T 

here is general agreement that the United States has 

produced three original art forms: movies, modern dance, and

jazz. All speak to the genius of American culture. Film is indicative of 

our ability to convert new technology into a medium for mass consumption, frequently achieving the status of high art. Modern dance, an indigenous kinesthetic art capable of an unbounded range of expression, 

from treatments of contemporary issues to pure abstraction. And then 

there is jazz. 

Jazz lives at the very center of the American vernacular. It is the gift 

of the generations of new urban African-American people whose capacity for the synthesis of diverse strains of musical forms brought schottisches, quadrilles, habaneras, and marches into the bases of the blues 

and ragtime to create a whole new way of making music. It was built on 

the discipline of collective improvisation, a remarkable skill when you 

think about it, which allowed for maximum expression of the individual 

within the context of the group. Jazz is democratic and virtually without 

hierarchy: the composer is one more collaborator in the group, and even 

bandleaders do not stand above the soloists. 

These qualities are entirely appropriate for what is best about America. The old jazz principle that “you’ve got to make it new” is so American that it could go on the dollar bill. These defining qualities have made 

jazz arguably the United States’ most welcomed cultural export. It has 

taken root wherever it has been planted, moving into and becoming a 

part of the cultures of other countries and then becoming an aspect of 

their national expression, in the way that Russian jazz is vastly different 

from Afro-Cuban jazz. Some years ago, just after apartheid had fallen, 

I heard a young South African ensemble that comprised an Indian pianist, a tabla player, a white female flutist, and a black bassist. Distinct 

traces of each of these musicians’ heritages were audible in their solos, 

yet they performed with intimate ease. I thought, how marvelous that, as 

these young people are at a point in history when they can speak to each 

other as equals, jazz provides the vocabulary. 

It is no accident that jazz has been a favored medium of cultural 

diplomacy. For decades, Willis Conover’s jazz series on the Voice of 

America kept ears open to the United States Information Agency (USIA) 

all over the world. Uncounted numbers of jazz musicians have traveled 

abroad under the auspices of the State Department. Many of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters, such as Dizzy Gillespie, 

Randy Weston, and Billy Taylor, have toured the globe as our cultural 

representatives. 

The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships program was created to say to jazz 

musicians that their government values the way that they keep our culture 

rich by continually producing such fabulous music. Mastery is a difficult 

status to achieve. No creative discipline has more than a few true masters, 

for it takes exceptional talent, dedication, hard work, and opportunity 

to become one. NEA Jazz Masters have demonstrated these qualities and 

more. The National Endoment for the Arts is honored to recognize these 

great artists for the outstanding contributions they have made to American culture.

––A.B. Spellman 

National Endowment for the Arts • 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Washington, DC 20506-0001 • 202.682.5400 • www.arts.gov

not for sale

The Nation’s Highest Honor in Jazz

Cecil Taylor (left) with A.B. Spellman.

Photo by Tom Pich
The National Endowment for the Arts was established 

by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the 

federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded 

more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, 

creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals 

and communities. The NEA extends its work through 

partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, 

other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector.
National Endowment for theArts

1982–2011
Credits

This publication is published by:

National Endowment for the Arts

Office of Public Affairs

Jamie Bennett, Director

January 2011

Don Ball, Editor

Special thanks to poet and author (and former NEA Deputy Chairman) 

A.B. Spellman for the “liner notes” essay. Spellman is the author of 

Four Jazz Lives and, most recently, Things I Must Have Known.

Thanks to Paulette Beete, Liz Stark, Katja von Schuttenbach, and 

Judy Zwolak for editorial assistance.

Designed by:

Fletcher Design, Inc./Washington, DC

Cover Photo: The Modern Jazz Quartet in performance, including NEA 

Jazz Masters John Lewis (piano), Percy Heath (bass), and Milt Jackson 

(vibes), and drummer Connie Kay. Photo by Lee Tanner

In addition to information provided by the artists, the following 

reference texts were used in researching biographical information of 

the NEA Jazz Masters:

All Music Guide to Jazz by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, 

and Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Backbeat Books (allmusic.com)

American Musicians II by Whitney Balliett, Oxford University Press

Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz by Leonard Feather and Ira 

Gitler, Oxford University Press

Four Jazz Lives by A.B. Spellman, University of Michigan Press 

Jazz: The Rough Guide by Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, and 

Brian Priestley, Rough Guides

Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 4th Edition by Richard Cook and 

Brian Morton, Penguin

Talking Jazz: An Oral History by Ben Sidran, Da Capo Press

Voice/TYY: (202) 682-5496

For individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Individuals who do not use conventional print may contact the Arts 

Endowment’s Office for AccessAbility to obtain this publication in an 

alternate format. Telephone: (202) 682-5532

National Endowment for the Arts

1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20506-0001

(202) 682-5400

Additional copies of this publication can be obtained for free by 

contacting the NEA website: arts.gov. 

 This publication was printed on recycled paper.
A Message from the Chairman

 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 iii

I

t is my pleasure once again to introduce the new class of 

NEA Jazz Masters. Like some of my other favorite art forms, 

country music and musical theater, jazz is a homegrown art 

form, created on American soil some hundred or so years ago. It’s 

hard to think of an aspect of our country’s history and culture that 

jazz hasn’t touched since its origin. 

And that is why we recognize this art form with the NEA Jazz 

Masters program. In addition to the $25,000 award, it also honors 

artists who have reached the highest pinnacles of their art; musicians 

and advocates who have had—and continue to have—a significant 

impact on jazz. And this year’s class again reflects this high standard 

of artistic excellence. 

In addition to providing these awards to stellar musicians, 

the NEA also continues to award grants to arts organizations for 

jazz-related activities, such as a recent grant to the Apollo Theater 

Foundation to support the inaugural Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival, 

celebrating the legacy of jazz in that community. The agency also 

supports the NEA Jazz Masters Live initiative—administered in 

partnership with regional arts organization Arts Midwest—which 

provides grants to presenting organizations to support NEA Jazz 

Masters’ appearances throughout the country. In addition to making 

these legends better known to the general public, the initiative also 

includes an educational component that provides special programming 

to increase understanding of the music and its key practitioners. 

Education is an important aspect of keeping jazz alive and well. So 

the NEA also supports an important educational component designed 

to bring this American treasure to more young people: NEA Jazz in 

the Schools. Developed in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center and 

supported by the Verizon Foundation, this online curriculum provides 

resources to high school teachers to explore jazz as an art form and a 

means to understanding history.

To reach even more citizens in its pursuit to garner stronger 

interest for the art form of jazz, the NEA is utilizing the Internet and

broadcast media. The NEA’s YouTube page features a section on 

NEA Jazz Masters, including interviews and panel discussions. The 

agency’s Art Works podcasts, feature-length interviews with artists 

and those involved in the arts, include interviews with NEA Jazz 

Masters Hank Jones and David Baker, among many other artists. And 

for the first time, we will be presenting a live webcast of the awards 

ceremony and concert so that many more people can experience this 

event. 

Another way we reach out to the public about jazz is through 

the NEA-produced Jazz Moments, radio shorts featuring NEA Jazz 

Masters; a CD of a sampling of the segments is included with 

this publication. These segments have been broadcast on stations 

throughout the country and are available for free download on the 

NEA website: arts.gov and through iTunes U.

I would like to thank our partner in bringing the NEA Jazz Masters 

awards ceremony and concert to you: Jazz at Lincoln Center, which 

has presented the event for the last three years. Join me in honoring 

the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters for their work in the jazz field and their 

contributions to the nation’s cultural heritage.

Rocco Landesman

Chairman

National Endowment for the Arts

Photo by Michael Eastman
NEA Jazz Masters Award Ceremony.................... 126

NEA Jazz Masters by Year ................................ 128

Jazz Moments with NEA Jazz Masters Audio CD.... 129

Table of Contents

A Brief History of the Program.............................. 1

Program Overview.............................................. 3

2011 NEA Jazz Masters ....................................... 5

NEA Jazz Masters 1982–2010 (Year Fellowship Awarded)

Muhal Richard Abrams (2010)......... 12

Toshiko Akiyoshi (2007)................. 13

George Avakian (2010)................... 14

David Baker (2000)....................... 15

Danny Barker (1991)..................... 16

Ray Barretto (2006) ...................... 17

Kenny Barron (2010)..................... 18

Count Basie (1983)........................ 19

Louie Bellson (1994)...................... 20

Tony Bennett (2006)...................... 21

George Benson (2009).................... 22

Art Blakey (1988) ......................... 23

Bob Brookmeyer (2006) ................. 24

Cleo Brown (1987) ........................ 25

Ray Brown (1995)......................... 26

Dave Brubeck (1999) .................... 27

Kenny Burrell (2005)..................... 28

Donald Byrd (2000)....................... 29

Candido Camero (2008) ................. 30

Benny Carter (1986) ..................... 31

Betty Carter (1992) ...................... 32

Ron Carter (1998) ........................ 33

Kenny Clarke (1983) ..................... 34

Buck Clayton (1991)...................... 35

Jimmy Cobb (2009)....................... 36

Ornette Coleman (1984) ................ 37

Chick Corea (2006) ....................... 38

Miles Davis (1984) ........................ 39

Buddy DeFranco (2006)................. 40

Dorothy Donegan (1992) ................ 41

Paquito D’Rivera (2005) ................ 42

Sweets Edison (1992)..................... 43

Roy Eldridge (1982) ..................... 44

Gil Evans (1985) .......................... 45

Art Farmer (1999) ........................ 46

Ella Fitzgerald (1985) .................... 47

Tommy Flanagan (1996) ................ 48

Frank Foster (2002) ...................... 49

Curtis Fuller (2007)....................... 50

Dizzy Gillespie (1982) .................... 51

Benny Golson (1996) ..................... 52

Dexter Gordon (1986) ................... 53

Jim Hall (2004) ............................ 54

Chico Hamilton (2004) .................. 55

Lionel Hampton (1988) .................. 56

Slide Hampton (2005) ................... 57

Herbie Hancock (2004) ................. 58

Barry Harris (1989) ...................... 59

Roy Haynes (1995) ....................... 60

Jimmy Heath (2003)...................... 61

Percy Heath (2002)....................... 62

Joe Henderson (1999) ................... 63

Luther Henderson (2004) ............... 64

Jon Hendricks (1993) .................... 65

Nat Hentoff (2004) ....................... 66

Billy Higgins (1997) ...................... 67

Andrew Hill (2008)........................ 68

Milt Hinton (1993) ........................ 69

Bill Holman (2010)........................ 70

Shirley Horn (2005) ...................... 71

Freddie Hubbard (2006) ................ 72

Bobby Hutcherson (2010)............... 73

Milt Jackson (1997) ...................... 74

Ahmad Jamal (1994) ..................... 75

J.J. Johnson (1996) ...................... 76

Elvin Jones (2003) ........................ 77

Hank Jones (1989) ....................... 78

Jo Jones (1985) ............................ 79

Quincy Jones (2008)...................... 80

Andy Kirk (1991).......................... 81

Lee Konitz (2009).......................... 82

Yusef Lateef (2010) ....................... 83

John Levy (2006).......................... 84

John Lewis (2001) ........................ 85

Ramsey Lewis (2007) ..................... 86

Abbey Lincoln (2003) .................... 87

Melba Liston (1987)....................... 88

Tom McIntosh (2008) .................... 89

Jackie McLean (2001) ................... 90

Marian McPartland (2000) ............. 91

Carmen McRae (1994) ................... 92

Jay McShann (1987)...................... 93

James Moody (1998) ..................... 94

Dan Morgenstern (2007)................. 95

Anita O’Day (1997) ...................... 96

Max Roach (1984)......................... 97

Sonny Rollins (1983) ..................... 98

Annie Ross (2010)......................... 99

George Russell (1990) ..................100

Gunther Schuller (2008)................101

Jimmy Scott (2007) ......................102

Artie Shaw (2005) .......................103

Wayne Shorter (1998) ..................104

Horace Silver (1995) ....................105

Jimmy Smith (2005) .....................106

Sun Ra (1982).............................107

Billy Taylor (1988) ......................108

Cecil Taylor (1990) ......................109

Clark Terry (1991) ......................110

Toots Thielemans (2009) ...............111

McCoy Tyner (2002).....................112

Rudy Van Gelder (2009)................113

Sarah Vaughan (1989) .................114

Cedar Walton (2010) ....................115

George Wein (2005) .....................116

Frank Wess (2007).......................117

Randy Weston (2001) ...................118

Joe Wilder (2008) ........................119

Joe Williams (1993) .....................120

Gerald Wilson (1990)....................121

Nancy Wilson (2004) ....................122

Teddy Wilson (1986) ....................123

Phil Woods (2007) .......................124

Snooky Young (2009)....................125
vi	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

NEA Jazz Master Gerald Wilson 

leads his orchestra at the 2005 NEA 

Jazz Masters awards concert in 

Long Beach, California. 

Photo by Vance Jacobs
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 1

Amelding of African and European music and 

cultures, jazz was born in the United States, a new musical 

form that used rhythm, improvisation, and instruments in 

unique and exciting ways. Jazz came to prominence in the early 20th 

century on the dance floors of major cultural centers such as Kansas 

City and New York. With the advent of sound recording techniques, 

the increased availability of affordable gramophones, and the rise of 

radio as popular entertainment, jazz quickly conquered the country. 

By the 1930s and 1940s, jazz had become America’s dance music, 

selling albums and performance tickets at dizzying rates and sweeping 

millions of fans in foreign countries off their feet. 

By the 1950s, however, with the advent of rock and roll and the 

tilt in jazz toward bebop rather than the more popular swing, jazz 

began a decline in its popularity. It was still seen as an important and 

exciting art form, but by an increasingly smaller audience. Jazz was 

still being exported overseas, though, especially by Voice of America 

radio broadcasts and U.S. Department of State goodwill tours that 

featured such musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and 

Dave Brubeck. 

By the 1960s, when the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) 

was created by Congress, jazz album sales were down and jazz 

performances were becoming more difficult to find. Large dance 

orchestras disbanded for lack of work, and musicians found themselves 

in stiff competition for fewer and fewer gigs. The music, starting with 

bebop and into hard bop and free jazz, became more cerebral and less 

dance-oriented, focusing on freeing up improvisation and rhythm. It 

was moving to a new artistic level, and, if this high quality were to be 

maintained, it would need some assistance. 

NEA assistance to the jazz field began in 1969, with its first grant in 

jazz awarded to pianist/composer George Russell (who would later go 

on to receive an NEA Jazz Master award in 1990), allowing him to work 

on his groundbreaking book, Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal 

Organization, the first major academic work in jazz. Jazz funding 

went from $20,000 in 1970 to $1.5 million in 1980 to approximately 

$3 million in 2010, supporting a wide range of activities, including 

jazz festivals and concert seasons, special projects such as Dr. Billy 

Taylor’s Jazzmobile in New York and the Thelonious Monk Institute 

A Brief History 

of the Program

NEA Jazz Masters Sonny Rollins, Hank Jones, 

and Dizzy Gillespie at a 1987 rehearsal at Wolf 

Trap in Virginia.

Photo by Michael Wilderman
2	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

of Jazz’s Jazz Sports program, educational jazz programming on 

National Public Radio, artists-in-schools programs, and research. 

While the NEA recognized and acted on the need for public 

funding for jazz, the pioneers of the field were rapidly aging, and many 

died without the appropriate recognition of their contribution to this 

great American art form. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, two of 

the giants of jazz in terms of both musicianship and composition, both 

died in the early 1970s without the importance of their contributions 

being fully acknowledged and appreciated. 

In an effort to nationally recognize outstanding jazz musicians for 

their lifelong achievements and mastery of jazz, the Arts Endowment 

in 1982 created the American Jazz Masters Fellowships—now the NEA 

Jazz Masters Fellowships—given to musicians who have reached an 

exceptionally high standard of achievement in this very specialized 

art form. 

In addition to the recognition, the NEA included a monetary 

award of $20,000 for each fellowship. The rigors of making a living in 

the jazz field are well documented. Jazz is an art form to which the free 

market has not been kind. Despite their unparalleled contributions to 

American art, many jazz greats worked for years just barely scraping 

by. The monetary award often has provided a much needed infusion 

of income. 

