?” critics clinics; Jackson Street After Hours, liner notes.
- Don Heckman: The International Review of Music, Notes from the Left Coast ; Los Angeles Times, JazzTimes; 1960s-’70s: The New York Times, Village Voice, Down Beat, Metronome, Jazz Review, liner notes.
- Bill Milkowski: JazzTimes, Modern Drummer, Guitar Player, Bass Player, Pulse Guitar Club (Italy), Jazzthing (Germany), Jazziz, Tower Pulse!, Down Beat, Fi magazine, Good Times (Long Island), Cityside (Milwaukee); Rockers, Jazzbos and Visionaries; Jaco: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Jaco Pastorius; Swing It! An Annotated History of Jive; overnight dj, WWOZ (“Milkman’s Matinee”), liner notes.
- W. Royal Stokes: Growing Up With Jazz; Living the Jazz Life; The Jazz Scene; Swing Era New York: The Jazz Photographs of Charles Peterson; former editor, JJA Jazz Notes and festival reviewer, Jazzhouse.org; Washington Post, Jazz Times, Down Beat; radio host, “I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say. . . “, “Since Minton’s”, liner notes.