JazzWeek, online publisher of weekly jazz radio airplay charts, current recording releases and, for subscribers, news of the broadcast industry, announced winners of its annual Awards at a reception on August 6, during its 12th annual JazzWeek Summit, this year held in San Jose, CA. Awards are presented for stations, programmers, promoters, record labels and a “humanitarian” dedicated to jazz and jazz radio.
Considering stations based on their market data, Awards for Station of the Year went to KSDS, San Diego; WWOZ, New Orleans; KEWU, Spokane, and JazzRadio.com (as an internet and non-terrestrial station).
Arturo Gómez of KUVO, Denver; Scott Borne of WWOZ; Elizabeth Farriss of KEWU, and Dr. Brad Stone of SoulandJazz.com received Programmer of the Year Awards, named in honor of the late radio producer and show host Bobby Jackson. Groov Marketing and Consulting was honored as Promotion Company of the Year, receive the Dick LaPalm Award (named after the beloved, deceased jazz radio promoter called “the Jazz Lobbyist”); Smoke Sessions was celebrated as Record Label of the Year, and Michael Hurzon, independent promoter behind The Tracking Station, was given the Duke Dubois Humanitarian Award.
The JazzWeek Summit, held at the Fairmont San Jose, coincided with the Rahsaanathon held at Café Stritch (where JJA 2015 Trombonist of the Year Steve Turre received his engraved statuette from writer Andy Gilbert) and led into the 26th annual San Jose Summer Jazz Fest.