That such recognition was long overdue is exemplified by 

Thelonious Sphere Monk, one of the great American composers and 

musicians. Monk was nominated for an NEA Jazz Master Fellowship 

in the first year of the program, but unfortunately passed away 

before the announcement was made (the fellowship is not awarded 

posthumously). The three who were chosen certainly lived up to the 

criteria of artistic excellence and significance to the art form: Roy 

Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sun Ra. The panel in that first year 

included stellar jazz musicians themselves, including some future NEA 

Jazz Masters: trumpeter Donald Byrd and saxophonists Frank Foster, 

Chico Freeman, Jackie McLean, and Archie Shepp. In addition, 

legendary Riverside record company co-owner and producer Orrin 

Keepnews (now an NEA Jazz Master) was on the panel. 

From that auspicious beginning, the program has continued to 

grow and provide increased awareness of America’s rich jazz heritage. 

In 2004, a new award was created for those individuals who helped to 

advance the appreciation of jazz. In 2005, the award was designated 

the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy in 

honor of A.B. Spellman, a jazz writer, accomplished poet, innovative 

arts administrator, and former NEA Deputy Chairman, who has 

dedicated much of his life to bringing the joy and artistry of jazz to all 

Americans. Additionally, the amount of the fellowship was increased 

to $25,000.

In 2005, the NEA Jazz Masters initiative greatly expanded to include 

several new programs in addition to the fellowships. A two-CD anthology 

of NEA Jazz Masters’ music was produced by Verve Music Group. NEA 

Jazz Masters on Tour, sponsored by Verizon, brought jazz musicians 

to all 50 states throughout 2005-07 for performances, community 

events, and educational programs. This led to a new program, NEA 

Jazz Masters Live––administered by regional arts organization Arts 

Midwest––which brings these jazz legends to selected events for 

performances, master classes, and lectures. A new arts education 

component was created in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center and 

with support from the Verizon Foundation, NEA Jazz in the Schools. 

This educational resource for high school teachers of social studies, 

U.S. history, and music includes a five-unit, web-based curriculum and 

DVD toolkit that explores jazz as an indigenous American art form and 

as a means to understand U.S. history (more information can be found 

at www.neajazzintheschools.org). New broadcasting programming was 

created, such as 14 one-hour shows on NEA Jazz Masters featured on 

the public radio series Jazz Profiles, hosted by NEA Jazz Master Nancy 

Wilson; the Legends of Jazz television series (presented by NEA Jazz 

Master Ramsey Lewis); and Jazz Moments radio shorts for broadcast. 

(A selection of Jazz Moments is included on the CD at the end of this 

publication.) 

Each passing year brings increased international recognition of 

the NEA Jazz Masters awards as the nation’s highest honor for outstanding musicianship in the field of jazz. The recipients of the NEA 

Jazz Masters award cover all aspects of the music: from boogie-woogie 

(Cleo Brown) to swing (Count Basie, Andy Kirk, Jay McShann); from 

bebop (Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke) to Dixieland (Danny Barker); 

from free jazz (Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor) to cool jazz (Miles 

Davis, Gil Evans, Ahmad Jamal); and everywhere in between. What 

ties all these styles together is a foundation in the blues, a reliance 

on group interplay, and unpredictable improvisation. Throughout 

the years, and in all the different styles, these musicians have 

demonstrated the talent, creativity, and dedication that make them 

NEA Jazz Masters. 

The award offers a solid platform for raising worldwide awareness 

of America’s rich jazz heritage by not only honoring those who have 

dedicated their lives to the music, but also by leading the way in efforts 

encouraging the preservation and nourishing of jazz as an important 

musical form for generations to come. 
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 3

T he National Endowment for the Arts recognizes 

the importance of jazz as one of the great American art 

forms of the 20th century. As part of its efforts to honor 

those distinguished artists whose excellence, impact, and significant 

contributions in jazz have helped keep this important tradition and art 

form alive, the Arts Endowment annually awards NEA Jazz Masters 

Fellowships, the highest honor that our nation bestows upon jazz 

musicians. Each fellowship award is $25,000.

The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship is a lifetime achievement award. 

The criteria for the fellowships are musical excellence and significance 

of the nominees’ contributions to the art of jazz. The Arts Endowment 

honors a wide range of styles while making the awards. There is also a 

special award given to a non-musician, the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz 

Master Award for Jazz Advocacy, which is awarded to an individual 

who has made major contributions to the appreciation, knowledge, 

and advancement of jazz. 

Fellowships are awarded to living artists on the basis of nominations 

from the general public and the jazz community. The recipients must 

be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. An individual 

may submit only one nomination each year, and nominations are 

made by submitting a one-page letter detailing the reasons that the 

nominated artist should receive an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. 

Nominations submitted to the Arts Endowment by the deadline 

are reviewed by an advisory panel of jazz experts and at least one 

knowledgeable layperson. Panel recommendations are forwarded to 

the National Council on the Arts, which then makes recommendations 

to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Nominations 

remain active for five years, being reviewed annually during this 

period.

Information on the NEA Jazz Masters award is available on the 

NEA website: arts.gov.

Program Overview

NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Cobb addresses the crowd 

at the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters awards ceremony and 

concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Photo by Frank Stewart
4	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Jos L. Knaepen

The Marsalis family in 

concert, with Carlos 

Henriquez on bass. 
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2010 5	

2011

Fellows

HUbert Laws

David Liebman

Johnny Mandel

The Marsalis Family

Orrin Keepnews

NOTES:

Names in bold in biographies denote NEA Jazz 

Masters awardees.

All recordings listed in Selected Discography are under 

the artist’s name unless otherwise noted.

Years listed under recordings in Selected Discography 

denote the years the recordings were made.
6	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Michael Wilderman

2011

HUBERT

LAWS

FLUTIST

Born November 10, 1939 in Houston, TX

Hubert Laws is one of the 

very few to specialize on the 

flute in jazz, using it as his 

primary axe, and in doing so he has become 

the premier musician on the instrument. In 

three decades of playing, he has also mastered 

pop, rhythm-and-blues, and classical genres.

Laws grew up in a musical family, with his 

grandfather playing the harmonica and his mother the 

piano (which influenced his siblings as well as Laws—his 

brother Ronnie is a well-regarded saxophonist and Eloise, Debra, 

and Johnnie are vocalists). Laws started on flute for his high school 

orchestra, initially to play the William Tell Overture. He also became 

enamored with jazz at this time, and began playing regularly with a 

Houston group that eventually became known as the Crusaders.

Laws won a classical scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard 

School in New York City, studying with master flutist Julius Baker. 

At the same time, he was gigging at night, playing with jazz and Latin 

musicians such as Mongo Santamaria, Lloyd Price, and John Lewis, 

as well as with classical orchestras such as Orchestra USA and the 

Tanglewood Festival Orchestra. 

In 1964, he began recording as a bandleader, amassing more 

than 20 albums to his name. Laws is also an accomplished session 

musician, and has worked on recordings with Chick Corea, Miles 

Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Sarah

Vaughan, and Stevie Wonder, among others. 

He also worked on film scores for The Wiz and 

The Color Purple and collaborated on film 

soundtracks with Quincy Jones, Bob James, 

and Claude Bolling for California Suite and 

with Earl Klugh and Pat Williams on the music 

for How to Beat the High Cost of Living.

In addition to his jazz work, Laws has appeared 

as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic under 

the direction of Zubin Mehta, and with the orchestras of 

Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, and Los Angeles, and the 

Stanford String Quartet. He performed in a sold-out Hollywood 

Bowl concert with fellow flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal and in the same 

venue in 1982 with the Modern Jazz Quartet. While a member of the 

New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestras, he also 

was featured at the Playboy Jazz Festival (Los Angeles), Kool Jazz 

Festival (Rhode Island), and Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival. 

In addition he has recorded with opera singers Jessye Norman and 

Kathleen Battle (on the 1991 release Spirituals in Concert). 

In 2006, a 30-year retrospective video on Laws was released 

with live performances. DownBeat readers’ polls have selected him 

“Number One Flutist” for 12 years and a Critic’s Choice for seven 

consecutive years. He has performed annually at Carnegie Hall.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Afro-Classic

Mosaic Contemporary, 1970

In the Beginning

Columbia, 1974

Remembers the Unforgettable 

Nat ‘King’ Cole

RKO, 1998

Moondance

Savoy Jazz, 2003

Flute Adaptations of 

Rachmaninov & Barber

Spirit Productions, 2008
0000

Photo by Jan Persson/CTSIMAGES

DAVID

LIEBMAN

SAXOPHONIST FLUTIST EDUCATOR

Born September 4, 1946 in Brooklyn, NY 

2011

 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 7	

David Liebman has shown an 

ability to play in any style of jazz, 

especially on what has become 

his instrument of choice, the soprano sax. 

In addition, he has been a strong advocate 

of the music, having founded the International 

Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ), an 

organization dedicated to bringing together educators 

and students from jazz schools worldwide. 

He began classical piano lessons at age nine, soon switching 

to saxophone. His interest in jazz was sparked especially by hearing 

John Coltrane perform in various New York City clubs. Throughout 

high school and college, Liebman continued playing jazz, learning 

“from the street” as was the way before jazz education was more 

common, though he did spend periods studying with Joe Allard, 

Lennie Tristano, and Charles Lloyd. 

In the 1970s, Liebman came into his own, founding Free Life 

Communication, a cooperative of several dozen young musicians that 

became an integral part of the fertile New York “loft” jazz scene. He 

soon found a spot as saxophonist/flutist in drummer Elvin Jones’ 

group, and then was hired by Miles Davis. Liebman played on Davis’ 

last two recordings before the trumpeter’s temporary retirement in the 

late 1970s, Get Up with It and On the Corner. 

At the same time, Liebman was also exploring his own music, 

beginning a long relationship with pianist Richie Beirach in the 

group Lookout Farm. In 1977, he toured internationally with pianist 

Chick Corea followed by forming the David 

Liebman Quintet, featuring guitarist John 

Scofield. In 1981, he founded Quest, a group 

that remained active with varying lineups until 

1991 and has reunited in recent years. His 

work has continued to move in many unusual 

directions, with projects ranging from Puccini arias 

to overdubbed solo recordings, from adaptations of 

jazz standards to world music and fusion. 

Throughout his career, Liebman has been keen to work 

on the international jazz scene, playing with influential European 

musicians such as Joachim Kühn, Daniel Humair, Paolo Fresu, Jon 

Christensen, and Bobo Stenson. 

In addition to serving as IASJ’s artistic director, he is presently 

artist-in-residence at the Manhattan School of Music and lectures at 

universities and clinic settings all over the world. He also has received 

performance and teaching grants from the National Endowment 

for the Arts and the Canadian Arts Council. Additional educational 

activities include publishing instructional books and DVDs such as Self 

Portrait of A Jazz Artist; A Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony 

and Melody; and Developing A Personal Saxophone Sound. 

Since 1973, he has consistently placed among the “Top Three” in 

the DownBeat Critics Poll in the category of soprano saxophone; other 

awards include an honorary doctorate from the Sibelius Academy in 

Finland and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Lookout Farm

ECM Records, 1973

David Liebman & Richie Beirach, Mosaic Select

Mosaic, 1976-91

Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner

CMP Records, 1985

Negative Space

Verve, 2005

Lieb Plays Weill

Daybreak, 2008
8	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Carol Friedman

JOHNNY

MANDEL

Composer Arranger Trumpeter Trombonist

Born November 23, 1925 in New York, NY 

2011

J ohnny Mandel is considered 

one of the nation’s top composer/

arrangers in jazz, pop, and film 

music. The breadth and quality of his work 

made it possible to be recorded by a wide variety 

of jazz musicians and singers. 

Mandel’s parents discovered that he—at the

age of five—had perfect pitch, and started him on 

piano lessons. He eventually moved on to playing horns 

(“I wanted to play an instrument you could kiss,” he is quoted 

as saying), studying at the Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard 

School, both in New York City. In the 1940s, he played the trumpet 

with Joe Venuti and Billy Rogers, and trombone in the orchestras 

of Boyd Rayburn, Jimmy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Georgie Auld, and 

Chubby Jackson. 

From 1951-53, he played and arranged music in the band of 

Elliott Lawrence and Count Basie. Later he relocated to Los Angeles, 

where he played the bass trumpet for Zoot Sims. He also showed a 

prowess for composing, writing the jazz compositions “Not Really 

the Blues” for Woody Herman, “Hershey Bar” and “Pot Luck” 

for Stan Getz, “Straight Life” and “Low Life” for Count Basie, and 

“Tommyhawk” for Chet Baker. 

Mandel moved to Hollywood in 1957 and began working on film 

scores, utilizing his outstanding compositional and arranging gifts.

His score for the Susan Hayward movie I Want To Live is considered 

the first time that jazz had been integrated successfully into a musical 

score. He went on to earn a reputation as a 

film composer/arranger, including two of his 

more famous numbers: “Suicide Is Painless,” 

which was used as the theme for the movie 

M*A*S*H (whose soundtrack includes a version 

played by Ahmad Jamal), and “The Shadow of 

Your Smile” for the movie The Sandpiper, which 

won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Song. He 

has provided music for more than 30 films, including 

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! and 

Being There. 

By the early 1960s, Mandel’s reputation was such that the biggest 

names in jazz and pop wanted to work with him. Frank Sinatra chose

him as arranger for his 1961 release Ring-a-Ding-Ding! In 1966, he 

served as musical director on Tony Bennett’s The Movie Song Album 

and collaborated again more recently, on Bennett’s album The Art of 

Romance (2004). Other singers who have sought his talents out include 

Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Shirley Horn, Diana Krall, Peggy Lee, 

Anita O’Day, Barbra Streisand, and Nancy Wilson. 

Mandel has received five Grammy Awards: Song of the Year for 

Tony Bennett’s performance of “The Shadow of Your Smile” and Best

Original Score for The Sandpiper (both 1965), Best Arrangment on an 

Instrumental Recording for Quincy Jones’ song “Velas” (1981), Best 

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for Natalie Cole’s 

Unforgettable (1991) and for Shirley Horn’s Here’s to Life (1992). 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Original Soundtrack Recording, 

I Want To Live

Rykodisc, 1958

Frank Sinatra, Ring-a-Ding-Ding!

Reprise, 1960

Anita O’Day, Trav’lin’ Light

Verve, 1961

Original Soundtrack Recording, M*A*S*H

Columbia, 1970

Shirley Horn, Here’s to Life

Verve, 1992
0000

 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 9	

Photo by Jos L. Knaepen

2011

I t is perhaps not surprising that the 

first group award of the NEA Jazz Masters 

has gone to the Marsalis family, which

boasts five members who have impacted the field 

of jazz. 

The story starts in New Orleans, with the 

birth of Ellis, Jr. in 1934. Although the city was 

noted for Dixieland and rhythm-and-blues, Ellis was 

more interested in bebop. In addition to his skillful piano 

playing, he became the director of jazz studies at the New 

Orleans Center for Creative Arts high school in 1974, mentoring such 

contemporary artists as Terence Blanchard, and Harry Connick, Jr. 

(Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason attended the center as well). 

Later, he headed the jazz studies department of the University of New 

Orleans for 12 years. In 2008, Ellis was inducted into the Louisiana 

Music Hall of Fame. 

The story doesn’t end with Ellis though—four of his sons 

continued in the family business of music, including Branford and 

Wynton, both whom started out in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and 

then began working together on albums that introduced some of the 

emerging stars in the music: Marcus Roberts, Kenny Kirkland, Jeff 

Watts, and Wessell Anderson, among others. 

For two years during the 1990s, Branford was the musical director 

of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, making jazz more widely 

known to the general public. After Hurricane Katrina devastated 

New Orleans in 2005, Branford teamed with Harry Connick, Jr. and 

Habitat for Humanity to create Musicians’ Village in the city’s Upper 

Ninth Ward to assist New Orleans musicians.

In 1996, Wynton co-founded Jazz at 

Lincoln Center (JALC), becoming its artistic 

director and music director of the JALC 

Orchestra. In 1997, he became the first jazz 

artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music 

for his work Blood on the Fields. In addition 

to numerous awards and honorary doctorates he 

received, Wynton was also awarded the National Medal 

of Arts in 2005. 

