2014: The Year in Jazz

The year 2014 turned out to be a year noteworthy for its numbers. Newport turned 60, Blue Note turned 75, International Jazz Day's third edition featured 900 events in more than 190 countries. The jazz world lost seven of its NEA Jazz Masters, and New Orleans trumpeter Lionel Ferbos died at 103. Sad but not unexpected, the jazz community again said goodbye to lots of players and industry figures throughout the year.

Newport at 60

The Newport Jazz Festival, granddaddy of the music festival format, held its 60th anniversary edition August 1-3. It began July 17, 1954 at historic Newport Casino, now the International Tennis Hall of Fame, on the summer resort's stately Bellevue Avenue. Producer George Wein added an extra afternoon of performances at Fort Adams State Park to showcase emerging talent and a few veterans he felt deserved more time in the spotlight, and said he will do so again in 2015. Note: The 60th anniversary wasn't the 60th Newport Jazz Festival held in Newport. It was the 50th. The event left town for 10 years after a fence-busting riot by rowdies in 1971.

International Jazz Day, Take Three

The United Nations truly putting the stamp on jazz, several dozen of them in fact, when the third annual International Jazz Day was celebrated around the globe on April 30, 2014. UNESCO and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz sponsor Jazz Day to "highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe." The 2014 edition featured 600 events in 196 countries, highlighted by major all-star events in Osaka, Japan. An outdoor evening concert at Osaka Castle Park drew 8,000 people. The United Nations Postal Administration issued three sheets of a dozen jazz-related postage stamps in U.S. dollars, Swiss francs and Euros.

What a run

Trumpeter Lionel Ferbos died July 19, two days after his 103rd birthday. The New Orleans hornman last performed March 30 at a Sunday afternoon gig at the "Nickel-a-Dance" traditional jazz series at the Maison on NOLA's Frenchmen Street. Ferbos missed both the 2014 French Quarter Festival and the 2014 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, both of which had featured him for decades.

Satire isn't always funny

Musicians and many jazz fans found nothing funny in satirical writings published in The New Yorker and Washington Post. The most furor involved a silly July 31 piece in which Django Gold, a senior writer for The Onion, let tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins supposedly talk about the sound of the saxophone ("horrible"), the art form of jazz ("the stupidest thing anyone ever came up with"), jamming with Bud Powell and Charlie Parker in his youth ("the worst day in my life"), and the compulsion of music ("I hate music. I wasted my life."). While it ran in the magazine's Shouts and Murmurs humor blog, an editor's note marking "This article ... is a work of satire" was added only after many protests. Rollins said he likes humor and is a longtime subscriber of Mad Magazine, but felt hurt, not only by the New Yorker joke but from his sense that many readers had taken it for real. He said jazz as an art form and a musical statement "isn't funny." The same could be said for the Post's August 8 "All That Jazz Isn't All That Great" opinion piece by Justin Moyer, also ostensibly satire.

On record

LOTS OF BLUE: As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, Blue Note Records began releasing 100 remastered jazz albums from its classic and modern eras. The series launched on March 25, 2014 and will continue through October 2015. On March 25, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles opened an exhibit called Blue Note Records: The Finest In Jazz, to give visitors an in-depth look at the record label. Blue Note also released Best of Blue Note ICON, a 2-CD collection of 22 tracks spanning the label's history. For Record Store Day in April, it reissued the label's first two releases as limited edition 12-inch vinyl: Meade Lux Lewis' Melancholy/Solitude (BN1) and Albert Ammons' Boogie Woogie Stomp/Boogie Woogie Blues (BN2). The label also launched Blue Note Radio on iTunes Radio. The new station streams Blue Note tracks covering the full chronology of the label's music.

IMPULSE! IS BACK AGAIN: The Impulse! Records imprint, home of classic recordings by John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Gil Evans, Sonny Rollins and many other artists in the 1960s and '70s. was revived by the Universal Music Group. The label's relaunch included the release of Viper's Drag, by Henry Butler-Steven Bernstein and the Hot 9, due out July 15 in the U.S. The new Impulse! is a division of Universal Music France. It is being distributed by Blue Note Records in the U.S. Creed Taylor founded the original Impulse! in 1960. Impulse! became inactive in the late 1970s but was revived in the late 1980s with releases from McCoy Tyner and Michael Brecker, as well as Henry Butler's first two albums—Fivin' Around (Impulse!, 1986) and The Village (Impulse!, 1988)—and later on Diana Krall and Alice Coltrane.

