The event will be highlighted by the induction of three ASCAP Jazz Living Legends: composer/arranger Neal Hefti, vocalist/pianist Shirley Horn, and guitarist John “Bucky” Pizzarelli. The latest group of inductees also includes four posthumous honorees: trumpeter Thad Jones, trombonist Jack Teagarden, violinist Joe Venuti and pianist/composer Mary Lou Williams. Participating in the event as presenters and performers will be Dr.Billy Taylor, James McBride, Rufus Reid, Hilton Ruiz and John Pizzarelli.
In addition, emergent and critically-acclaimed pianist/composer Matthew Shipp will be presented with the newly-established ASCAP Foundation Jazz Vanguard Award
The reception will also celebrate the third annual Young Jazz Composer Awards of The ASCAP Foundation. The program was established in 2002 to encourage the jazz creators of the future. The ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards recognize composers under 30 years of age whose works are selected through a national competition. The judges for the competition were ASCAP members John Fedchock, Frank Foster and Rufus Reid.
Commenting on the Jazz Wall of Fame, Marilyn Bergman said, “Jazz is truly the music of America, and like the movies, one of our greatest home-grown art forms. The sheer diversity and magnitude of the individuals we honor this year – among them are composers, instrumentalists and vocalists, each one an innovator – speaks to the richness of this living and endlessly evolving musical genre. ASCAP is pleased to add all of these legends to our Jazz Wall of Fame. And it is most appropriate to couple this salute to jazz greats of the past with a celebration of the jazz of the future via the talented recipients of The ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards.”
About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading Performing Rights Organization in the U.S., representing the world's largest repertory which totals over 8 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 210,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members. Additionally, ASCAP represents the works in the repertories of 70 affiliated foreign performing rights organizations created by many thousand affiliated international members. ASCAP is committed to protecting the rights of its members by licensing and collecting royalties for the public performance of their copyrighted works, and then distributing these fees to the Society's members based on performances. Unlike the other American Performing Rights Organizations, ASCAP's Board of Directors is made up solely of writers and publishers, elected by the membership every two years.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