Younger brother Delfeayo has proven himself a well-regarded 

jazz producer, working with various family members throughout the 

years. His insistence upon recording “without usage of the dreaded 

bass direct” for Branford in the 1980s was the key element to the 

change in jazz recording techniques over the past 20 years. As a noted 

trombonist, Delfeayo has also played on his brothers’ albums as well 

as fronting his own band. 

Jason, the youngest of the Marsalis sons, took up drumming at age 

six and began sitting in with his father’s band at age seven, then made 

his recording debut at age 13 on Delfeayo’s Pontius Pilate’s Decision. 

He joined the band Los Hombres Calientes with Irvin Mayfield 

and Bill Summers in 1998, playing on their first two albums, which 

blended Afro-Cuban and Latin American elements with jazz. 

The Marsalis family, together and individually, have made 

significant contributions to the preservation of jazz, the expansion of 

the art form, and the education of students of jazz. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Ellis Marsalis, The Classic Ellis Marsalis

Boplicity, 1963

Wynton Marsalis, Standard Time Vol. 3–

The Resolution of Romance

Columbia, 1990

Ellis & Branford Marsalis, Loved Ones

Columbia, 1995

The Marsalis Family: 

A Jazz Celebration

Marsalis Music, 2001

Music Redeems

Marsalis Music, 2009 

THE

MARSALIS

FAMILY

Ellis Pianist, Educator

Born November 14, 1934 in New Orleans, LA 

Branford Saxophonist, Composer , Arran ger, Bandleader , Educator

Born August 26, 1960 in Breaux Bridge, LA

Wynton Trumpeter, Composer , Arran ger, Bandleader , Educator

Born October 18, 1961 in New Orleans, LA

Delfeayo Trombonist, Producer , Educator

Born July 28, 1965 in New Orleans, LA

Jason DRUMMER, Vibraphon ist

Born March 4, 1977 in New Orleans, LA
10		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo courtesy of the Recording Academy

2011

ORRIN

KEEPNEWS

PRODUCER WRITER

Born March 2, 1923 in New York, NY 

Recognized as one of the outstanding record producers in the 

jazz world, Orrin Keepnews 

co-founded Riverside Records in the early 

1950s, launching or furthering the careers 

of several of the most notable names in jazz, 

beginning with such significant artists as Thelonious 

Monk, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins, 

and Cannonball Adderley. He has long been at the 

forefront of producing reissues of both traditional and modern 

jazz recordings, and is also known for his informative, incisive, and 

extensively detailed liner notes. 

Graduating from Columbia University in 1943 and then serving in 

the Air Force, Keepnews returned to Columbia for graduate studies 

in 1946. Two years later, he became editor of The Record Changer 

magazine, which was newly owned by his former college classmate 

and noted jazz record collector, Bill Grauer. In 1952, Grauer and 

Keepnews founded Riverside, which originally focused on reissues 

of traditional jazz and blues recordings. In 1954, they signed pianist 

Randy Weston, their first modern jazz artist. From that point on, 

the label began to focus on the burgeoning modern jazz scene, with 

Keepnews doing the producing. Promising new artists such as Clark 

Terry, Johnny Griffin, and Jimmy Heath were signed to the label, 

quickly making Riverside a major force among the New York-based 

independent labels. But at the end of 1963, the label folded after the 

death of Grauer. 

Keepnews launched Milestone Records in 

1966 with a new partner, pianist Dick Katz, 

attracting such high quality artists as Joe 

Henderson, Lee Konitz, and McCoy Tyner. 

In 1972, he relocated to San Francisco, heading 

jazz activities at Fantasy Records (which had 

acquired the Riverside catalog). Keepnews oversaw 

the reissue of many of the albums he had produced 

earlier in his career at Riverside, frequently including 

unissued alternate performances. 

He left Fantasy at the end of 1980 to concentrate on independent 

production and after a few years founded another label, Landmark 

Records. Among its first releases were two unique albums, one 

of compositions by Bill Evans and the other primarily involving 

Thelonious Monk material, both performed by the Kronos Quartet. 

He sold the company in 1993, but remains active in the recording 

industry, primarily by working on reissue and remastering compilations 

on compact disc. A substantial collection of his essays, album notes, 

reviews, and other commentaries was published in book form in 1988 

as The View from Within: Jazz Writings, 1948-87. 

Keepnews has won four Grammy Awards: Best Album Notes for 

Bill Evans’ The Interplay Sessions (1983); Best Album Notes and Best 

Historical Album for Thelonious Monk’s The Complete Riverside 

Recordings (1987); and Best Historical Album for The Duke Ellington 

Centennial Edition – The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-

1973) (1999). In 2004, he was awarded a NARAS Trustees Award for 

Lifetime Achievement.

A.B. SPELLMAN NEA JAZZ MASTERS award FOR JAZZ ADVOCACY

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners

Riverside Records, 1956

Bill Evans, Everybody Digs Bill Evans 

Riverside Records, 1958

Cannonball Adderley, The Cannonball Adderley 

Quintet in San Francisco

Riverside Records, 1959

Wes Montgomer y, The Incredible Jazz 

Guitar of Wes Montgomery

Riverside Records, 1960

McCoy Tyner , Fly with the Wind

Milestone Records, 1976
1982–2010

NOTES:

Names in bold in biographies denote NEA Jazz 

Masters awardees.

All recordings listed in Selected Discography are under 

the artist’s name unless otherwise noted.

Years listed under recordings in Selected Discography 

denote the years the recordings were made.
12		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Michael Wilderman

MUHAL RICHARD

ABRAMS

Pianist Composer Educator

Born September 19, 1930 in Chicago, IL 

Abrams first traveled to Europe in 1973 

while still residing in Chicago. After relocating 

to New York in 1977, he traveled extensively 

to Europe and Japan, gradually acquiring 

a greater international reputation. In 1990 

he became the first recipient of the prestigious 

Danish JAZZPAR Award, and almost a decade 

later Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley issued a 

proclamation declaring April 11, 1999, to be Muhal 

Richard Abrams Day. In 2008, he was chosen by United 

States Artists to be a Prudential Fellow in the field of music. In 2010, 

he was selected for the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.

Abrams’ compositional prowess is evident even beyond jazz. 

His Tranversion Op. 6 was performed by the Detroit Symphony 

Orchestra and his String Quartet No. 2 was performed by renowned 

chamber ensemble Kronos Quartet.

During the last 30 years, Abrams has taught jazz composition and 

improvisational classes at Columbia University, Syracuse University, 

Stanford University, Mills College, University of California in San 

Diego, the New England Conservatory in Boston, and the BMI 

Composers Workshop in New York City. He also taught internationally 

in Finland, Canada, and Italy.

Abrams’ current activities include composing for various types 

of instrumental combinations, performing solo piano concerts, and 

touring throughout the world with various ensembles. 

Muhal Richard Abrams—pianist, composer, administrator, 

and educator—is predominately 

a self-taught musician. He is highly respected by 

critics and musical peers as both a pianist and 

composer in a variety of musical styles, including 

jazz, extended forms of improvisation, and classical 

music. 

In the 1950s, Abrams wrote arrangements for pianist 

King Fleming’s Jazz Orchestra. From 1957-59, he played 

hard bop in Walter Perkins’ group MJT + 3 (Modern Jazz Two Plus 

Three) and accompanied leading jazz performers during their visits 

to Chicago, including Kenny Durham, Art Farmer, Hank Mobley, 

Ray Nance, Max Roach, and Sonny Stitt. In 1961, Abrams began 

his foray into extended forms of composition and improvisation in his 

Experimental Band, which included musicians such as saxophonists 

Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman. 

Abrams is a co-founder of the Association for the Advancement 

of Creative Musicians (AACM) in 1965, founder of the AACM School 

of Music, and currently president of the AACM New York Chapter. 

AACM, which has played a crucial role in the development of original 

approaches to extended forms of composition and improvisation, 

has produced such distinguished members as Anthony Braxton, 

Kalaparush Ahra Difda, Leroy Jenkins, Steve McCall, Amina 

Claudine Myers, Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, and members 

of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Levels and Degrees of Light

Delmark, 1967

Spiral Live at Montreux 1978

Novus, 1978

Rejoicing with the Light

Black Saint, 1983

UMO Jazz Or chestra, 

Plays the Music of 

Muhal Richard Abrams

Slam, 1988

Streaming

Pi, 2005

2010
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 13

Photo by Lee Tanner

Toshiko

Akiyoshi

Bandleader Pianist Composer Arranger

Born December 12, 1929 in Dairen, Manchuria

Over the course of a sixdecade career, pianist, bandleader, and composer-arranger 

Toshiko Akiyoshi has made a unique and vital 

contribution to the art of big band jazz. Born in 

Manchuria, where she began playing the piano 

at age six, Akiyoshi moved back to Japan with 

her parents at the end of World War II. Her family, 

enduring the hardships of the period, could not provide 

her with an instrument, and so, just to touch a piano, she took 

her first job as a musician playing in a dance-hall band. 

She was not exposed to real jazz until a Japanese record 

collector introduced her to the work of Teddy Wilson, whose 

music immediately impressed her. In 1952, pianist Oscar Peterson 

discovered Akiyoshi while he was on a Jazz at the Philharmonic tour 

of Japan and recommended that producer Norman Granz record 

her. Thanks to this opportunity, she came to the United States in 

1956 to study at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. She moved 

to New York in 1959, playing at Birdland, the Village Gate, the Five 

Spot, and the Half Note; but despite a brief attempt in the 1960s to 

showcase her talents as a composer and arranger for large ensembles, 

she did not have the opportunity to form a big band until she moved to 

Los Angeles in 1972 with her husband, saxophonist/flutist Lew 

Tabackin. The following year, the couple formed the Toshiko Akiyoshi 

Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin. In 

1976, the band placed first in the DownBeat 

Critics’ Poll, and Akiyoshi’s album Long 

Yellow Road was named best jazz album 

of the year by Stereo Review. In the 1970s, 

Akiyoshi began exploring Japanese themes in 

her compositions and arrangements, mixing them 

with the strong jazz base in her music. 

In 1982, the couple returned to New York, where 

Akiyoshi re-formed her band with New York musicians. The 

band enjoyed a critically successful debut at Carnegie Hall as part of 

the 1983 Kool Jazz Festival. Akiyoshi has recorded 22 albums to date 

with the orchestra. Her recording Four Seasons of Morita Village was 

awarded the 1996 Swing Journal Silver Award, and her big band 

albums have received 14 Grammy Award nominations. Akiyoshi is 

the first woman ever to place first in the Best Arranger and Composer 

category in the DownBeat Readers’ Poll. 

In 1995, the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra was invited to 

play in China, and in 1996 Akiyoshi completed her autobiography 

Life With Jazz, which is now in its fifth printing in Japanese. Among 

the many honors she has received are the Shijahosho (1999, from the 

Emperor of Japan); the Japan Foundation Award, Order of the Rising 

Sun, Gold Rays with Rosetta (2004, from the Emperor of Japan); and 

the Asahi Award (2005, from the Asahi Shimbun newspaper).

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Long Yellow Road

RCA, 1974-75

Carnegie Hall Concert

Columbia, 1991

Four Seasons of Morita Village

BMG, 1996

Hiroshima: Rising from the Abyss

True Life, 2001

Toshiko Ak iyoshi and the SWR Band,

Let Freedom Swing

Hanssler 2007

2007
14		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

same time, he was acquiring a reputation as 

a jazz researcher and critic of some renown, 

having pieces printed in Tempo, DownBeat, 

Metronome, Mademoiselle, Pic, and the New 

York Times. Concerned about the lack of jazz 

education, in 1946 Avakian started a course in 

jazz history at the university level at New York 

University. 

In 1948, Avakian introduced the LP record format 

created by Columbia engineers and produced the industry’s 

first 100 long-playing discs of popular music and jazz. Two years later, 

he released the original 1938 recording of Benny Goodman’s Carnegie 

Hall concert—one of the first jazz albums to sell more than a million 

copies. This inspired him to use the long-play format for something 

new—the live recording. 

From 1959 onward, Avakian served as producer at Warner 

Brothers, World Pacific, RCA Victor, and Atlantic, among others. 

During the early 1960s, Avakian branched out, becoming the manager 

of Charles Lloyd and later of Keith Jarrett. 

He has received a knighthood from the Knights of Malta (1984); 

the former Soviet Union’s highest decoration (the Order of Lenin 

(1990)); a Lifetime Achievement Award from DownBeat magazine 

(2000); and Europe’s prestigious jazz award, the Django d’ Or (2006). 

In 2008, France bestowed on him the rank of Commandeur des Arts et 

Lettres, and in 2009 he received the Trustees Award from the National 

Association of Recording Arts and Sciences for contributions to the 

music industry worldwide.

George Avakian is a record 

producer and industry executive 

known particularly for his production of jazz and popular albums at Columbia 

Records, including the first regular series of 

reissues of jazz albums. In 1948, he helped 

establish the 33 1/3-rpm LP as the primary format 

for popular music.

Avakian was born in Russia to Armenian parents, 

who moved the family to New York City in the early 1920s. In 

his teens he became enamored of jazz through radio programs such as 

Let’s Dance with Benny Goodman. While a student at Yale University, 

Avakian convinced Decca Records to let him produce a 78-rpm record 

of Eddie Condon, Pee Wee Russell, and others from the 1920s jazz 

scene in Chicago. Entitled Chicago Jazz, the recordings marked the 

first time jazz songs were produced in an album format rather than 

as singles. 

In 1940, he was asked by Columbia to produce the industry’s 

first annotated reissue album series, called Hot Jazz Classics, which 

included seminal out-of-print selections from Louis Armstrong, Bessie 

Smith, Bix Beiderbecke, Fletcher Henderson, and Duke Ellington. He 

included the first-ever unreleased and alternate takes in the series. In 

effect, he had created the first history of jazz on records.

After service in the U.S. Army during World War II, Avakian 

began his 12-year tenure as a Columbia Records executive, eventually 

presiding over its Popular Music and International Divisions. At the 

0000

Photo by Ian P. Clifford

GEORGE

AVAKIAN

Producer Manager Critic Jazz Historian Educator

Born March 15, 1919 in Armavir, Russia

2010 A.B. SPELLMAN NEA JAZZ MASTERS award FOR JAZZ ADVOCACY

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Louis Arm strong, Plays W. C. Handy

Columbia, 1954

Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport

Columbia, 1956

Miles Davis and Gil Evans, Miles Ahead 

Columbia, 1957

Benny Goodman, In Moscow

RCA Victor, 1962

Sonny Rollins, Our Man in Jazz 

RCA Victor, 1962-63
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 15

worked on purely chamber and orchestral 

works. By the early 1970s, he had returned 

to the trombone––playing on Bill Evans’ 

1972 album Living Time, with George 

Russell arranging––while continuing to play 

the cello as well. Although a strong player on 

both instruments, he is most renowned for his 

compositions. 

Baker became a distinguished professor of 

music at Indiana University and chairman of the Jazz 

Department in 1966. He has published in numerous scholarly journals 

and has written several musical treatises as well as having more than 

2,000 compositions, 500 commissions, 65 recordings, and 70 books on 

jazz and African-American music to his credit. Since 1991, Baker has 

been the artistic and musical director of the acclaimed Smithsonian 

Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.

He has received numerous awards and citations, including being 

nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for his composition Levels, a 

concerto for bass, jazz band, woodwinds, and strings; and receiving an 

Emmy Award for his musical score of the PBS documentary For Gold 

and Glory. He has served as a member of the NEA’s National Council 

on the Arts, was founding president of the National Jazz Service 

Organization, and is former president of the International Association 

for Jazz Education.

Atrue jazz renaissance man, 

David Baker has been active in 

the jazz community as musician, 

composer, educator, conductor, and author. Of 

all the NEA Jazz Masters, he is one of the most 

active as a college and university educator.

Baker’s music career began on the trombone 

in the early 1950s as he worked with local groups, as 

well as Lionel Hampton, while working on his doctorate 

at Indiana University. He lived in California in 1956-57, 

playing in the bands of Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson, and 

returned to Indiana in 1958, leading his own big band for two years. 

He then attended the School of Jazz in Lenox, Massachusetts, in 1959-

60, joining a stellar class of musicians that included members of the 

Ornette Coleman Quartet. Shortly thereafter he worked with the 

George Russell band, playing on some of his influential early albums.