Awards and honors of note

NEA JAZZ MASTERS: Multi-instrumentalist and educator Jamey Aebersold, saxophonist Anthony Braxton, bassist Richard Davis and pianist Keith Jarrett were honored in January 2014 as NEA Jazz Masters. Aebersold received the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, which is bestowed upon an individual who has contributed significantly to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the art form of jazz. The 2015 NEA Jazz Masters class, announced last June, includes pianist-composer Carla Bley, saxophonists George Coleman and Charles Lloyd, and Chicago jazz club owner Joe Segal, the 2015 Spellman Award winner. The awards will be given on April 20 at Jazz at Lincoln Center as part of Jazz Appreciation Month)

GRAMMY AWARDS: Winners of jazz-related categories at the 2014 Grammy Awards included Wayne Shorter "Orbits" from Without a Net (Blue Note, 2013)—best improvised jazz solo; Gregory Porter, Liquid Spirits (Blue Note, 2013)—best jazz vocal album); Terri Lyne Carrington, Money Jungle Provocative in Blue (Concord Jazz, 2013)—best jazz instrumental album; Randy Brecker, Włodek Pawlik Trio and Kalisz Philharmonic Night in Calisia (Summit, 2013)—best large jazz ensemble album; Gil Goldstein for "Swing Low"—best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalists (Bobby McFerrin and Esperanza Spalding) from McFerrin's spirityouall (Sony Masterworks, 2013); and Neil Tesser—best album notes for John Coltrane's Afro Blue Impressions (Remastered & Expanded) (Concord Jazz, 2013).

Also, Clare Fischer, "Pensamientos for Solo Alto Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra" from The Clare Fischer Orchestra's Music for Strings Percussion and the Rest (CLAVO, 2013)—best instrumental composition; and Gordon Goodwin, "On Green Dolphin Street" (released as a digital single by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band), (Terlarc, 2013)—best instrumental arrangement. Other jazz-related winners included Maria Schneider, "Winter Morning Walks"—best contemporary classical composition; Paquito D'Rivera and Paquito D'Rivera e Trio Corrente, Song For Maura (Paquito Records/Sunnyside, 2013)—best Latin Jazz album; Herb Alpert, Steppin' Out (Shout Factory, 2013)—best pop instrumental album; and Snarky Puppy with Lalah Hathaway, "Something" (a track from: Family Dinner Volume One, (GroundUP/Ropeadope, 2013)—best R&B performance.

LATIN GRAMMY TIE: Chick Corea and Paquito D'Rivera tied for Best Latin Jazz album at the 15th annual Latin Grammy Awards, which were announced November 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Corea's The Vigil (Concord Jazz, 2013) tied with Paquito D'Rivera e Trio Corrente, Song For Maura (Paquito Records/Sunnyside, 2013). Arturo O'Farrill and the Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra's Final Night at Birdland (Zoho, 2013) won the Latin Grammy for best instrumental album.

JJA AWARDS: Winners of the 18th annual Jazz Awards presented by the Jazz Journalists Association included pianist and composer Herbie Hancock (Lifetime Achievement in Jazz), and saxophonist Wayne Shorter as Musician of the Year. Shorter's Without A Net (Blue Note, 2013) was voted Record of the Year. Cecile McLorin Salvant was named Up and Coming Artist of the Year and Female Singer of the Year.

JJA winners in the Journalism and Media categories for work published or broadcast in the year 2013 included Jazz Times (print periodical of the year); allaboutjazz.com (Website of the year), Ethan Iverson, blog of the year for Do The Math); "Learning to Listen: The Jazz Journey of Gary Burton" (Berklee Press), by Gary Burton, edited by Neil Tesser (book of the year); and Antonio Porcar Cano (jazz photo of the year). Nate Chinen won the Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Writing. Dee Dee Bridgewater won the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting for hosting JazzSet. W. Royal Stokes was honored with the JJA's Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism award.

MONK TRUMPET COMPETITION: Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill, 27, won the 28th annual Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition on November 9 in Los Angeles. His prize included a guaranteed recording contract with Concord Music Group. Hill also won the 2013 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition and serves on the faculty at the University of Illinois. The two other Monk Competition finalists were Adam O'Farrill, the son of pianist Arturo O'Farrill and grandson of composer/arranger Chico O'Farrill, and Monk Institute graduate Billy Buss, an instructor at the Boston School of Music Arts.

SASSY AWARDS: Ashleigh Smith of Lewisville, Texas, won the third annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition on Nov. 16 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Smith won a $5,000 cash award and the opportunity to record an album for Concord Records. The second-place winner was Shacara Rogers from Washington, D.C., and the third-place winner was Sarah McKenzie from Boston.

GUGGENHEIM FELLOWS: Three members of the jazz community were among the 178 scholars, artists and scientists awarded prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships in 2014. They are saxophonist/composer Steve Coleman, flutist/composer Jamie Baum and guitarist/composer Elliott Sharp.

