Jazz Notes TM The Journal of the Jazz Journalists AssociationSM Special Issue • Jazz Awards 2009 George E. Lewis, author of A Power Strong Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music, winner of the award for Best Book about Jazz. Photo by Enid Farber. THE 13TH ANNU A L JJA JA ZZ AW A RDS SM Celebrating excellence in jazz and jazz journalism and honoring activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz June 16, 2009 Jazz Standard • New York A dispatch from the JJA president on the 2009 annual Jazz Awards. We’re All Winners 8 By Howard Mandel he 2009 Jazz Awardssm — the ed by the JJA and the Jazz Foundation director of the Institute for Jazz Studies 13th annual celebration of ex- of America. Besides the singers (Elling at Rutgers University. Dr. Agnes Varis, T cellence in music making, music was named Male Vocalist of the Year, the “angel” of the Jazz Foundation of presentation and music documentation Gambarini was Female Vocalist of the America, was unable to be at the Stan- produced by the 23-year-old Jazz Jour- Year 2008), the following award win- dard due to her own recent health is- nalists Association — was a resounding ners were in attendance: pianist Hank sues, although the Jazz Foundation was success. An overflow crowd of 190 jazz- Jones, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, ably represented by its president R. Jar- world movers and shakers attended, alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthap- rett Lilien as well as executive director schmoozed and listened at our cocktail- pa, baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, Wendy Oxenhorn, who made an appeal barbecue party at the Jazz Standard in Latin jazz bandleader Arturo O’Farrill, for $20 donations from everybody who Manhattan on Tuesday, June 16. About trombonist Roswell Rudd, violinist Bil- cares about jazz (to contribute, go to 50 of them trooped up to speak onstage, ly Bang, reeds player Frank Wess, clari- www.jazzfoundation.org; jazz journal- between music by the Charles Tolliver netist Anat Cohen, organist Dr. Lonnie ists are urged to report about the JFA’s Big Band, the duet of knuckle-busting Smith, author-educator-trombonist and work) to cover the growing crisis in pianist Marian Petrescu and guitarist electronic composer George E. Lewis housing and health care for musicians Andreas Öberg, soprano sax and flutist and events producer of the year George in need. Jane Bunnett’s Spirits of Havana, the Wein. Herb Alpert’s A Team Award was ac- duo of saxophonist Carol Sudhalter and cepted by New York downtown compos- pianist Daryl Sherman, and tenor saxo- Bruce Lundvall, whose 40-year career er-guitarist John King, winner of this phonist Matt Miller’s trio. has resulted in this year’s 70th anniver- sary of Blue Note Records (among other year’s Herb Alpert Foundation Award A bevy of jazz’s top singers convened achievements), was the only new mem- for Music (George E. Lewis, Vijay Iyer as Kurt Elling, Sheila Jordan, Roberta ber of the JJA’s “A Team” of activists, and James Carter are among previous Gambarini, Giacomo Gates and Venissa advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors recipients who have been honored by Santí gathered around bebop vocalist of jazz in the house, and he received the JJA as well). Seattle-based band- Mark Murphy to wish him well. Mur- his honors with an especially warm in- leaders Clarence Acox (Garfield High phy, age 74, was recipient of the first troduction and embrace from Dan Mor- “Words and Music” Award, co-present- genstern, dean of jazz journalists and continued on next page | » Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy. Photo by Fran Kaufman. Dan Morgenstern (left) greets Blue Note label chief Bruce Lundvall. Photo by Enid Farber. JAZZ NOTES: The Quarterly Journal of the Jazz Journalists Association Editor: David R. Adler • Associate Editor: James Hale • Art Director: Forrest Bryant • Editorial Consultants: Howard Mandel, W. Royal Stokes, David Franklin Editorial Correspondence: David R. Adler, 260 Riverside Dr. #2G, New York, NY 10025 • (646) 539-8622 • [email protected] © 2009 Jazz Journalists Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication, as a whole or in any part, without prior written permission of the Jazz Journalists Association, Inc. is prohibited. JAZZ JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION and JAZZ awards are service marks or registered service marks of the Jazz Journalists Association, Inc. JAZZ NOTES is a trademark and service mark of the Jazz Journalists Association, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. JAZZ NOTES • Special Issue — Jazz Awards 2009 2 » | JAZZ AWARDS: from previous page School) and Scott Brown (Roosevelt the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles), Timuel bor spoke of Zwerin’s enviable decades High School) were represented during Black (Chicago cultural historian) and of playing and writing about jazz and their inductions into the A Team by Steven Saltzman (a past president of the related music while based in