In Russell’s band, Baker’s trombone playing displayed exceptional 

technique, utilizing avant-garde effects to accent the songs. 

An accident to his jaw eventually forced Baker to abandon his 

promising career as a trombonist. He switched to the cello in 1962, 

concentrating on composition. As a composer he has contributed 

a broad range of works, from small ensemble to orchestral, often 

straddling the fence between jazz and chamber music. He has also 

0000

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

DAVID

BAKER

trombonist cellist composer ARRANGER educator

Born December 21, 1931 in Indianapolis, IN 

2000

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

george ru ssell, Stratusphunk

original jazz classics,1960

The Harlem Pipes

Liscio, 1985–86, 2003

Smithsonian Jazz Masterw orks Or chestra, 

Tribute to a Generation

Smithsonian Folkways, 1992–1998

Steppin’ Out

Liscio, 1998

buselli/WAllarab jazz orchestra, 

Basically Baker

GM recordings, 2004
16		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

DANNY

BARKER

guitarist banjoist vocalist co mposer educator

Born January 13, 1909 in New Orleans, LA

Died March 13, 1994 

recordings in Los Angeles and New Orleans. 

In 1947, Barker appeared on the This Is Jazz

radio series, and began playing banjo again. 

He returned to New York in 1949, working 

with trombonists Wilbur De Paris and Conrad 

Janis, and accompanied his wife on gigs. In the 

early 1960s, he led his own band at Jimmy Ryan’s 

on 52nd Street, then returned to the Crescent City 

in 1965. Barker continued playing up to the end of his 

life, even appearing on the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s 1993 

recording, Jelly. A number of his compositions have been widely 

interpreted, such as “Save the Bones for Henry Jones.”

Just as important as his performing career were his educational 

activities. When he returned home to New Orleans in 1965, he 

worked for 10 years as an assistant curator for the New Orleans Jazz 

Museum, helping to continue interest in the culture and tradition of 

the music. He also mentored young musicians through his leadership 

of the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band. Barker was a writer as 

well, co-authoring with Jack Buerkle a study on New Orleans music, 

Bourbon Street Black, and writing his memoirs, A Life in Jazz. 

Upholder of the New Orleans 

tradition of jazz and blues, this 

master guitar and banjo player was 

as well known for his humor and storytelling 

as for his playing. Many of the younger New 

Orleans musicians also credit him with providing 

invaluable information, instruction, and mentoring. 

He started his musical training on the clarinet, 

instructed by the great Barney Bigard, and moved on to 

the drums, taught by his uncle, Paul Barbarin. These instances 

of musical guidance and instruction available in New Orleans would 

inspire him to carry on the tradition of mentoring younger musicians. 

He later took up the ukulele and the banjo, and began finding work 

with jazz and blues artists such as the Boozan Kings and Little 

Brother Montgomery. In 1930 he moved to New York, where he met 

his wife, vocalist Blue Lu Barker, with whom he frequently recorded. 

He also wrote many of the songs she performed, such as “Don’t You 

Feel My Leg.” By then he had switched from banjo to guitar and 

found work with Sidney Bechet, James P. Johnson, Albert Nicholas, 

Fess Williams, and Henry “Red” Allen. He spent the rest of the 1930s 

working with the big bands of Lucky Millinder, Benny Carter, and 

Cab Calloway, with whom he stayed for seven years. 

In the late 1940s he traveled as a freelance musician, making 

1991

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Blue Lu Barker , 1938-39 

Classics, 1938-39

Blue Lu Barker , 1946-49 

Classics, 1946-49

Save the Bones

Orleans, 1988

Blue Lu Barker , Live at 

New Orleans Jazz Festival

Orleans, 1989

Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jelly 

Columbia, 1993
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 17

a house musician for the Prestige, Blue Note, 

and Riverside record labels.

Barretto’s first job as a bandleader came 

in 1961, when Riverside producer Orrin 

Keepnews asked him to form a charanga for 

a recording, Pachanga With Barretto. His next 

album, Charanga Moderna, featured “El Watusi,” 

which became the first Latin number to penetrate 

Billboard’s Top-20 chart. In 1963, “El Watusi” went 

gold. In 1975 and 1976, Barretto earned back-to-back 

Grammy nominations for his albums Barretto (with the prize-winning 

hit “Guarere”) and Barretto Live...Tomorrow. His 1979 album for 

Fania, Rican/Struction, considered a classic of salsa, was named Best 

Album (1980) by Latin N.Y. magazine, and Barretto was named Conga 

Player of the Year. He won a Grammy Award in 1990 for the song 

“Ritmo en el Corazon” with Celia Cruz. 

Barretto was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall 

of Fame in 1999. He was voted Jazz Percussionist of 2004 by the 

Jazz Journalists Association and won the DownBeat critics poll for 

percussion in 2005. His recording Time Was, Time Is was nominated 

for a 2005 Grammy Award.

The most widely recorded conguero in jazz, Ray Barretto grew up 

listening to the music of Puerto Rico 

and the swing bands of Duke Ellington, Count 

Basie, and Benny Goodman. Barretto credited 

Dizzy Gillespie’s recording of “Manteca,” 

featuring conguero Chano Pozo, with his decision 

to become a professional musician.

He first sat in on jam sessions at the Orlando, a 

G.I. jazz club in Munich. In 1949, after military service, he 

returned to Harlem and taught himself to play the drums, getting 

his first regular job with Eddie Bonnemere’s Latin Jazz Combo. 

Barretto then played for four years with Cuban bandleader/pianist 

José Curbelo. In 1957, he replaced Mongo Santamaria in Tito 

Puente’s band, with which he recorded his first album, Dance 

Mania. After four years with Puente, he was one of the most soughtafter percussionists in New York, attending jam sessions with artists 

including Max Roach and Art Blakey and recording with Sonny 

Stitt, Lou Donaldson, Red Garland, Gene Ammons, Eddie “Lockjaw” 

Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Freddie Hubbard, Cal Tjader, and 

Dizzy Gillespie. Barretto was so much in demand that in 1960 he was 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

RAY

BARRETTO

pERCUSSIONist bANDLEADER

Born April 29, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY

Died February 17, 2006 

2006

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Charanga Moderna

Tico, 1962

Hard Hands

Fania, 1968

Rican/Struction

Fania, 1979 

Ancestral Messages

Concord Picante, 1992

Homage to Art Blakey and 

the Jazz Messengers

Sunnyside, 2002
18		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

comprised Barron, Buster Williams, and 

Monk band alumni Ben Riley and Charlie 

Rouse. After Rouse’s passing in 1988, the 

band took a hiatus before reuniting in 1998 

(with alto saxophonist Gary Bartz replacing 

Rouse) and releasing a recording for Verve 

Records. 

Barron’s own recordings have earned him 

nine Grammy nominations, among them Spirit Song, 

Sambao, Night and the City (a duet recording with Charlie 

Haden), and Wanton Spirit (a trio recording with Roy Haynes

and Haden). He has won numerous jazz critics and readers’ polls 

from DownBeat, JazzTimes, and Jazziz magazines; and is a seventime recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Best Pianist” 

honors. 

As a composer, Barron’s works have been featured in film and 

documentaries, and he most recently scored the film Another Harvest 

Moon. In 2009 he was named a Living Legacy by the Mid Atlantic Arts 

Foundation and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 

2005. 

As a long-standing professor of music at Rutgers University (1974-

2000), Barron mentored many of today’s established jazz talents, 

including David Sanchez, Terence Blanchard, and Regina Bell. He 

continues to tour internationally solo and with his trio.

With more than 40 albums to 

his name, and scores more that 

he has appeared on, Kenny 

Barron’s imprint on jazz is large. The pianist 

has been recognized the world over as a master 

of performance and composition.

Barron started playing professionally 

in Philadelphia as a teenager with Mel Melvin’s 

orchestra, which also featured Barron’s brother Bill on 

tenor saxophone. At age 19, Barron moved to New York City 

and was hired by James Moody after the tenor saxophonist heard him 

play at the Five Spot. In 1962, he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s band, an 

association that developed his appreciation for Latin and Caribbean 

rhythms. After five years with Gillespie, Barron began to perform 

with Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Buddy Rich, and Stanley 

Turrentine. In 1971, he joined Yusef Lateef’s band, an experience 

that Barron acknowledges as having been a key influence on his 

improvisational skills. Three years later, Barron recorded Sunset to 

Dawn, his first album as a leader.

Throughout the 1980s, Barron collaborated with the great tenor 

saxophonist Stan Getz, touring with his quartet and recording 

several albums, one of which was nominated for a Grammy Award 

(People Time). In 1982, he co-founded the quartet Sphere, which 

was dedicated to Thelonious Monk’s music and inspiration. Sphere 

Photo by Lee Tanner

KENNY

BARRON

Pianist Composer Educator

Born Born June 9, 1943 in Philadelphia, PA

2010

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Peruvian Blue

32 Jazz, 1974

Sphere, Four in One

Elektra, 1982

Wanton Spirit

Verve, 1994

Canta Brasil

Sunnyside, 2002

The Traveler

Sunnyside, 2007
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 19

Photo by Lee Tanner

COUNT

BASIE

bandleader pianist organist composer arranger

Born August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, NJ

Died April 26, 1984 

and Herschel Evans on saxophones; Buck 

Clayton and Sweets Edison on trumpets; 

and Benny Morton and Dicky Wells on 

trombones. With a swinging rhythm section 

and top-notch soloists in the horn section, 

Basie’s band became one of the most popular 

between 1937-49, scoring such swing hits as “One 

O’Clock Jump” and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside.” 

Lester Young’s tenor saxophone playing during this 

period, in particular on such recordings as “Lester Leaps In” 

and “Taxi War Dance,” influenced jazz musicians for years to come. 

In addition, Basie’s use of great singers such as Helen Humes and 

Jimmy Rushing enhanced his band’s sound and popularity. 

Economics forced Basie to pare down to a septet in 1950. By 

1952 he had returned to his big band sound, organizing what became 

euphemistically known as his “New Testament” band, which began 

a residency at Birdland in New York. The new band retained the 

same high standards of musicianship as the earlier version, with such 

standouts as Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Eddie “Lockjaw” Smith, Thad 

Jones, and Joe Williams. Foster’s composition “Shiny Stockings” and 

Williams’ rendition of “Every Day” brought Basie a couple of muchneeded hits in the mid-1950s. In addition to achieving success with his 

own singers, he also enjoyed acclaim for records backing such stars as 

Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Tony Bennett. Basie continued 

to perform and record until his death in 1984.

Though a pianist and occasional 

organist, William “Count” Basie’s 

fame stems mainly from his history 

as one of the great bandleaders. Basie’s 

arrangements made good use of soloists, allowing 

musicians such as Lester Young, Buck Clayton, 

Sweets Edison, and Frank Foster to create some 

of their best work. Although his strength was as a 

bandleader, Basie’s sparse piano style often delighted 

audiences with its swinging simplicity.

Basie’s first teacher was his mother, who taught him piano. Later, 

the informal organ lessons from his mentor Fats Waller helped him 

find work in a theater accompanying silent films. In 1927, Basie found 

himself in Kansas City, playing with two of the most famous bands in 

the city: Walter Page’s Blue Devils and the Bennie Moten band. In 

1935, Basie started his own Kansas City band, engaging the core of the 

Moten band. They performed nightly radio broadcasts, which caught 

the attention of music producer John Hammond. In 1936, Hammond 

brought the Basie band to New York, where it opened at the Roseland 

Ballroom. By the next year, the band was a fixture on 52nd Street, in 

residence at the Famous Door. 

During this time the key to Basie’s band was what became 

known as the “All-American Rhythm Section”––Freddie Green on 

guitar, Walter Page on bass, and Jo Jones on drums. The horns 

were also quite potent, including Lester Young, Earl Warren, 

1983

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Original American 

Decca Recordings

MCA, 1937-39

April in Paris

Verve, 1956

The Complete Atomic Basie

Roulette, 1957

Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 

Impulse!, 1962

The Basie Big Band

Pablo, 1975
20		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

a dozen books on drums and percussion, and 

was a six-time Grammy Award nominee. In 

1998, he was hailed—along with Roy Haynes, 

Elvin Jones, and Max Roach—as one of four 

“Living Legends of Music” when he received the 

American Drummers Achievement Award from 

the Zildjian Company. 

Bellson also was a highly sought-after educator, 

giving music and drum workshops and clinics, teaching 

not only his dynamic drumming technique but also jazz 

heritage. He was awarded four honorary doctoral degrees from 

Northern Illinois University, Denison University, Augustana College, 

and DePaul University.

In 2003, a historical landmark was dedicated at his birthplace in 

Rock Falls, Illinois, inaugurating an annual three-day celebration 

there in his honor. His 2005 recording, The Sacred Music of Louie 

Bellson, showcased his prowess for blending orchestral music, choir, 

and big band. In 2007, Bellson was one of 36 musicians receiving the 

Living Jazz Legend Award from the Kennedy Center and one of three 

honored as ASCAP Jazz Living Legends by the American Society of 

Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Referred to by Duke Ellington 

as “not only the world’s greatest 

drummer...[but also] the world’s 

greatest musician,” Louie Bellson had expressed 

himself on drums since age three. At 15, he 

pioneered the double bass drum set-up, and two 

years later he triumphed over 40,000 drummers to 

win the Gene Krupa drumming contest.

Bellson performed on more than 200 albums as 

one of the most sought-after big band drummers, working 

with such greats as Duke Ellington (who recorded many of Bellson’s 

compositions), Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry 

James, Woody Herman, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie 

Armstrong, and Lionel Hampton. He toured with Norman Granz’s 

all-star Jazz at the Philharmonic, and worked with many vocalists, 

including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Joe 

Williams, and his wife, Pearl Bailey, for whom he served as musical 

director. He also appeared in several films in the 1940s, including The 

Power Girl, The Gang’s All Here, and A Song is Born. 

A prolific composer, Bellson had more than 1,000 compositions and 

arrangements to his name, embracing jazz, swing, orchestral suites, 

symphonic works, and ballets. As an author, he published more than 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

LOUIE

BELLSON

drummer composer arranger bandleader educator

Born July 6, 1924 in Rock Falls, IL

Died February 14, 2009 

1994

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Live in Stereo at the 

Flamingo Hotel, Vol. 1

Jazz Hour, 1959

Dynamite!

Concord, 1979

East Side Suite

Musicmasters, 1987

Live from New York

Telarc, 1993

The Sacred Music of Louie Bellson

Percussion Power, 2005
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 21

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

TONY

BENNETT

VOCALIST

Born August 3, 1926 in Queens, NY

In 1962, Bennett recorded “I Left My 

Heart in San Francisco,” the song that would 

become his signature, and for which he won 

Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and 

Best Solo Male Vocal Performance. Over the 

next years, while putting out singles and albums 

that were consistently among the most popular in 

the country, he continued to infuse his singing with 

the spontaneity of jazz and to record and tour with 

bands composed almost exclusively of jazz musicians.

In the 1970s, Bennett formed his own record company and made 

albums including two duet recording with pianist Bill Evans. His 

1992 release, Perfectly Frank, a tribute to Frank Sinatra, and 1993 

Steppin’ Out, a tribute to Fred Astaire, went gold and won him backto-back Grammy Awards. Bennett received Grammy’s highest award, 

Album of the Year, in 1994 for his live recording, MTV Unplugged,

and was honored with the academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 

2001. Also in 2001, he founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts 

(named for his friend) in Queens, a public school dedicated to teaching 

the performing arts.

Called “the best singer in the 

business” by Frank Sinatra, Tony 

Bennett was born as Anthony 

Dominick Benedetto in 1926 in the Astoria 

section of Queens, New York. By age 10, he 

had attracted such notice that he was tapped to 

sing at the opening ceremony for the Triborough 

Bridge. He attended the High School of Industrial 

Arts, worked as a singing waiter, and then performed 

with military bands during his Army service in World War II. 

After the war, he continued his vocal studies formally at the American 

Theatre Wing school and informally in the 52nd Street jazz clubs. His 

break came in 1949, when Bob Hope saw him working in a Greenwich 

Village club with Pearl Bailey, invited him to join his show at the 

Paramount, and changed his stage name to Tony Bennett.