EMPOWERMENT FOR IMPACT AND ARTISTRY: Billionaire Doris Duke often was a low-key attendee at jazz events. More than 20 years after her passing, Duke's impact on jazz and other performing arts remains her legacy. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation gave Doris Duke Artist Awards of $275,000 to six jazz musicians: Oliver Lake, Steve Lehman, Roscoe Mitchell, Zeena Parkins, Craig Taborn and Randy Weston. It gave seven jazz-related Doris Duke Impact Awards of $80,000 to seven jazz musicians: Muhal Richard Abrams, Ambrose Akinmusire, Steve Coleman, Ben Monder, Aruán Ortiz, Matana Roberts and Jen Shyu.

MACARTHUR FELLOW: Saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman was named a 2014 recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, joining 20 other honorees in fields ranging from mathematics to cartooning. Through the so-called "genius grant," Coleman will receive $625,000 over a five-year period, and may use it however he desires. The MacArthur Foundation said it selected Coleman because his "technical virtuosity and engagement with musical traditions and styles from around the world are expanding the expressive and formal possibilities of spontaneous composition."

HALL OF FAMERS: Betty Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Elvin Jones and Wes Montgomery were the 2014 inductees into Jazz at Lincoln Center's Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. They received the most popular votes cast by jazz fans around the globe.

WALL OF FAMERS: The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers added five music greats to the its ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame in June. They were Kenny Burrell, Dick Hyman and Helen Merrill, and posthumous honorees Bessie Smith and Juan Tizol. Singer-songwriter Gregory Porter received The ASCAP Foundation Jazz Vanguard Award.

A JAZZ FEATHER IN HIS CAP: Longtime Michigan Congressman John Conyers was honored for his public and legislative advocacy of jazz with ASCAP's first Jazz Advocate Award.

TRIBUTES TO LATE GREATS: Professor Longhair's newly renovated house on Terpsichore Street in New Orleans was opened to the public February 21 after what officials called a one-year "Fesstoration" project. Longhair's daughter and grandson will live in the home, which includes a small shrine that is open to the public. Selections of Professor Longhair pictures and artifacts were on display at the ribbon cutting.

In New York City, West 77th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue was renamed Miles Davis Way, and 138th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues in Harlem was renamed Dr. Billy Taylor Way. Officials in Waukesha, Wisc., renamed Waukesha Junior High School for one of its most famous alumni, guitarist Les Paul. The recording industry innovator also has been honored in his hometown by a Les Paul Parkway, a band shell named in his honor and a permanent exhibit at the Waukesha County Museum.

Late saxophonist, composer and bandleader Sir John Dankworth was honored in December with a sculpture outside The Stables Theatre, a performance venue he and his wife, singer Cleo Laine, founded on their property in Buckinghamshire in southeast England.

Jazz venues, ups and downs

NEW PIANO ROOMS: The Big Apple welcomed two new jazz piano rooms in 2014: Mezzrow was opened in Greenwich Village in September by the management of Smalls jazz club, which is located next door. Jazzhaus opened in November within Klavierhaus in LeParker Meridien Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Their respective opening night performers were Johnny O'Neal and Benito Gonzalez The Blue Note Entertainment Group, owners of the Blue Note jazz club, opened a new 120-seat Latin and World Music venue called Subrosa on Gansevoort Street in the city's Meatpacking District. Its November 12 opening event featured the Pedrito Martinez Group.

ST. LOUIS: Jazz St. Louis opened a new $10 million performance and education center Oct. 2 with a performance by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. The new Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz also has live streaming capabilities, a jazz lounge and staff headquarters. Its re-designed 200-seat Ferring Jazz Bistro is home to the Jazz at the Bistro concert series.

NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation opened its $9 million new education and 200-seat performance facility, the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center, in December. It will serve as the permanent home of foundation's Don "Moose" Jamison Heritage School of Music, a free program for young musicians founded 14 years ago. Yamaha donated nine full drum sets to the facility. On a similar front, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra broke ground last February for The New Orleans Jazz Market, which will open in the spring of 2015 as a 600-seat performing arts venue, New Orleans jazz archive and office space.

SAN FRANCISCO: Developer Michael Johnson and a new ownership group bought Yoshi's San Francisco, changing its name (to The Addition) and its menu, but kept its wide range of musical styles, including jazz, folk and blues.

BERLIN: The Köpenick Blues & Jazz Festival "Jazz in Town" summer concert series ended after 18 years—with no 2014 edition. It was one of many local events shelved due to extensive construction work on its backdrop, Berlin's 100-year-old neo-Gothic Köpenick Town Hall.