Paris. Joanna Massey of the Essentially El- Jazz Institute of Chicago) will receive lington festival of high school bands their engraved Award statuettes on fu- The single standout acceptance was produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center. ture occasions (Black and Saltzman, it 91-year-old pianist Hank Jones’s com- is hoped, onstage at the Chicago Jazz ment, while he clutched his award for Jazz journalist Gary Giddins presented Festival over Labor Day weekend). Pianist of the Year, that it was an in- the A Team honors for jazz educator ducement to play better. Jones was also David N. Baker, and accepted them on The Jazz Awards are determined by the subject of Kris King’s Photo of the Baker’s behalf. He also spoke of his high a two-stage voting process involving Year — which John Abbott, winner of regard for the late jazz publicist Peter J. the JJA’s professional members (more the Lona Foote–Bob Parent Award for Levinson — the first publicist honored than 80 percent of the organization’s Excellence in Photography, unveiled by the JJA — who was posthumously international membership of 450), and while Jones stood next to him, admir- inducted into the A Team by Arnold Jay many nominees were present at the ing the large framed print. Smith. Smith, like DL Media’s Don Lu- Jazz Standard, including vibist Stefon Among other particularly notable re- coff, Michael Bloom of Michael Bloom Harris, saxophonist Noah Preminger, marks, George Wein paid tribute to Media Relations, and several other of flutist Jamie Baum, pianist Vijay Iyer, jazz journalists for their continuous the most credible PR people in jazz, ap- baritone saxophonist Claire Daly, and ongoing attentions to the music prenticed in Levinson’s New York shop, multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson, he’s been presenting at festivals world- under his tutelage. Levinson’s biogra- drummer Harris Eisenstadt and big wide since 1954. Trombonist Clifton phies of Harry James, Nelson Riddle, band composer-conductor Darcy James Anderson, himself a nominee, gleefully Tommy Dorsey and Fred Astaire were Argue. Karen Mantler, accepting her accepted three awards on behalf of his also lauded. mother Carla Bley’s award for Record of the Year (Appearing Nightly, on Watt/ uncle Sonny Rollins, whom the JJA The late author-journalist-musician ECM), spoofed the crowd on the basis voted Musician of the Year and Tenor Richard Sudhalter, also inducted post- of looking just like her bangs-wearing Saxophonist of the Year and honored humously, was remembered by his mom. Josh Konitz accepted the Lifetime for Road Shows, Vol. 1, picked as His- friend JJA photographer (and Min- Achievement in Jazz Award for his fa- torical Recording of the Year (which gus band arranger) Sy Johnson, then ther, saxophonist Lee Konitz, and bass- Anderson appeared on and produced). honored with a musical segment by ist Ben Zwerin arrived just in time to Michael Cuscuna, another veteran jazz his sister Carol Sudhalter (on sax and serve as a representative of his father, record man, accepted awards for Mo- flute) and his former companion Daryl Mike Zwerin, as he was hailed for Life- siac Records as Label of the Year, and Sherman (singing and playing piano). time Achievement in Jazz Journalism. Newly named A Teamers Ruth Price (of Author Rafi (The Bear Comes Home) Za- continued on next page | » Hank Jones, winner of Pianist of the Year and subject of Kris King’s winning Photograph of the Year. Photo by Enid Farber. Carol Sudhalter performs. Photo by Enid Farber. JAZZ NOTES • Special Issue — Jazz Awards 2009 3 » | JAZZ AWARDS: from previous page for the Historical Recording Boxed Set resource). Nate Chinen, winner of the Linda Yohn of WEMU in Ypsilanti, The Lester Young/Count Basie Sessions Helen Dance–Robert Palmer Award for Michigan, herself a nominee for Broad- 1936–40. Excellence in Newspaper, Magazine or caster of the Year, was among the most Online Writing, accepted the Best Pe- spirited presenters, enthusing over Ter- Scott Robinson, last year’s honoree as ence Blanchard as he took his prize as riodical Covering Jazz Award for Jazz Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz, trumpeter. But for rallying the crowd, Times magazine, which recently sus- accepted three awards for Maria Sch- no one beat Trevor Gale of SESAC, who pended publication; he read a note sent neider: Composer of the Year, Arranger along with SESAC’s Linda Lorence, got of the Year and leader of the Large En- by former editor-in-chief Lee Mergner, everyone to raise glasses of bubbly Pro- semble of the Year, her Maria Schneider expressing hope that the mag will rise seco in a toast to all the nominees. Orchestra (in which Robinson is a key from its ashes. SESAC was a first-time sponsor of the Jazz Awards, as were Absolutely Live, Arbors Records (Jim Czak attended), BPR Music, the Detroit International Jazz Festival, Doxy Records, IPO Re- cordings, the Jazz Institute of Chi- cago, Resonance Records, Sunnyside Records and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.