Bennett’s recording career began in 1950, when he signed with 

the Columbia label, with the number one hit “Because of You,” 

followed by his cover of Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart.” With 

a string of hits to his credit, Bennett was able to exert greater artistic 

influence over his recordings, allowing him to express his interest in 

jazz, notably The Beat of My Heart, on which he was accompanied 

primarily with jazz percussionists, and his work with Count Basie, In 

Person with Count Basie and His Orchestra.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Beat of My Heart

Columbia, 1957

In Person with Count Basie 

and His Orchestra

Columbia, 1958

The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album

Columbia, 1975

On Holiday: A Tribute to Billie Holiday

Columbia, 1996

Playin’ with my Friends: 

Bennett Sings the Blues

Columbia, 2001

2006
22		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

Despite his success, Benson’s desire to 

combine his singing and guitar playing was 

blocked until he worked with music producer 

Tommy LiPuma. The result was Breezin’, the 

first jazz record to attain platinum sales. The 

1976 blockbuster, his first in a long association 

with Warner Brothers Records, brought Benson 

to the attention of the general public with such 

hits as his soulful rendition of Leon Russell’s “This 

Masquerade,” which featured the guitarist scatting along with 

his solo break. He followed up with many pop hits, including a sultry 

version of “On Broadway” and the irresistible “Give Me the Night” 

(produced by Quincy Jones).

In the mid-1990s Benson followed LiPuma to the GRP label 

where they released three well-received albums highlighting Benson’s 

vocal and guitar prowess. In 2006, Benson and vocalist/songwriter Al 

Jarreau released Givin’ It Up with Benson’s current label, Concord 

Music Group.

Benson has won ten Grammy Awards, thrilling many crowds 

around the world with his performances, including recent appearances 

at Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka celebration and the Mawazine Festival in 

Morocco. 

Appreciated as both a musician and performer, George 

Benson plays the dual role of expert 

improviser and vibrant entertainer. Rounding 

out his singular approach with a strong sense 

of swing, he is considered one of the greatest 

guitarists in jazz.

Benson began his career as a guitarist working 

the corner pubs of his native Pittsburgh. Legendary 

jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery came across Benson early on, 

complimenting him and urging him to continue his already impressive 

work. In the early 1960s, Benson apprenticed with organist Brother 

Jack McDuff; he found the organist’s gritty swing a fertile ground for 

the sly, confident, and adventurous guitar lines that earned him an 

early reputation as a master.

By the time legendary talent scout John Hammond signed Benson 

to Columbia, the guitarist’s name was becoming known throughout the 

industry. In the late 1960s he sat in on Miles Davis’ Miles in the Sky

sessions, and also put a personal spin on the tunes from the Beatles’ 

Abbey Road. Joining the CTI label in 1970, Benson was united with 

many of jazz’s finest instrumentalists—including Stanley Turrentine, 

Ron Carter, and Freddie Hubbard—and released classic albums, 

such as Beyond the Blue Horizon. 

0000

GEORGE

BENSON

Guitarist Vocalist

Born March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, PA 

2009

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The New Boss Guitar 

of George Benson

Prestige/OJC, 1964

The Other Side of Abbey Road

A&M, 1969

Weekend in L.A.

Warner Brothers, 1977

Tenderly

Warner Brothers, 1989

Absolute Benson

GRP, 1999
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 23

Photo by Lee Tanner

ART

BLAKEY

drummer bandleader

Born October 11, 1919 in Pittsburgh, PA

Died October 16, 1990

The Messengers made a concerted effort at 

rekindling the black audience for jazz that 

had begun to erode when the ballroom era of 

jazz declined.

Blakey powered his bands with a distinctive, 

take-no-prisoners style of drumming that 

recalled the thunderous and communicative drum 

traditions of Africa. Though his drumming became 

among the most easily recognized sounds in jazz, Blakey 

always played for the band, prodding on his immensely 

talented colleagues’ solos.

From the first Jazz Messengers band he formed, Blakey has 

welcomed generations of exceptional young musicians who have 

evolved into prominent bandleaders and contributors themselves. 

That list, reading like a Who’s Who of jazz, includes Donald Byrd, 

Curtis Fuller, Johnny Griffin, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Wayne 

Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Woody Shaw, Joanne 

Brackeen, Bobby Watson, James Williams, and three of the Marsalis 

brothers (Wynton, Branford, and Delfeayo). His mentoring of these 

musicians, helping them to hone their skills and preparing them to 

lead their own bands, has helped keep the jazz tradition alive and 

thriving. For the remainder of his career, Blakey continued to take 

the Jazz Messengers message across the globe. 

A rt Blakey’s Jazz Messengers 

not only supplied consistently 

exciting and innovative music 

for nearly 40 years, but also provided the 

experience and mentoring for young musicians 

to learn their trade. Though self-taught, Blakey 

was already leading his own dance band by age 

14. Blakey’s first noted sideman job came in 1942 

with Mary Lou Williams, whom he joined for a club 

engagement at Kelly’s Stables in New York. The following year 

he joined the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, where he stayed until 

joining Billy Eckstine’s modern jazz big band in 1944. A subsequent 

trip to Africa, ostensibly to immerse himself in Islam, revealed to him 

that jazz was truly an American music, which he preached from the 

bandstand thereafter. He adopted the Muslim name of Abdullah Ibn 

Buhaina, but continued to record under Art Blakey. 

In the early 1950s, he worked with such greats as Miles Davis,

Charlie Parker, Horace Silver, and Clifford Brown. The latter 

two became members of the Jazz Messengers, which was originally a 

cooperative unit. Brown, then Silver, left to form their own bands and 

Blakey became the leader of the Jazz Messengers. The Messengers went 

on to play in a style that critics called hard bop, a logical progression 

on the bebop style that was more hard-driving and blues-oriented. 

1988

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

A Night at Birdland, Vols. 1-2

 Blue Note, 1954

Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers 

with Thelonious Monk

Atlantic, 1957

Moanin’

Blue Note, 1958

Buhaina’s Delight 

Blue Note, 1961

Keystone 3

Concord, 1982
24		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, formed in 1965. 

After a decade spent in California as a studio 

musician, Brookmeyer returned to New 

York in 1978 to play with Stan Getz and Jim 

Hall, and then in 1979 rejoined the Mel Lewis 

Orchestra, becoming its musical director after 

the departure of Thad Jones.

From 1981 to 1991, Brookmeyer was busy as a 

composer and performer in Europe, working in both 

classical and jazz idioms. He began teaching at the Manhattan 

School of Music in 1985 and directed the BMI Composers Workshop 

from 1989 to 1991. He has served as musical director of the SchlewsigHolstein Musik Festival Big Band/New Art Orchestra, the Stanley 

Knowles Distinguished Visiting Professor at Brandon University in 

Manitoba, and director of the New England Conservatory’s Jazz 

Composers’ Workshop Orchestra. A composer whose work has been 

widely published, studied, and performed, Brookmeyer has received 

grants in composition from the National Endowment for the Arts and 

nominations from the National Association of Recording Arts and 

Sciences for composing and performing, and he was commissioned by 

the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic to write a piece for an EMI 

disc featuring trumpet player Till Broenner. A concert-length piece for 

the New Art Orchestra, Spirit Music, was released in 2007.

A n innovative composer and 

gifted arranger for both small 

and large ensembles, as well as

an outstanding performer on valve trombone 

and piano, Bob Brookmeyer has been making 

music for more than 50 years. A professional 

performer with dance bands since the age of 14, 

he studied composition for three years at the Kansas 

City Conservatory of Music, where he won the Carl Busch 

Prize for Choral Composition. In the early 1950s, he traveled 

to New York as a pianist with Tex Benecke and Mel Lewis and stayed 

on to freelance with artists including Pee Wee Russell, Ben Webster, 

and Coleman Hawkins.

After a period with Claude Thornhill, Brookmeyer joined Stan 

Getz in late 1952, an association that took him to California, where 

Gerry Mulligan asked him to join his quartet. Brookmeyer gained 

renown as a member of that group (1954-57) and as a member of 

the experimental Jimmy Giuffre 3 (1957-58), comprising Giuffre’s 

reeds, Jim Hall’s guitar, and Brookmeyer’s valve trombone. His long 

association with Mulligan included work with the Concert Jazz Band, 

which Brookmeyer helped to form and maintain, and for which he 

wrote arrangements.

In 1961, Brookmeyer and Clark Terry formed their legendary 

quintet, which lasted until 1968. Brookmeyer was also busy during 

this time as lead trombonist and arranger-composer for The Thad 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

BOB

BROOKMEYER

TROMBONist PIANist COMPOSER arranger EDUCATOR

Born December 19, 1929 in Kansas City, MO

2006

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Gerry Mulligan Quartet , 

At Storyville

Pacific Jazz, 1956

The Blues Hot and Cold

Verve, 1960

Back Again

Sonet, 1978

Paris Suite

Challenge, 1993

Get Well Soon

Challenge, 2002
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 25

Photo courtesy of Ray Avery Photo Archives/CTSIMAGES

CLEO

BROWN

PIANIST VOCALIST

Born December 8, 1909 in Meridian, MS

Died April 15, 1995 

pianist. Brown began to gain international 

renown for her work, and she continued to 

perform regularly in New York, Hollywood, 

Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco 

until 1953, making records for Capitol Records 

and performing with the Decca All-Stars, among 

others. 

Brown then dropped out of the music business 

completely and took up full-time nursing. After retiring 

from nursing in 1973, she returned to music, spending her 

latter years as a church musician in her Seventh Day Adventist 

Church in Denver, Colorado. In 1987, Marian McPartland sought 

out Brown as a guest on her long-running radio series, Piano Jazz. 

A recording of the program was released as Living in the Afterglow, 

Brown’s last recording. Although all the numbers are gospel songs 

(many are originals by Brown), they are played in the same rollicking 

style as her 1930s recordings.

Cleo Brown bears the distinction 

of being the first woman 

instrumentalist honored with the 

NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. Her family 

moved to Chicago in 1919 and four years later, 

at age 14, she started working professionally 

with a vaudeville show. Her brother Everett, who 

worked with “Pine Top” Smith, taught her the boogie 

woogie piano style that became her trademark. 

Brown performed in the Chicago area during the late 

1920s. In 1935, she replaced Fats Waller on his New York radio series

on WABC, and soon began recording. Her version of “Pine Top’s 

Boogie Woogie” was influential on pianists that came after her, and she 

is credited with being an early influence on Dave Brubeck, who played 

during the intermissions of her shows, and Marian McPartland,

among others. Through the 1950s she worked frequently at that city’s 

Three Deuces club, establishing a reputation as a two-fisted, driving 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Various Art ists, 

Boogie Woogie Stomp

ASV/Living Era, 1930s-40s

The Legendary Cleo Brown

President, 1930s

Here Comes Cleo

Hep, 1935-36

1935-1951

Classics, 1935-51

Living in the Afterglow

Audiophile, 1987

1987
26		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Dizzy Gillespie’s rhythm section and later as 

a member of the Milt Jackson Quartet, the 

precursor to the Modern Jazz Quartet. In the 

late 1970s, Brown formed his first full-time 

trio, which was to become his favored touring 

and performance unit over the next couple of 

decades. He utilized a variety of up-and-coming 

musicians in his bands, including pianists Gene 

Harris, Monty Alexander, Benny Green, and Geoff 

Keezer and drummers Jeff Hamilton, Lewis Nash, 

Gregory Hutchinson, and Kariem Riggins.

Brown was also involved in jazz education, including authoring 

the Ray Brown Bass Book 1, an instructional volume. He served as 

mentor to numerous young musicians, including those who have passed 

through his groups and special guests he invited to play on a series of 

1990s recordings for the Telarc label titled Some of My Best Friends 

are.... These have included pianists, saxophonists, trumpeters, and 

vocalists. Some of the great younger bassists, such as John Clayton 

and Christian McBride, count him as a major influence on their 

sound. In 2003, Brown was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall 

of Fame.

Ray Brown’s dexterity and rich 

sound on the bass made him one 

of the most popular and prolific 

musicians in jazz for more than 50 years. The 

Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD notes that Brown 

is the most cited musician in the first edition of 

the guide, both for his own small ensemble work 

and as a sideman, testifying to his productivity. 

Brown started on piano at age eight and began 

playing the bass at 17, performing his first professional 

job at a Pittsburgh club in 1943. His first significant tour was 

with bandleader Snookum Russell in 1944; he moved to New York 

the following year. By 1946 he was working in Dizzy Gillespie’s band, 

and in 1948 he formed a trio with Hank Jones and Charlie Smith. In 

1948, he married Ella Fitzgerald and became musical director on her 

solo and Jazz at the Philharmonic tours until their breakup in 1952. 

In 1951, he began a stint with the Oscar Peterson Trio that lasted until 

1966. It was in Peterson’s group that Brown’s prowess on the bass 

began getting attention, anchoring the trio’s sound in both the pianoguitar and piano-drums configurations.

In the mid-1960s, Brown co-led a quintet with vibraphonist 

Milt Jackson, with whom he had worked in the 1940s as part of 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

RAY

BROWN

BASSIST EDUCATOR

Born October 13, 1926 in Pittsburgh, PA 

Died July 2, 2002

1995

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Oscar Peter son, The Ultimate 

Oscar Peterson

Verve, 1956-64

Much in Common

Verve, 1962-65

Summer Wind: Live at the Loa

Concord, 1988

Some of My Best Friends Are....

The Sax Players

Telarc, 1995

Ray Brown with John Clayton

and Chr istian McBride, Super 

Bass 2, Telarc, 2001
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 27

Photo by Tom Pich

DAVE

BRUBECK

pianist composer

Born December 6, 1920 in Concord, CA

“Blue Rondo a la Turk,” based on a Turkish 

folk rhythm, and Desmond’s “Take Five” 

appeared on jukeboxes throughout the world. 

Throughout his career, Brubeck has 

continued to experiment with integrating jazz 

and classical music. In 1959, he premiered 

and recorded his brother Howard’s Dialogues 

for Jazz Combo and Orchestra with the New York 

Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. In 1960, he 

composed Points on Jazz for the American Ballet Theatre, 

and in later decades composed for and performed with the Murray 

Louis Dance Co. His musical theater piece, The Real Ambassadors

starring Louis Armstrong and Carmen McRae, was also written and 

recorded in 1960 and performed to great acclaim at the 1962 Monterey 

Jazz Festival. The classic Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond, 

Eugene Wright, and Joe Morello was dissolved in December 1967 

and Brubeck’s first of many oratorios, The Light in the Wilderness, 

premiered in 1968. 

He has received many honors in the U.S. and abroad for his 

contribution to jazz, including the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy 

Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, and 

the Austrian Medal of the Arts. In 2008, Brubeck received the 

Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy from the U.S. State 

Department for “introducing the language, the sounds, and the spirit 

of jazz to new generations around the world.”

Dave Brubeck, declared a 

“Living Legend” by the Library 

of Congress, continues to be one 

of the most active and popular jazz musicians 

in the world today. His experiments with odd 

time signatures, improvised counterpoint, and a 

distinctive harmonic approach are the hallmarks of 

his unique musical style.

Born into a musically inclined family—his two older 

brothers were professional musicians—he began taking piano 

lessons from his mother, a classical pianist, at age four. After graduating 

from College of the Pacific in 1942, he enlisted in the Army, and while 

serving in Europe led an integrated G.I. jazz band. 

At the end of World War II, he studied composition at Mills College 

with French classical composer Darius Milhaud, who encouraged 

him to introduce jazz elements into his classical compositions. This 

experimentation with mixed genres led to the formation of the Dave 

Brubeck Octet that included Paul Desmond, Bill Smith, and Cal 

Tjader. In 1949, Brubeck formed an award-winning trio with Cal 

Tjader and Ron Crotty, and in 1951 expanded the band to include 

Desmond. Brubeck became the first jazz artist to make the cover 

of Time magazine, in 1954, and in 1958 performed in Europe and 

the Middle East for the U.S. State Department, leading to the 

introduction of music from other cultures into his repertoire. In 1959, 

the Dave Brubeck Quartet recorded an experiment in time signatures, 

Time Out. The album sold more than a million copies, and Brubeck’s 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Jazz at Oberlin

Original Jazz Classics, 1953

Time Out

Columbia, 1959

The Real Ambassadors

Columbia/Legacy, 1961

Classical Brubeck

Telarc, 2002

London Flat, London Sharp

Telarc, 2004

1999
28		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Burrell’s compositions have been 

recorded by artists including Ray Brown, 

June Christy, Grover Washington, Jr., Frank 

Wess, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His extended 

composition for the Boys Choir of Harlem was 

premiered at New York’s Lincoln Center, and his 

“Dear Ella,” performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater, 

won a 1998 Grammy Award.