OutBeat festival debuts

Described by its promoters as "America's first queer jazz festival," OutBeat was held over four days in September in Philadelphia. The William Way LGBT Community Center sponsored the event with support from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Headliners included Andy Bey, Fred Hersch, Patricia Barber, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dena DeRose and Bill Stewart. Festival sites included the William Way LGBT Community Center, the Painted Bride Art Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Union Transfer and Chris' Jazz Café.

JALC-Juilliard education link strengthened

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis became Director of Jazz Studies at Juilliard in July. In his added role, the Juilliard alumnus, who is Jazz at Lincoln Center's Managing & Artistic Director, will plan the program's growth. The new initiative gives Juilliard Jazz students increased access to Jazz at Lincoln Center's education programs, concert opportunities and audience development projects that will augment their academic work and careers.

Crime Logs

New Orleans bassist Doug Potter, best known for his work in the bands of Steamboat Willie and Al Hirt, continues his recovery from a savage beating on a French Quarter sidewalk after a late-night gig at Café Beignet on January 21, 2014. Potter was placed in a medically induced coma to help his recovery from a severe brain injury. Local musicians rallied to raise funds to defray Potter's medical and rehabilitation expenses. Two men were arrested for the crime.

Detroit's jazz godfather, Marcus Belgrave, declined to press charges against a 19-year-old suspect after his trumpet was stolen from the trunk of his car last March. The distinctive copper-belled horn was located several days later at a Motor City pawn shop. The trumpet was handmade for Belgrave four years ago by the Kanstul company of Anaheim, Calif.

A bronze statue of Canadian jazz icon Oscar Peterson was vandalized on August 25 outside the National Arts Centre in downtown Ottawa on August 25. The sculpture was defaced with spray-painted gold tears, which sculptor Ruth Abernethy removed the next day. The art work includes a piano and a bench on which people can sit.

Grammy-winning trumpeter Roy Hargrove received two days of community service after admitting cocaine possession New York City. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Neil Ross encouraged Hargrove to stay out of trouble. "I hope we can be confident about the fact we won't see you in this building again," he said "There are other places people want to see you, and people who've wanted to see you for a very long time—just not here." Police arrested Hargrove after police saw him hop into a known dealer's parked car on April 5.

Retirement blues—for us

Harmonica player Toots Thielemans announced his retirement in March at age 91. The Belgian musician said he no longer feels he is capable of giving his all in performances and "does not want to disappoint my fans." Clarinetist Pete Fountain retired as well, concluding after the 2013 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival that it was time to step aside. The 83-year-old Fountain declined an invitation to appear at the 2014 Jazz Fest.

On the legal front...

The estate of the late B-3 organist Jimmy Smith sued the rapper Drake for allegedly using a spoken-word rap without obtaining permission. Drake allegedly used a 35-second monologue in his song "Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2" that was originally recorded by Smith in his1982 song "Jimmy Smith Rap." Smith's estate seeks $300,000 in damages. The suit names Drake, Cash Money Records and others as defendants.

Pianist Eric Reed and drummer Willie Jones III said they are suing the West Coast rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar (K.Dot), claiming that "Rigamortis" off Section.80 uses elements of their 2010 song "The Thorn." Reed and Jones seek $1 million in damages plus the profits from "Rigamortis" and rights to the song.

Pianist Cecil Taylor allegedly was bilked of $500,000 in prize money by an acquaintance. Prosecutors said Noel Muir, a contractor working on the Fort Greene brownstone next to Taylor's, struck up a friendship and helped him make a November 2013 overseas trip to receive the prestigious Kyoto Prize. The prize is administered by Japan's Inamori Foundation, which described Taylor as "one of the most original pianists in the history of jazz." Prosecutors charged Muir with second-degree grand larceny and said they filed a civil asset forfeiture action to recover the money.

Jazz off Broadway

The U.S. premiere of the musical Café Society Swing opened December16 at New York's 59E59 Theater for a limited engagement ending January 4, 2015. The show traces the demise of the 1940s Greenwich Village jazz venue that featured Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan and Count Basie, among others. It was New York's first racially integrated club. Café Society Swing starred Evan Pappas, Cyrille Aimée, Allan Harris and Charenee Wade, who performed with a seven-piece jazz ensemble led by the show's writer, pianist Alex Webb.

Jazz on film

Academy-Award nominated actor Don Cheadle used a crowdfunding initiative to raise additional production funds for—and interest in—his Miles Davis film "Miles Ahead." The independent feature film, starring Cheadle as the trumpeter, will focus on a few days in which Davis bursts out of his silent period and conspires with a Rolling Stone writer to steal back his music.

Hyatt Hotels heir Dan Pritzker resumed production on his self-financed, long-in-the-making biopic about New Orleans jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden. The latest shooting occurred in Atlanta and Wilmington, N.C., and is scheduled to conclude in New Orleans in January. Pritzker has called "Bolden!" a mythical account of the first Cornet King of New Orleans. Wynton Marsalis composed the film's score.

Rapper, actress and talk show host Queen Latifah will star in and is an executive producer of a Bessie Smith biopic for HBO. The film is based on Smith's life story and Bessie author Chris Albertson's biography of the iconic singer. It will be released sometime in 2015.

On the air

NPR Music, Jazz at Lincoln Center and radio station WBGO announced in October the startup of "Jazz Night in America," which they called "the next generation of jazz programming in public radio." The new weekly program began airing on more than 100 stations nationwide, hosted by bassist Christian McBride. The weekly one-hour radio show blends performances from across the country with the colorful stories of the artists behind them. Its online hub offers a season of 26 concert video-casts from clubs and festivals around the country, on-demand video and audio performances, and interviews.

Investing in jazz

Jazz at Lincoln Center received a $20 million gift from Robert J. Appel, the organization's Chairman of the Board, to benefit the organization's performance, education and broadcasting efforts. It was described as the largest single private philanthropic contribution in support of jazz.

A Love Supreme is golden

A tenor saxophone owned by John Coltrane was added to the Smithsonian Jazz Collection. Ravi Coltrane donated one of his father's three principal tenor saxophones to the National Museum of American History" to mark the 50th anniversary of John Coltrane's composition "A Love Supreme." Jazz photographer Chuck Stewart also donated some rare and never displayed photographs from the December 1964 recording session for A Love Supreme, (Impulse!, 1965).

The case of the bass

A double bass that belonged to the late Scott LaFaro, bassist in Bill Evans' trio in the early 1960s, has been donated to the International Society of Bassists. The instrument had belonged to Barrie Kolstein, a luthier and president of Kolstein Music in Baldwin, N.Y., who had restored it. Kolstein's father Sam purchased the bass from LaFaro's mother after the young musician died in a 1961 car accident.

eau de Ra x 2

How do you celebrate a jazz musician's centennial? For the late Sun Ra, the 100th anniversary of his birth last May saw the release of two celebrity-branded perfumes. The Norton Records label marketed Saturnia, which "transport[s] you out of the doom and into orbit as you ponder THIS PLANET IS DOOMED" with the aphrodisiac smell of "Neroil distillate of bitter orange blossoms," and the more demure Prophetika, which "invokes a mirage of memories and mysteries and incites a call to action." Prophetika is also the name of a Norton Records book imprint's three-volume release of the avant-garde bandleader's poetry and prose.

Hang out near greatness forever

Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx announced the addition of 2,275 new burial plots near its famed "Jazz Corner." The section is the final resting place for Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Max Roach and Celia Cruz, among others. Woodlawn's manicured lawns and rolling hills have long been a destination for jazz fans seeking to pay their respects to Duke and Miles, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins and Jackie McLean.

Final Bars

The jazz world lost seven of its NEA Jazz Masters during 2014, and a considerable number of other singers, players and industry figures. The NEA Jazz Masters who passed away were clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, bassist Charlie Haden, singer Jimmy Scott, composer and pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Joe Wilder and trumpeter-composer-big band leader Gerald Wilson. A comprehensive listing follows.

Accordionist Ollie Viljoen; accordionist, pianist, composer and educator Evan Harlan.

Actor, drummer, pianist and singer Mickey Rooney.

Arranger, conductor, orchestra leader and songwriter Glenn Osser; arranger and saxophonist Eddie Quarless.

Bandleader and educator Bruce Cook.

Banjoist Mac Reynolds; banjoist and guitarist Brian Herbert; banjoist, clarinetist, singer and writer Kerry Ashmore.

Bassists Jean-Jacques Avenel, Glenn Cornick, Niels Foss, Bob Frettlohr, Rob Langereis, Lou Mauro, Steve McManus, Joe Mudele, Fred Natkin, Eddie "Guagua" Rivera, Bernie Upson, Rozzano Zamorano; bassist, composer, bandleader, educator and NEA Jazz Master Charlie Haden; bassists and singers Jack Bruce, Jano Buchem, Hal Champeness, Johnny Gus (John Gustafson), Ernie Williford; bassist, composer, singer, producer and bandleader Juan Formell; bassist, broadcaster and writer Maceo Wyro; bassist, composer, arranger, bandleader and educator Miljenko Prohaska; bassist, composer, educator, writer and historian Misa Blam; bassist, bandleader, composer and photographer Bill Sinegal; bassist and sculptor David Holgate; bassists, composers, producers and educators Richard Evans, Chris White; bassist and saxophonist Buddy Catlett; bassist and musicians' union official Augustin Moniania Wren.