In addition to performing and recording, he is a 

professor of music and ethnomusicology at the University of 

California at Los Angeles. A recognized authority on the music of Duke 

Ellington, he developed the first regular college course ever taught 

in the United States on Ellington in 1978. In 1997, he was appointed 

director of the jazz studies program at UCLA, where he has enlisted 

such faculty members as George Bohanon, Billy Childs, Billy Higgins, 

Harold Land, Bobby Rodriguez, and Gerald Wilson. 

Kenny Burrell is the author of two books, Jazz Guitar and Jazz 

Guitar Solos. In 2004, he received a Jazz Educator of the Year Award 

from DownBeat. He is a founder of the Jazz Heritage Foundation and 

the Friends of Jazz at UCLA and is recognized as an international 

ambassador for jazz and its promotion as an art form.

Kenny Burrell pioneered the 

guitar-led trio with bass and 

drums in the late 1950s. Known 

for his harmonic creativity, lush tones, and 

lyricism on the guitar, he is also a prolific and 

highly regarded composer. Born in Detroit in 

1931, he found musical colleagues at an early age 

among Paul Chambers, Tommy Flanagan, Frank

Foster, Yusef Lateef, and the brothers Thad, Hank, and 

Elvin Jones. While still a student at Wayne State University, 

he made his first major recording in 1951 with Dizzy Gillespie, John 

Coltrane, Percy Heath, and Milt Jackson.

After graduation, he toured for six months with the Oscar Peterson 

Trio and then moved to New York, where he performed in Broadway 

pit bands, on pop and R&B studio sessions (with Lena Horne, Tony

Bennett, and James Brown), in jazz venues, and on jazz recordings. 

He went on to work and/or record with such artists as Nat King Cole, 

Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Gene Ammons, Kenny Dorham, Benny 

Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, and Jimmy Smith. As a leader, he has 

recorded more than 90 albums and is a featured guitarist on more 

than 200 jazz recordings, including ones with Art Blakey, Herbie 

Hancock, and Quincy Jones.

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

KENNY

BURRELL

Guitarist Composer Educator

Born July 31, 1931 in Detroit, MI

2005

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane

Prestige/OJC, 1958

Midnight Blue

Blue Note, 1963

Guitar Forms

Verve, 1964

Kenny Burre ll & the Boys Ch oir of Harlem, 

Love is the Answer

Concord Jazz, 1997

75th Birthday Bash Live!

Blue Note, 2006 
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 29

Photo by Lee Tanner

DONALD

BYRD

trumpetER flugelhornIST educator

Born December 9, 1932 in Detroit, MI 

In the early 1960s, he became a bandleader 

of his own touring quintet. During 1965-66 

he was a house arranger for the Norwegian 

Radio Orchestra. It was also at this time that 

he became more active as an educator, teaching 

at New York’s Music & Art High School. He held 

clinics for the National Stage Band Camps, giving 

private lessons and instruction. Among the college 

and university teaching appointments that followed were 

Rutgers University, Hampton University, Howard University, 

North Carolina Central University, North Texas State, and Delaware 

State University. He also earned a law degree between teaching 

appointments.

At Howard University, where he was chairman of the Black Music 

Department, he brought together a group of talented students to form 

Donald Byrd & the Blackbyrds, a pop-jazz band that had a hit record 

for Blue Note, and continued to record—sans Byrd—for the Fantasy

label. His recorded innovations included the use of a vocal chorus, 

which resulted in his popular recording of “Cristo Redemptor,” as 

well as his engagements of gospel texts.

Apioneer jazz educator on 

African-American college and university campuses, as well as general 

colleges and universities, Donald Byrd has also 

been a leading improviser on trumpet. Raised in 

the home of a Methodist minister and musician, 

he learned music in the then highly regarded music 

education system in the Detroit high schools. Byrd 

went on to earn degrees from Wayne State University 

and the Manhattan School of Music, eventually earning a 

doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Education. He 

studied music with the famed teacher Nadia Boulanger in Paris in 

1963. 

Byrd played in the Air Force band during 1951-52, then relocated to 

New York. Some of his earliest gigs in New York were with the George 

Wallington group at Cafe Bohemia. He joined Art Blakey’s Jazz 

Messengers in December 1955. Following his Messengers experience, 

he worked in a variety of bands with Max Roach, John Coltrane, Red 

Garland, and Gigi Gryce, refining his playing skills. In 1958 he co-led 

a band with fellow Detroiter Pepper Adams, which continued for the 

next three years.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

First Flight

Denmark, 1955

At the Half Note Cafe, Vol. 1 + 2

Blue Note, 1960

Electric Byrd

Blue Note, 1970

Black Byrd

Blue Note, 1974

A City Called Heaven

Landmark, 1991

2000
30		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

(at a time when other congueros were playing 

only one) in addition to a cowbell and guiro

(a fluted gourd played with strokes from a 

stick). He created another unique playing 

style by tuning his congas to specific pitches 

so that he could play melodies like a pianist. He 

became one of the best known congueros in the 

country, appearing on such television shows as the

Ed Sullivan Show and the Jackie Gleason Show. 

He has recorded and performed with seemingly 

everybody in the jazz field, including such luminaries as Tony

Bennett, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Slide

Hampton, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, Gerry Mulligan, Charlie 

Parker, Sonny Rollins, and Clark Terry. Among his many awards 

are the Latin Jazz USA Lifetime Achievement Award (2001) and a 

special achievement award from the American Society of Composers, 

Authors and Publishers as a “Legend of Jazz” (2005).

The subject of the 2006 documentary, Candido: Hands of Fire,

Camero (entering his 90s) continues to perform throughout the world. 

So well known and respected, his 

first name alone—Candido—is all 

that is necessary for jazz aficionados 

to know who he is. Credited with being the 

first percussionist to bring conga drumming 

to jazz, Candido Camero is also known for his 

contributions to the development of mambo and 

Afro-Cuban jazz.

Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1921, Camero first began 

making music as a young child, beating rhythms on empty 

condensed milk cans in place of bongos. He worked for six years 

with the CMQ Radio Orchestra and at the famed Cabaret Tropicana. 

He came to the United States in 1946 with the dance team Carmen 

and Rolando, and very soon after was playing with Billy Taylor, who 

wrote in 1954, “I have not heard anyone who even approaches the 

wonderful balance between jazz and Cuban elements that Candido 

demonstrates.”

By the early 1950s, Camero was a featured soloist with the Stan 

Kenton Orchestra, with whom he toured the U.S. playing three congas 

0000

Photo by Tom Pich

CANDIDO

CAMERO

percussionist

Born April 22, 1921 in Havana, Cuba

2008

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Billy Taylor, The Billy Taylor 

Trio with Candido

Prestige/OJC, 1954

Candido

Verve, 1956

Brujerias de Candido: Candido’s 

Latin McGuffa’s Dust

Tico, 1971

Candido camer o/Carlos valdes/

giovanni hidalgo, Conga Kings

Chesky, 1999

Hands of Fire 

Latin Jazz USA, 2006
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 31

Photo by Lee Tanner

BENNY

CARTER

saxophonIST trumpetER arranger 

composer bandleader

Born August 8, 1907 in New York, NY 

Died July 12, 2003 

with another new band in tow, he settled in 

Los Angeles, his longtime home base. With 

lucrative film studios calling, Carter began 

scoring films and television. He became one 

of the first African Americans to be employed 

in the field, easing the way for other black 

composers. His first film work was in 1943 on 

Stormy Weather.

Starting in 1946, with his composing and arranging 

skills in constant demand, Carter disbanded his orchestra 

and became largely a freelance player. He participated in tours with 

Jazz at the Philharmonic and wrote arrangements for major singers 

such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, 

and Louis Armstrong. Many of his subsequent recordings, such as the 

widely hailed Further Definitions, were evidence of the depth of his 

composing and arranging mastery. 

Carter has received numerous awards during his long lifetime, 

including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, a 

DownBeat International Critics Poll in the arranger’s category in 

1988, Jazz Artist of the Year in both DownBeat and JazzTimes

International Critics’ polls in 1990, and the National Medal of Arts 

in 2000. In 1996, a documentary on Carter, Symphony in Riffs, was 

released. 

Benny Carter made memorable 

impressions as a great bandleader 

and improviser with a highly 

influential style. Largely self-taught, Carter’s 

first instrument was the trumpet, although the 

alto saxophone eventually became his principal 

instrument. Some of his earliest professional jobs 

were with bands led by cornetist June Clark and 

pianist Earl Hines, where his unusual ability to play 

both trumpet and saxophone was highly regarded. In 1930-

31 he spent a year with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, then 

for a short time he succeeded Don Redman as musical director of 

McKinney’s Cotton Pickers. During the early 1930s, he also made his 

first recordings with the Chocolate Dandies, which included Coleman 

Hawkins. In 1932, Carter formed his own big band. At various times 

the band included such significant players as Ben Webster, Chu 

Berry, Teddy Wilson, Dicky Wells, Bill Coleman, and Sid Catlett.

In 1934, Carter dissolved his band, migrating to Europe the next 

year, where he served as a staff arranger for the BBC Orchestra in 

London until 1938. His work in Europe took on an ambassadorial 

tint: he freelanced with musicians in England and France and led a 

multiethnic band in Scandinavia in 1937. Growing restless, Carter 

returned to the U.S. in 1938 and assembled a new big band, which 

became the house band at the Savoy Ballroom through 1940. In 1942, 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

All of Me

Bluebird, 1934-59

Jazz Giant

Original Jazz Classics, 1957-58

Further Definitions

Impulse!, 1961-66

Harlem Renaissance

MusicMasters, 1992

Benny Carter and Ph il Woods, 

Another Time, Another Place

Evening Star 1996

1986
32		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

one of the first jazz artists to do so. Selling her 

own recordings through various distributors, 

she was able to sustain her performing 

career. Carter was uncomfortable with studio 

recordings, but live recordings, like The 

Audience with Betty Carter, demonstrate her 

remarkably inventive singing and her ability to 

drive the band.

Carter’s bands served a dual purpose: to create her 

own great music and to help young musicians develop their 

craft. Many of the musicians who passed through her groups went on to 

lead their own groups, such as Geri Allen, Stephen Scott, Don Braden, 

and Christian McBride. She also developed a mentoring program 

called Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead through links with organizations such 

as the International Association for Jazz Education, 651 Arts, and 

the Kennedy Center. The program was a one- to two- week teaching 

seminar where nationally selected promising young jazz musicians 

learned from Carter and other seasoned musicians, culminating in a 

final concert of instructors and students together. Jazz Ahead was one 

of Carter’s proudest achievements, and she worked with the program 

up until her death. She received the National Medal of Arts in 1997.

Betty Carter developed a 

legendary reputation, along with 

Art Blakey, as one of the great 

mentors for young jazz musicians. Equally 

legendary was her singing prowess, creating 

a distinctive style of improvisation that could 

transcend any song. 

Carter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory, 

a skill that served her well later in her career in writing 

original songs. Growing up in Detroit, she was exposed to 

numerous jazz greats who passed through town, even getting a golden 

opportunity as a teenager to sit in with Charlie Parker. Carter’s big 

break came in 1948, when she was asked to join the Lionel Hampton

band. Developing her vocal improvisations during the three years with 

the band led to her singular singing style. Hampton, impressed with 

her saxophone-like improvisatory vocals, dubbed her “Betty Bebop.” 

After leaving Hampton’s band, she worked variously with such greats 

as Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Sonny Rollins before creating her 

own band.

Although she recorded for major record labels early in her 

career, Carter became increasingly frustrated with record company 

dealings and disparities and formed her own label Bet-Car in 1971, 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

BETTY

CARTER

vocalIST BANDLEADER Educator

Born May 16, 1930 in Flint, MI

Died September 26, 1998 

1992

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

I Can’t Help It 

Impulse!, 1958-60

At the Village Vanguard

Verve, 1970

The Audience with Betty Carter 

Verve, 1979

Look What I Got 

Verve, 1988

Feed the Fire

Verve, 1993
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 33

Photo by Lee Tanner

RON

CARTER

bassIST cellIST composer educator

Born May 4, 1937 in Ferndale, MI

“Eighty-One”—and the rhythm section of 

Carter, Williams, and Hancock powered the 

horn section to greater heights. He remained 

with Davis from 1963-68, whereupon he grew 

tired of the rigors of the road, preferring 

to freelance, lead his own groups, and teach. 

Among the cooperative bands he performed with 

during the remainder of the 1960s were the New York 

Jazz Sextet and the New York Bass Choir. Throughout 

the 1970s, he was a recording studio bassist in high demand, 

though he never stopped gigging with a variety of artists and bands, 

including several touring all-star units such as the CTI All-Stars, 

V.S.O.P. (ostensibly a reunion of the Davis band minus the leader), 

and the Milestone Jazzstars, which included Sonny Rollins on tenor 

saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, and Al Foster on drums.

His freelance work has continued throughout his career, including 

chamber and orchestral work, film and television soundtracks, 

and even some hip hop recordings. Carter continues to record with 

young musicians such as Stephen Scott and Lewis Nash, and his 

college and university teaching career has also been quite active. He 

is distinguished professor of music, emeritus of the City College of New 

York, and has received honorary doctorate degrees from the Berklee 

School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the New England 

Conservatory in Boston. He has also written several books on playing 

the bass, including Building A Jazz Bass Line. 

Ron Carter’s dexterity and 

harmonic sophistication on the 

bass have few rivals in the history 

of jazz. In addition to the bass, he has also 

employed both the cello and the piccolo bass (a 

downsized bass pitched somewhere between cello 

and contrabass), one of the first musicians to use 

those instruments in jazz settings.

His pursuit of music began with the cello, at age 

10. One of the many students aspiring to be musicians in the 

Detroit public schools, he switched to the bass at Cass Tech High 

School. He studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, 

New York, and eventually made his way to New York City, where 

he earned his master’s degree in Music from the Manhattan School 

of Music in 1961. He began freelancing, playing with a host of jazz 

greats, such as Chico Hamilton, Randy Weston, Bobby Timmons, 

Thelonious Monk, and Art Farmer. Carter cut three substantial 

albums with the great saxophonist Eric Dolphy, two under Dolphy’s 

name and one under his own. Carter’s Where? and Dolphy’s Out 

There were groundbreaking in that Carter played cello against George 

Duvivier’s bass, creating a rich lower texture against which Dolphy 

could contrast his playing.

In 1963, he joined Miles Davis in what would become the 

trumpeter’s second great quintet that included Wayne Shorter, 

Tony Williams, and Herbie Hancock. Davis even recorded 

some of Carter’s compositions—notably “R.J.,” “Mood,” and 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Miles Davis, 

E.S.P. 

Columbia, 1965

Live at Village West 

Concord, 1982

Eight Plus 

Dreyfus, 1990

Brandenburg Concerto 

Blue Note, 1995

Dear Miles

EMI 2006

1998
34		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

A stint in the Army from 1943-46 

introduced him to pianist John Lewis. After 

their discharge he and Lewis joined Gillespie’s 

bebop big band, which gave Clarke his first 

taste of Paris during a European tour. After 

returning to New York, he joined the Milt 

Jackson Quartet, which metamorphosed into the 

Modern Jazz Quartet in 1952. Though he and Lewis 

remained friends, Clarke chafed at what he felt was 

the too-staid atmosphere of the MJQ. In 1956, he migrated 

to Paris, which became his home for nearly 30 years, working with 

Jacques Helian’s band and backing up visiting U.S. jazz artists. 

During the years 1960-73, he co-led the major Europe-based jazz 

big band with Belgian pianist Francy Boland, the Clarke-Boland Big 

Band. The band featured the best of Europe’s jazz soloists, including 

a number of exceptional U.S. expatriate musicians living in Europe. 