Clarinetist and NEA Jazz Master Buddy DeFranco; clarinetist and bandleader Acker Bilk, clarinetists and saxophonists Frank "Doc" Adams, Sam Armato, Teddy Ehrenreich, Liston Johnson, Jean Kesteman, Aaron Sachs; clarinetist, composer, arranger, orchestra leader and big band authority Norman Leyden.

Composers Antoine Duhamel, Mitch Leigh, Ela O'Farrill, Patric Standford; composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Roby Seidel; composer and bassist Tomislav Simović; composers and pianists Lee Hyla, Riz Ortolani; composer, arranger and singer Johnny Mann; composer, arranger and educator Fred Sturm; composer, arranger, producer and guitarist Dave Appell.

Drummers Yacub Addy, Ray Barker, Ronnie Bedford, Dick Berk, Barbu Calinescu, Bobbie Clarke, Richard Crooks, Frankie Dunlop, Paul Ferrara, Al Harewood, James "Blessed Drums" Knowles, Tony Liégeois, Andras Moháy, Idris Muhammad, Mike Murphy, Derek Rieth, Greg Sergo, Jacques Thollot; drummers and educators Ralph Penland, Sam Ulano, Bill Watson; drummer and musicians union executive Joe MacDonald; drummers and producers Bobby Gregg, Stefan Krachten, Bobby Schmidt; drummer, producer and radio host Bud Spangler; drummer and bandleader Foxxy Fatts; drummer, bandleader and impresario Kurt Müller; drummer, composer and artist Luke Lindenmaier; drummer and jazz festival co-founder Beto Garcia; drummer, writer and educator Chuck Silverman; drummer, discographer and Benny Goodman expert Russ Connor; drummer and vibraphonist Joe Locatelli.

Electronics player, composer, educator and music software researcher David Wessel.

Flutist and clarinetist Kenneth Schmidt; flutist, saxophonist, composer and New Age music pioneer Paul Horn; flutist, musicologist, composer, conductor, educator and writer Salah El Mehdi (Zérieb); flutist, jazz impresario, broadcaster and writer James Galway.

Guitarists Franny Beecher, Gabe Bianchini, Bruce Brucato, Paco de Lucía, Manitas de Plata, Désiré Gadeau, Brian Griffith, Ronny Jordan, David Moodie, Carlos Emilio Morales, Bobby Redfield, Lulu Reinhardt, Sonny Richter, Unge Schmidt, Paolo Schroeber, Frédéric Sylvestre, Darryl Thompson, Antonin Viktora, Paul Wingo; guitarist and cellist Pierre Cullaz; guitarist and composer André Condouant; guitarists and singers Sam Coenegrachts, Kip Meaker, Daniel Segère, Beloyd Taylor, David Winters; guitarists and educators Gary Benson, André Bush, Phillippe D'Huy, Jeff Friedman, Mimi Lorenzini, Chris Mello, Jeff Ray; guitarist and banjoist Arthur Smith; guitarist, singer, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader Vladimir "Nanka" Szomański; guitarist, songwriter, record producer and banker Don Davis.

Harmonica players and educators Art Ferguson, Gustavo Lezcano.

Harpist Catherine Gotthoffer.

Mandolin player U. Srinivas (aka Mandolin Srinivas).

Multi-instrumentalist, producer and educator Billy Adair; multi-instrumentalist and educator Yvonne Busch; multi-instrumentalist and big band leader Johnny Lewis; multi-instrumentalists and writers Jack Massarik, John Postgate; multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and singer Val Eddy.

Organists Lincoln Berry, Cherry Wainer.

Percussionists Stan Barrett, Milton Cardona, Willie "El Ruso" Everich, Martin Grupp, David "La Mole" Ortiz, Armando Peraza, Luis Santiago; percussionist, bandleader and dancer Paul Hawkins; cajon player Rafael Santa Cruz; percussionist and music publisher Brian Innes; timbales player Pat Rodriguez.

Pianists Joe Bonner,Hal Buice, Ray DeForest, King Fleming, Eric Fontes, Tommy Gill, Friggi Hoffmann, Eddy Loozen, Pat Matshikiza, Roland Meighan, Frankie Randall, Janice Scroggins, Stephanie Stone, Frank Strazzeri, Jan Strinnholm, Frank Vincent, Forrest Westbrook, George Ziskind; pianist, bandleader, composer and NEA Jazz Master Horace Silver; pianists and composers Frank Dominguez, Kenny Drew Jr., Giorgio Gaslini, Patrick Gowers, Fred Kaz, Naoya Matsuoka, Enrique Nery, Konstantin Orbelian, Joe Sample, Davide Santorsola, Renato Sellani, Petr Skoumal, Erik van der Wurff, Thilo von Westernhagen, Terry Whitney; pianists and arrangers Johnny Allen, Brian Lemon, Al Lerner; pianists, composers and arrangers Bruno Aragosti, Powhatan "Brad" Bradbie; pianist, composer, arranger and singer Coco Fernández; pianist, drummer and educator Frank Ficarra; pianist and union executive Ray Petch; pianist, author, educator and broadcaster Trebor Tichenor; pianist and singer Patti Wicks; pianist, jazz festival organizer and newspaper publisher Tony Biggs; pianist, broadcaster, educator and writer Fritz Herdi; pianist, bandleader and broadcaster Jim Manard; pianists and educators Jay Flippin, Mark Flugge. Eric Prud'homme; bishop, author and pianist Guy Gaucher; pianists, composers and educators Jan Jarczyk, Ray Santisi; pianist, trumpeter and poet Frank Miller; pianist, organist and composer Bernd Köppen.

Saxophonists Waymon "Punchy" Atkinson, Al Belletto, Alexis Berranger, Benjamin Brea, Everett Carroll, Will Connell, Dick Dale, Olav Dale, Ray Downey, Arthur Doyle, Jim Galloway, Johnnie Gray, Tim Green, George Harper Jr., Klaus Kreuzeder, Samuel Leon (Sammy Sax), Des Lumsdon, Robert Moore, Raphael Ravenscroft, Kathy Stobart, Gene Walker, Henry Warner; saxophonists, flutists, clarinetists, composers and educators Jim Allard, Stu Buchanan; saxophonist and clarinetist Vic Ash; saxophonist and flutist Horace Washington; actor, comedian and saxophonist Sid Caesar; saxophonist and conceptual artist Terry Adkins; saxophonist, actor and screenwriter Med Flory; saxophonists and educators Buster Alston, Jacky Azéma, Simon D'souza, Peter Massink, Michael Schläper, José Théresè; saxophonist, painter and poet Alan Davie; saxophonist, composer, bandleader, writer and activist Fred Ho; saxophonist, author and educator George Yoshida; saxophonists, bandleaders and educators Omar Lamparter, Mike Stewart; saxophonist and bassoonist Dave Kurtzer; saxophonist and percussionist Gilles Laheurte; saxophonist, pianist, composer and educator Daniel Jackson; saxophonist, clarinetist and songwriter Johnny Rotella; saxophonist, composer, arranger and bandleader Alvy West.

Singers Jimmy Armstrong, Alice Babs, Erick Bamy, Claire Barry, Jackie Cain, Ruby Carter, Lulu Dikana, Cheo Feliciano, Tim Hauser, Gina Hill, Dionne Jeroue, Brita Koivunen, Erzsi Kovács, Maria Luisa Landin, Rufus McKay, Peggy Morgan, Frances Nero, Tom Passamonte (Tom Monte), Mary Ellen Tanner, Jerry Vale, George Winfield; singer and NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Scott; singer and actor Elaine Stritch; singers and guitarists Ralf Bendix, Luke Rachwalski, Pepe Vásquez; singer, jazz club owner and actor Herb Jeffries; singer, actor, cellist, guitarist and trumpeter Fred Bertelmann; singer and journalist Renee Doruyter; singers, songwriters and guitarists Raúl Carnota, Santiago Feliu; singer-songwriter Melissa Mann; singer, songwriter, saxophonist and record producer Ray Kennedy; singer and composer Muhidin Thunder (Muhidin Maalim Gurumo); singer, beader, lecturer and Golden Star Hunters Mardi Indian Tribe Big Chief Larry Bannock; actor, comedian and singer Robin Williams; singer, composer and educator Christian Le Mounier; singer, broadcaster and educator Kerrie Biddell; singer and educator Andrew Alexander; singer, bandleader, composer, arranger and producer Augie Johnson; singer, drummer, guitarist and painter Georges Lecler; singer pianist and educator Alicia Cunningham.

Trombonists André Paquinet, George Roberts, Frank Vaccaro; trombonist, composer, arranger and conductor Bill Motzing; trombonist and record producer Wayne Henderson; trombonist and pianist Walter Terharen; trombonist and tuba player Alain Palizeul.