Among these were saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Sahib Shihab, 

and trumpeter Idrees Sulieman. After the disbanding of his big band, 

Clarke found numerous opportunities both on the bandstand and 

teaching in the classroom. He remained quite active as a freelancer, 

often working with visiting U.S. jazz musicians, until his death in 1985. 

In 1988, Clarke was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.

Kenny Clarke, known among 

musicians as “Klook” for one of 

his characteristic drum licks, is 

truly a jazz pioneer. He was a leader in the 

rhythmic advances that signaled the beginning of 

the modern jazz era, his drum style becoming the 

sound of bebop and influencing drummers such as 

Art Blakey and Max Roach. 

Clarke studied music broadly while in high school, 

including piano, trombone, drums, vibraphone, and theory. 

Such versatility of knowledge would later serve him well as a bandleader. 

Clarke moved to New York in late 1935, where he first began developing 

his unique approach to the drums, one with a wider rhythmic palette 

than that of the swing band drummers. Instead of marking the count 

with the top cymbal, Clarke used counter-rhythms to accent the beat, 

what became known as “dropping of bombs.” 

He found a kindred spirit in Dizzy Gillespie when they hooked 

up in Teddy Hill’s band in 1939. A key opportunity to further 

expand his drum language came in late 1940 when he landed a gig in 

the house band (with Thelonious Monk on piano, and Nick Fenton 

on bass) at Minton’s Playhouse. It was this trio that welcomed 

such fellow travelers as guitarist Charlie Christian, Gillespie, 

and a host of others to its nightly jam sessions. These sessions 

became the primary laboratory for their brand of jazz, which came 

to be called bebop.

0000

Photo by Herman Leonard Photography LLC/CTSIMAGES

KENNY

CLARKE

drumMER bandleader

Born January 2, 1914 in Pittsburgh, PA 

Died January 26, 1985 

1983

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Modern Jazz Quartet , The Artistry 

of the Modern Jazz Quartet

Prestige, 1952-55

Bohemia After Dark

Savoy, 1955

Discoveries

Savoy, 1955

Kenny Clarke Meets the Detroit Jazzmen 

Savoy, 1956

Clarke-Boland Big Band 

RTE, 1968
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 35

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Classic Swing of 

Buck Clayton 

Original Jazz Classics, 1946

Buck Special

Vogue, 1949-53

Jam Sessions from the Vaults 

Columbia, 1953-56

Buck and Buddy

Original Jazz Classics, 1960

A Swingin’ Dream

Stash, 1988

Photo by Lee Tanner

Avalued member of a variety of 

classic big bands, Wilbur “Buck” 

Clayton was versatile enough 

to thrive as a bandleader, session man, and 

trumpet soloist. Clayton first studied piano with 

his father beginning at age six, taking up the 

trumpet at age 17. He played in his church’s 

orchestra until 1932 when he moved to California, 

taking various band jobs. In 1934, Clayton assembled his 

own band and took it to China for two years.

He joined Count Basie’s band in Kansas City in 1936 at the height 

of its popularity, playing his first prominent solo on “Fiesta in Blue.” 

He wrote several arrangements for Basie, including “Taps Miller” 

and “Red Bank Boogie,” before joining the Army in 1943. Following 

his discharge, he performed around New York through the end of the 

decade. Jazz at the Philharmonic tours took him overseas, and he 

made record sessions with artists like Jimmy Rushing and wrote charts 

for Duke Ellington and Harry James. In the early 1950s, he partnered 

with pianist Joe Bushkin in the first of the influential Embers quartets. 

Other artists he worked with include Benny Goodman, Teddy

Wilson, Eddie Condon, Sidney Bechet, and 

Humphrey Littleton. His ability to improvise 

in a variety of styles made him much in 

demand for sessions, especially with vocalists 

such as Billie Holiday.

Physical issues with his embouchure—how 

the mouth forms against the mouthpiece of the 

instrument—caused him to relinquish the trumpet 

from 1972 until late in the decade, when he was able to 

resume playing for a U.S. State Department-sponsored tour 

of Africa. By 1979, however, he stopped playing permanently. While 

he was unable to perform, Clayton wrote arrangements for various 

bands. That skill was fully exercised when he put together his own big 

band in the mid-1980s, playing almost exclusively his own compositions 

and arrangements. He also became an educator, teaching at Hunter 

College in the 1980s. He continued to freelance for the remainder of 

his career, spending much of his last two decades teaching, lecturing, 

and arranging. His autobiography, Buck Clayton’s Jazz World, 

co-authored with Nancy M. Elliot, was published in 1987.

BUCK

CLAYTON

trumpetER composer arranger 

bandleader educator

Born November 12, 1911 in Parsons, KS

Died December 8, 1991 

1991
36		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

An accomplished accompanist 

and soloist, Jimmy Cobb is best 

known for being a key part of Miles 

Davis’ first great quintet in the late 1950s. 

Largely self-taught, Cobb spent his younger 

days in his hometown of Washington, DC, playing 

engagements with Charlie Rouse, Frank Wess, and 

Billie Holiday, among others. He left DC in 1950, 

joining Earl Bostic, with whom he cut his first recordings, 

before finding work with Dinah Washington, Pearl Bailey, 

Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, and Cannonball Adderley.

In 1957, Cobb began playing with Miles Davis, eventually 

becoming part of a formidable rhythm section that included Paul 

Chambers on bass and Wynton Kelly on piano. Between 1957 and 

1963, Cobb played (along with saxophonists John Coltrane and 

Cannonball Adderley) on some of Davis’ most noted records: Kind 

of Blue, Sketches of Spain, Someday My Prince Will Come, Live at 

Carnegie Hall, Live at the Blackhawk, and Porgy and Bess, among 

others. In 1963, Cobb left the Davis band to continue working as a trio 

with Chambers and Kelly. The trio disbanded in the late 1960s, and 

Cobb worked with singer Sarah Vaughan for nine years. He then 

freelanced for the next 20 years with artists such as Sonny Stitt, Nat 

Adderley, Ricky Ford, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, George Coleman, 

David “Fathead” Newman, and Nancy Wilson.

Cobb released his first CD (and music 

video) for the A&E network in 1986; it 

featured Freddie Hubbard, Gregory Hines, 

and Bill Cosby. In 2006, Cobb was produced 

by Branford Marsalis for the Marsalis Music 

Honor Series, recorded around Cobb’s 75th 

birthday. In the last few years, he has released 

several albums as a leader—New York Time,

Cobb’s Corner, and West of 5th—playing with stalwart 

musicians such as pianists Cedar Walton and Hank Jones 

and relative newcomers such as bassist Christian McBride and 

trumpeter Roy Hargrove. 

Jimmy Cobb continues to play music in New York City, where he 

lives with his wife and two children. He now leads the Jimmy Cobb 

“So What” Band, celebrating 50 years of Kind of Blue and the music 

of Miles Davis, and travels the international circuit. Cobb currently 

teaches master classes at Stanford University’s Jazz Workshop and 

has taught at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, the 

University of Greensboro in North Carolina, the International Center 

for the Arts at San Francisco State University in California, and 

international educational institutions.

Photo by Lee Tanner

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue 

Columbia, 1959

Wes Montgomer y, Smokin’ at 

the Half Note

Verve, 1965

Joe Henderson, Four!

Verve, 1968

Marsalis Music Honor Series

Marsalis Music/Rounder, 2005

Cobb’s Corner

Chesky, 2006

JIMMY

COBB

Drummer EDUCATOR

Born January 20, 1929 in Washington, DC

2009
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 37

Photo by Lee Tanner

ORNETTE

COLEMAN

saxophonIST trumpetER violinIST composer

Born March 9, 1930 in Ft. Worth, TX

his quartet was invited to participate in what 

became a historic session at the Lenox School 

of Jazz in Massachusetts, being championed 

by John Lewis and Gunther Schuller; and 

the band began an extended engagement at the 

Five Spot Cafe in New York. Meanwhile, Ornette 

Coleman was developing an approach to his music 

that he was to dub “harmolodics.”

Coleman’s albums for Atlantic were quite 

controversial at the time. Perhaps the most controversial of 

this series of albums was Free Jazz, recorded with a double quartet as 

essentially one continuous collective improvisation, which influenced 

avant-garde recordings in the 1960s and 1970s. After that recording, 

Coleman took time off from playing and recording to study trumpet 

and violin. 

Since that time Coleman has expanded his compositional outlook. 

His writing includes works for wind ensembles, strings, and symphony 

orchestra (notably his symphony Skies of America, recorded with 

the London Philharmonic). Coleman’s ongoing experiments have 

taken him to Northern Africa to work with the Master Musicians 

of Joujouka, and he has performed with an electric ensemble he 

calls Prime Time. He is a recipient of Guggenheim Fellowships for 

composition, a MacArthur grant, and the prestigious Gish Prize in 

2004. In 2007, he received the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his recording 

Sound Grammar and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ornette Coleman is one of 

the true jazz innovators, whose 

sound is instantly recognizable 

and unquestionably unique. Coleman’s work 

has ranged from dissonance and atonality to 

liberal use of electronic accompaniment in his 

ensembles, as well as the engagement of various 

ethnic influences and elements from around the globe. 

While experimenting with time and tone, his strong blues 

roots are always evident.

For the most part, Coleman has been self-taught, beginning 

on the alto saxophone at age 14. Coleman’s earliest performing 

experiences were mostly with local rhythm-and-blues bands. Coleman 

settled in Los Angeles in 1952. His search for a different sound 

and approach, a means of escaping traditional chord patterns 

and progressions, led some critics to suggest that he did not know how 

to play his instrument. In reality, he was studying harmony and theory 

zealously from books while supporting himself as an elevator operator. 

His performances in clubs and jam sessions were often met with 

derision if not outright rejection and anger from his fellow musicians 

and critics. Coleman soldiered on, honing his sound with like-minded 

musicians, including trumpeter Don Cherry, drummer Billy Higgins, 

and bassist Charlie Haden.

The year 1959 was an important one for Coleman and his band: he 

signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records, recording the first 

album to really present his new sound, Tomorrow Is The Question!; 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Shape of Jazz to Come

Atlantic, 1959-60

Free Jazz

Atlantic, 1960

At the Golden Circle, 

Stockholm, Vol. 1-2

Blue Note, 1965

In All Languages

Verve/Harmolodic, 1987

Sound Grammar

Sound Grammar, 2005

1984
38		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

In 1971, Corea formed the ensemble 

Return to Forever with Stanley Clarke on 

bass, Flora Purim on vocals, her husband 

Airto Moreira on drums, and Joe Farrell 

on reeds. Within a year, the samba-flavored 

group had become an innovative, high-energy 

electric fusion band, incorporating the firepower 

of drummer Lenny White and guitarist Al DiMeola. 

Spearheaded by Corea’s distinctive style on Moog 

synthesizer, Return to Forever led the mid-1970s fusion 

movement with albums such as Where Have I Known You Before, 

Romantic Warrior, and the Grammy Award-winning No Mystery. In 

1985, Corea formed a new fusion group, The Elektric Band, and a few 

years later he formed The Akoustic Band. In 1992, he established his 

own record label, Stretch Records.

On the occasion of his 60th birthday in 2001, Corea put together 

an unprecedented musical gathering at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New 

York City. The three-week event resulted in a double CD, Rendezvous 

in New York, and a two-hour film of the same name. In 2008, he 

reunited the classic Return to Forever band and embarked on a world 

tour. In 2010, he was selected for the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.

He continues to create projects in multifaceted settings for listeners 

around the world.

A groundbreaking artist both as 

a keyboardist (piano, electric piano, 

synthesizer) and as a composerarranger, Chick Corea has moved fluidly among 

jazz, fusion, and classical music throughout 

a four-decade career, winning national and 

international honors including 16 Grammy Awards. 

He ranks with Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett as 

one of the leading piano stylists to emerge after Bill Evans 

and McCoy Tyner, and he has composed such notable jazz 

standards as “Spain,” “La Fiesta,” and “Windows.”

Corea began playing piano and drums at an early age and enjoyed 

a childhood home filled with the music of Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, 

Dizzy Gillespie, and Lester Young, as well as Mozart and Beethoven. 

From 1962 to 1966 he gained experience playing with the bands of 

Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, Herbie Mann, 

and Stan Getz. He made his recording debut as a leader with Tones 

For Joan’s Bones (1966) and in 1968 recorded the classic trio album 

Now He Sings, Now He Sobs with Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes.

Following a short period with Sarah Vaughan, Corea then joined 

Miles Davis’ group, gradually replacing Herbie Hancock. Davis 

persuaded Corea to play electric piano on the influential albums Filles 

de Kilimanjaro, In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and Miles Davis at 

the Fillmore.

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

CHICK

COREA

Keyboardist COMPOSER ARRANGER

Born June 12, 1941 in Chelsea, MA

2006

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Now He Sings, Now He Sobs

Blue Note, 1968

Return to Forever

ECM, 1972

Live in Montreux

Stretch, 1981

Rendezvous in New York 

Stretch, 2001

Chick Corea and Gary Burt on, 

The New Crystal Silence

Concord, 2007
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 39

Photo by Lee Tanner

MILES

DAVIS

trumpetER flugelhornIST composer bandleader

Born May 25, 1926 in Alton, IL 

Died September 28, 1991 

by George Russell’s theories, had begun 

playing in modes rather than standard chord 

changes, which led to his most famous album 

(and the all-time biggest-selling jazz album), 

Kind of Blue, in 1959. Davis also continued an 

important musical partnership with Gil Evans, 

recording four releases in five years: Miles Ahead, 

Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Quiet 

Nights. 

In 1964, Davis assembled a new band of younger 

musicians, which became known as his second great quintet. This 

included Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Wayne 

Shorter. By this time, the Miles Davis Quintet was recording mostly 

originals, with all the band members contributing memorable tunes. 

Davis’ horn playing also changed, increasing the spacing of notes to 

create more suspense in the music.

 In 1968, Davis again changed direction, leading the way for 

electric jazz with the release of In a Silent Way. By the 1969 release 

of Bitches Brew, as he deepened the electronic elements and rock 

rhythms of his music, the transformation was complete. By the mid1970s, following the debilitating effects of a 1972 auto accident, Davis 

went into semi-retirement. He returned to the scene in 1980 and 

resumed touring in 1981, attracting newer fans. From then to 1991, 

Davis remained vital and popular, receiving the Grammy Lifetime 

Acheivement Award in 1990.

Miles Davis was arguably the 

most influential jazz musician in 

the post-World War II period, 

being at the forefront of changes in the genre for 

more than 40 years. 

Born into a middle-class family, Davis started 

on the trumpet at age 13. His first professional 

music job came when he joined the Eddie Randall 

band in St. Louis in 1941. In the fall of 1944 Davis took 

a scholarship to attend the Juilliard School, a convenient 

passport to New York. It didn’t take him long to immerse himself in 

the New York scene and he began working 52nd Street gigs alongside 

Charlie Parker in 1945. Soon, Davis found work with Coleman 

Hawkins and the big bands of Billy Eckstine and Benny Carter. 

During the late 1940s, a number of musical contemporaries began 

to meet and jam regularly at the small apartment of arranger-pianist 

Gil Evans. Among them were saxophonists Gerry Mulligan and Lee 

Konitz, and pianist John Lewis. Out of this group of musicians, Davis 

formed the nonet to record his first major musical statement, Birth of 

the Cool. In addition to the standard piano, bass, and drums rhythm 

section, Davis’ nonet horn section used French horn and tuba along 

with trombone and alto and baritone saxophones, lending the band a 

unique harmonic sound.

In 1955, Davis assembled his first important band with John 

Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones, 

adding Cannonball Adderley in 1958. By this time Davis, influenced 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Birth of the Cool 

Capitol, 1949-50

Kind of Blue 

Columbia, 1959

The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel

Columbia, 1965

Bitches Brew

Columbia, 1969

Amandla

Warner Brothers, 1989

1984
40		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Gillespie, Stan Getz, Lenny Tristano, Billy 

Eckstine, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Ray

Brown, Mel Torme, Louie Bellson, Oscar 

Peterson, and the John Pizzarelli Trio, as 

well as several Metronome All-Star sessions. 