Trumpeters Roy Campbell Jr., Spanky Davis, Billy Edwards, Lionel Ferbos, Max Herman, Allen Houser, Warren "Porgy" Jones, Joe Loria, Michael Manthey, Lloyd Michels, Al Neese, Simo Salminen, Igor Shirokov, Nisse Skoog, Manfred Stapput, Andrey Tovmasyan, Cliff Wilson; trumpeter and NEA Jazz Master Joe Wilder; trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, educator and NEA Jazz Master Gerald Wilson; trumpeter, composer and bandleader Kenny Wheeler; trumpeter, composer, arranger, singer, bandleader and producer Tony Pabon; trumpeter, arranger and educator Guy Longnon; trumpeter, composer and writer Heinz Schachtner; trumpeter, composer and music director and producer Gil Askey; trumpeter, composer and arranger Naohiro Iwai; trumpeters and educators John Haynie. Pierre Lessard, Charles Moore; trumpeter, violinist and bandleader Alfons Rogg; trumpeter and jazz festival founder Phil Mason; trumpeter, big band manager, educator and record store owner Chris Wilson; trumpeter, bandleader, jazz festival namesake and jazz society executive Sid Kyler; trumpeter, bandleader and educator Paisan Mallet; trumpeter and bandleader Allen Houser; trumpeter and pianist Ed Farley; trumpeter and Hot Club Leipzig co-founder Kurt "Hot-Geyer" Michaelis.

Vibes players Sir John Jeffrey, Rupert Stamm.

Violinists and educators Keith Alsop, Cliff Brunzell; violinist, composer, producer and educator John Blake Jr.

Educator and bandleader Jeff Peronto.

Film and music producer Saul Zaentz; documentary filmmaker Robert Drew.

Jazz poet John Alberts; poet Maya Angelou.

Tap dancers Bunny Briggs, Will Gaines; mambo dancer Augie Rodriguez.

Record producers Steve Backer, Alan Douglas, Herman Lubinsky, John McClure, Richard McDonnell; producer and manager Russ Nichols; producer, manager and record label owner Bill Traut; record company executive, producer and trumpeter Henry Stone; Mercury Records co-founder Irwin Steinberg; club owners Paul Colby, Pete Douglas, Jean-Claude Rayne, Lennie Sogoloff; club promoter and tour manager Eric Scriven; club owner, artist manager, concert producer and record producer Jeff Kruger; cultural center organizer and painter Horst Dietrich; club manager Dennis Hewitt; recording studio owner and sound engineer Cosimo Matassa; artist manager and concert producer Buck Spurr; artist manager and producer Martha Glaser. Newport Jazz Festival publicist and concert producer Charlie Bourgeois; Newport Festivals Foundation executive director Herb Chesbrough; artists' manager Izumi Uchida; jazz festival organizers Charles Camara, Mike Howes, Al Johnson; concert producer and flutist Rick Gee; business manager, lyricist and educator Iola Brubeck (wife of Dave Brubeck); entertainment lawyer and drummer Alan S. Bergman; music promoter Terry Eastwood; entertainment lawyer Val Scheurich; jazz festival director and instrument maker Christian Nogaro; club manager, publicist, tour manager and writer John Gee; record store owner Pete Russell; festival director, trombonist, musicologist and editor Armin Köhler; Jazz at Lincoln Center board member and pianist Alan Cohn; promoter and concert organizer Barry Storey.

Broadcasters Ginny Coleman, Doug Gruber, Leigh Kamman, LJ Palardy, Reiner Schwarz, Bill Thissen, Leah Tourkow, China Valles, Don Voltmer; broadcaster, educator, producer and writer Herb Wong; broadcaster and writer Bob Tkacz; broadcaster and jazz festival executive Don Lahey; broadcaster and record store owner Jim Russell; broadcaster, writer and trombonist Sheila Tracy.

Photographers Charlotte Brooks, Chuck Gee, David Redfern, Phil Stern; photographer, writer, researcher and pianist Duncan Schiedt.

Writers Jack Berry, Laurent Leblond, Jack McNamara, José Domingos Raffaelli, Michael Rieth, Manfred Sack, Gottfried Schalow; writers and broadcasters Stan Britt, Javier de Cambra, Masood Hasan; writer, poet, playwright and lecturer Amiri Baraka; writer and photographer Tony Gieske; musicologist and educator Joseph Kerman; writer and historian Ralph Matthews Jr.; writer, producer and promoter Teruto Soejima; writer and multi-instrumentalist Jack Massarik; writer and producer Zane Knauss.

Artist Bruce Brice.

Blues and gospel artists and industry executives Alberta Adams, Bud Andrews, Gwen Avery, Roger Wyndham Barnes, Mark Burgess, Mickey Champion, Nick Charles, Jessica Cleaves, Michael Coleman, Melvin Crispell, Bambi Fossati, James Govan, Hal Henry, Teenie Hodges, Linda Hornbuckle, Melvin Jackson, Alvin Jett, Barbara Jones, Peter Kaberere, Bobby Keys, James Kinds, Jerry LaCroix, Lee McBee, Dennis McCarthy, Roger Pomphrey, Duffy Power, Wendy Rene, Linda Rodney, George Shuffler, Joe Silva, Jeff Strahan, Tabby Thomas, Geraldine Washington, Little Joe Washington, Johnny Winter, Bobby Womack.

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