He was a featured artist in numerous Jazz at 

the Philharmonic tours of Europe, Australia, and 

East Asia. In 1966, he became the leader of the Glenn 

Miller Orchestra, a post he maintained until 1974.

Since the mid-1970s, DeFranco has combined a busy 

teaching career with extensive touring and recording. His numerous 

television performances have included appearances on The Tonight 

Show with both Steve Allen and Johnny Carson. He was a featured 

soloist on Stars of Jazz; had his own program on public television, 

The Buddy DeFranco Jazz Forum; and with his long-time musical 

colleague, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs, shared the spotlight on a 

segment of the PBS series Club Date. DeFranco has played at concerts 

and festivals throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, New 

Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, and Argentina. To date, he has 

recorded more than 160 albums, has won the DownBeat All Stars 

award 20 times, and the Metronome poll 12 times. The University 

of Montana, Missoula, now hosts the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival 

each April.

A brilliant improviser and 

prodigious technician who has 

bridged the swing and bebop eras, 

Buddy DeFranco was born in Camden, New 

Jersey, and raised in South Philadelphia. He 

began playing the clarinet at age nine; at 14, he 

won a national Tommy Dorsey Swing Contest and 

appeared on the Saturday Night Swing Club with 

Gene Krupa. Johnny “Scat” Davis soon tapped him for 

his big band, inaugurating DeFranco’s road career in 1939. 

DeFranco subsequently played in the bands of Gene Krupa (1941) 

and Charlie Barnet (1942-43) and in 1944 became a featured soloist 

with Tommy Dorsey. Meanwhile, the modern jazz revolution was in 

progress, led by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Excited by the 

improvisatory freedom of their music, DeFranco became the first jazz 

clarinetist to make his mark in the new idiom of bebop.

In 1950, DeFranco joined the famous Count Basie Septet. He 

toured Europe with Billie Holiday in 1954, led a quartet for three 

years with Art Blakey, Kenny Drew, and Eugene Wright, and then 

joined with Tommy Gumina in a quartet that explored polytonal 

music, further solidifying his reputation as a “musician’s musician.” 

His other notable concert and recording appearances have included 

dates with Art Tatum, Nat “King” Cole, Charlie Parker, Dizzy 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

BUDDY

DeFRANCO

clarinetist EDUCATOR

Born February 17, 1923 in Camden, NJ

2006

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Cooking the Blues

Verve, 1955

Blues Bag

Affinity, 1964

 Hark

Pablo/OJC, 1985

Cookin’ the Books

Arbors Jazz, 2003

Charlie Cat 2

Arbors Jazz, 2006
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 41

Photo by Michael Wilderman

DOROTHY

DONEGAN

pianIST vocalIST educator

Born April 6, 1924 in Chicago, IL 

Died May 19, 1998 

spice her performances with uncanny 

impressions of other pianists and singers.

She spent the bulk of her career 

performing in trios with bass and drums. 

Her appearance at the Sheraton Centre Hotel 

in 1980 broke all previous attendance records. 

In 1983, she appeared on Marian McPartland’s 

NPR radio program, Piano Jazz. Despite her many 

years of performing, she didn’t appear at the legendary 

jazz club Village Vanguard in New York City until 1987. The 

New York Times jazz critic John S. Wilson wrote at the time: “Miss 

Donegan has never let her show-business surface interfere with her 

virtuosity or her sensitivity as a pianist. No one since Art Tatum has 

brought together a flow of running lines, breaks, changes of tempo 

and key, oblique references and rhythmic intensity as skillfully as 

Miss Donegan does.”

In the early 1990s, her show-stopping appearances on Hank 

O’Neal’s Floating Jazz cruises brought her talents to the attention 

of another generation of jazz fans. She also lectured at several 

colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northeastern, and 

the Manhattan School of Music, and received an honorary doctoral 

degree from Roosevelt University in 1994. Donegan performed at 

the White House in 1993 and gave her last major performance at the 

Fujitsu Concord Jazz Festival in 1997.

Blessed with an enormous 

orchestral capacity at the keyboard, 

Dorothy Donegan was fluent in 

several styles of jazz as well as with European 

classical music. Underrated by some due to 

her proclivity towards showy flamboyance and 

her penchant for entertaining an audience, she 

was nonetheless an exceptional pianist with a rich 

harmonic sense.

Given her virtuosity, it’s no wonder her earliest influence 

and one of her champions was the peerless master of the piano, Art 

Tatum. Encouraged by her mother to be a professional musician, 

Donegan was playing piano for a dollar a night at Chicago’s South 

Side bars when she was only 14. She subsequently attended the 

Chicago Conservatory, Chicago Music College, and the University of 

Southern California, where she studied classical piano.

In 1943, Donegan gave a concert at the Orchestra Hall in Chicago, 

the first African-American performer to do so. This created publicity 

that led to some work in film (Sensations of 1945) and theater (Star 

Time). Her playing career was largely centered around nightclub 

engagements, as Donegan was more comfortable in a live setting than 

a studio. 

In the 1950s, she developed her flamboyant performance style, 

which at times tended to obscure her extraordinary piano playing, 

deep sense of swing, and wide-ranging repertoire. She would often 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Dorothy Romps: A Piano 

Retrospective

Rosetta, 1953-79

Makin’ Whoopee

Black & Blue, 1979

The Explosive Dorothy Donegan

Progressive, 1980

Live at the 1990 Floating Jazz Festival 

Chiaroscuro, 1990

Live at the Floating 

Jazz Festival 1992

Chiaroscuro, 1992

1992
42		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Lifetime Achievement Award from Carnegie 

Hall for his contributions to Latin music. That 

same year, as part of the band Dizzy Gillespie 

and the United Nation Orchestra, he was 

featured with James Moody, Slide Hampton,

Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Arturo Sandoval,

Steve Turre, and others on the Grammy Awardwinning recording, Live at the Royal Festival Hall.

He has appeared at, or written commissions for, Jazz 

at Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the National 

Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, 

Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra, Simón Bolivar Symphonic 

Orchestra, and Montreal’s Gerald Danovich Saxophone Quartet. He 

serves as artistic director of jazz programming at the New Jersey 

Chamber Music Society and is artistic director of the Festival 

Internacional de Jazz en el Tambo (Punta del Este, Uruguay) and the 

Duke Ellington Festival in Washington, DC. His memoir, My Sax Life, 

was released in 2005. 

He has become the consummate multinational ambassador, 

creating and promoting a cross-culture of music that moves effortlessly 

among jazz, Latin, and classical. D’Rivera received the National 

Medal of Arts in 2005. 

T he winner of several Grammy 

Awards, Paquito D’Rivera is 

celebrated both for his artistry in 

Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical 

composer. Born in Havana, Cuba, he performed 

at age 10 with the National Theater Orchestra, 

studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music and, 

at 17, became a featured soloist with the Cuban 

National Symphony. 

D’Rivera co-founded the Orquesta Cubana de Música 

Moderna and served as the band’s conductor for two years. In 1973, 

he was co-director of Irakere, a highly popular ensemble whose 

explosive mixture of jazz, rock, classical, and traditional Cuban music 

had never before been heard. The band toured extensively and in 1979 

was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Ensemble.

In 1981, while on tour in Spain, D’Rivera sought asylum in the 

United States embassy. Since then he has toured the world with his 

ensembles—the Paquito D’Rivera Big Band, the Paquito D’Rivera 

Quintet, and the Chamber Jazz Ensemble.

His numerous recordings include more than 30 solo albums. In 

1988, he was a founding member of the United Nation Orchestra, a 

15-piece ensemble organized by Dizzy Gillespie to showcase the fusion 

of Latin and Caribbean influences with jazz. In 1991, he received a 

0000

Photo by Michael Wilderman

PAQUITO

D’RIVERA

SAXOPHONIST CLARINETIST FLUTIST COMPOSER

Born June 4, 1948 in Havana, Cuba

2005

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Blowin’

Columbia, 1981

Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Or chestra,

Live at the Royal Festival Hall

Enja, 1989

Portraits of Cuba

Chesky, 1996

Brazilian Dreams

MCG Jazz, 2001

Funk Tango

Sunnyside, 2006
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 43

Photo by Lee Tanner

SWEETS

EDISON

TRUMPETER

Born October 10, 1915 in Columbus, OH

Died July 27, 1999 

–– accenting the vocals and setting up the 

mood of the songs –– is some of his finest. 

His echoing trumpet on Sinatra’s Songs for 

Swingin’ Lovers, for example, helped set 

the pace of the songs, playing off Sinatra’s 

phrasing of the lyrics. Edison provided some 

of the bright moments in Holiday’s output in the 

1950s on albums such as Songs for Distingué Lovers.

His tasteful playing created a great demand from singers 

for his services, and besides Sinatra and Holiday, Edison 

played behind Ella Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, Sarah Vaughan, 

and Nat “King” Cole. Edison was also a welcome addition to the big 

bands he worked with, including Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, and 

Quincy Jones.

Although he left the Basie band as a full-time member in 1950, he 

rejoined the band on many subsequent occasions for the rest of his 

career. He worked as musical director for such artists as Redd Foxx 

and Joe Williams, and collaborated with other soloists, such as Eddie 

“Lockjaw” Davis and Oscar Peterson. Valued for his superb sense 

of dynamics, he carved out a beautiful trumpet style noted for its 

simplicity and good taste. He also found a home in film and television 

soundtrack work.

Known in the jazz world as 

“Sweets,” for both his disposition 

and his playing ability, Harry 

Edison was a consummate big band section 

trumpeter and skilled soloist whose ability to 

enhance a piece without overpowering it was 

renowned.

A self-taught musician, his earliest gig came in high 

school with the Earl Hood band. From 1933-1935, he 

played in the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra, a prominent territory 

band of the time. He moved to New York in 1937, spending six months 

with Lucky Millinder’s band before joining Count Basie. It was with 

Basie that he truly began to distinguish himself, not only as a strong 

member of the trumpet section, but also as a distinctive soloist. His 

warm sound, using repeated notes that he would bend and ripple, 

was a welcome contrast to the usual high-note, piercing solos of most 

trumpet players. Edison stayed with the Basie band until it disbanded 

in 1950.

Rarely a bandleader under his own name, he spent the bulk of 

his career working with singers and with big bands on the road and 

in the recording studio. Edison’s work with Billie Holiday and the 

Nelson Riddle Orchestra backing Frank Sinatra during the 1950s 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Frank Sinatra, 

Songs for Swingin’ Lovers

Capitol, 1955-56

Jawbreakers

Original Jazz Classics, 1962

Edison’s Lights

Original Jazz Classics, 1976

Swing Summit

Candid, 1990

Live at the Iridium

Telarc, 1997

1992
44		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

potent soloists. In 1941, he joined drummer 

Gene Krupa’s band. Not only did he provide 

trumpet fireworks for Krupa’s outfit, he also 

sang, recording a memorable duet with the 

band’s female singer, Anita O’Day, on the 

tune “Let Me Off Uptown” in 1941. Later, after 

Krupa’s band disbanded in 1943 and a period of 

freelancing, he toured with the Artie Shaw band in 

1944. Then Eldridge led his own bands, usually small 

swing groups.

In 1948, Norman Granz recruited Eldridge for his Jazz at the 

Philharmonic, an ideal situation since Eldridge was one of the ultimate 

jam session trumpeters. He toured briefly with Benny Goodman and 

took up residence in Paris in 1950, where he made some of his most 

successful recordings. He returned to New York in 1951 and continued 

freelancing with small bands, including work with Coleman Hawkins, 

Benny Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, and Johnny Hodges. He made 

notable albums for Verve Records alongside Hawkins and continued 

freelancing and leading a house band at Jimmy Ryan’s club in New 

York. In 1971, he was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame. 

A stroke in 1980 stopped him from playing the trumpet, but Eldridge 

continued to make music as a singer and pianist until his death in 1989.

Also known as “Little Jazz,” 

Roy Eldridge was a fiery, energetic 

trumpeter, the bridge between the 

towering trumpet stylists Louis Armstrong and 

Dizzy Gillespie. Some of the great rhythmic 

drive of Eldridge’s later trumpet exploits could 

be traced to his beginnings on the drums, which he 

began playing at age six. Eldridge’s older brother Joe, 

who played alto saxophone, was his first teacher.

In 1930, Eldridge moved to New York, heading straight to 

Harlem where he gained work with a number of dance bands before 

joining the Teddy Hill band. By 1935, Eldridge and saxophonist Chu 

Berry (who would later join the Count Basie Orchestra) were Hill’s 

principal soloists, and after gigs they would go around town on cutting 

contests, challenging musicians to see who could play the best; with his 

lightning speed and awesome range, Eldridge rarely lost. After Hill’s 

band, Eldridge became the lead trumpeter in the Fletcher Henderson 

Orchestra, where his upper register abilities were highlighted. It didn’t 

take long for Eldridge to exert himself as a bandleader, forming his 

own octet in 1936 in Chicago, a band that included his brother Joe. 

By the end of the 1930s, after freelancing with a wide array 

of bands, Eldridge gained notice as one of the swing bands’ most 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

ROY

ELDRIDGE

trumpetER PIANIST vocalIST

Born January 30, 1911 in Pittsburgh, PA

Died February 26, 1989 

1982

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

After You’ve Gone 

GRP/Decca, 1936-46

Little Jazz: The Best of the Verve Years

Verve, 1951-60

Roy and Diz

Verve, 1954

Just You Just Me

Stash, 1959

Montreux ’77

Original Jazz Classics, 1977
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 45

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

GIL

EVANS

pianIST composer arranger bandleader

Born May 13, 1912 in Toronto, Canada

Died March 20, 1988 

seeking fresh approaches. These musical and 

conversational exchanges led to the recording 

of Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool session for 

Capitol Records. That album was marked 

by cooler, less bustling tempos than were 

characteristic of bebop, the modern jazz of 

the day. Several Evans arrangements stood out, 

especially “Moondreams” and “Boplicity.”

Evans spent much of the 1950s as a freelance 

arranger, until 1957 when he began working with Davis on 

the first of their four collaborations, Miles Ahead, featuring Davis on 

flugelhorn as the only soloist, an unusual arrangement in jazz at the 

time. Over the next few years, Evans and Davis worked together on 

Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Quiet Nights. 

In the 1960s, Evans began making his own recordings, displaying 

his unusual voicings and distinctive settings for some of the best soloists 

of the time, such as Steve Lacy, Wayne Shorter, and Eric Dolphy. In 

the 1970s, Evans began exploring the music of Jimi Hendrix and 

taking on some of the accoutrements usually associated with rock 

music, including guitars, synthesizers, and electric bass. In the 1980s, 

Evans would have occasional weekly shows at New York clubs such as 

the Village Vanguard and Sweet Basil, and wrote music for the movie 

soundtracks of Absolute Beginners and The Color of Money.

As an arranger, Gil Evans has 

few peers in jazz history. His style 

is instantly recognizable, often 

using unusual brass colorations for jazz, such 

as combinations of tuba and French horn. 

Arranging started early for Evans, leading his 

own band when he was 16 and taking piano gigs 

at local hotels. In junior college, he and Ned Briggs 

joined forces to lead a 10-piece band modeled after the 

popular Casa Loma Orchestra. The band was in residence 

as the house band at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, 

California, for two years. 

In 1937, singer Skinny Ennis took over leadership of the band, 

retaining Evans as pianist and arranger as they moved to Hollywood, 

where they were regularly featured on the Bob Hope radio show. In 

1941, Claude Thornhill, who had been associated with the Hope show, 

hired Evans as an arranger for his first orchestra, which lasted for 

seven years. Evans was influenced by Thornhill’s unusual voicings, 

particularly for brass and woodwinds.

Evans settled permanently in New York in 1947 and his unusual 

arrangements for Thornhill began to attract the attention of some 

of the nascent beboppers of the time, including Miles Davis, John 

Lewis, and Gerry Mulligan. It was around this time that Evans’ 

apartment became a meeting ground for these and other musicians 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Out of the Cool

Impulse!, 1960

The Individualism of Gil Evans

Verve, 1963-64

Svengali

Atlantic, 1973

Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the 

Music of Jimi Hendrix

Bluebird, 1974-75

Bud and Bird

Evidence, 1986

1985
46		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

1962 and then again for several years starting 

in 1982. The Jazztet’s tightly arranged music 

defined mainstream jazz for several years. 

In the early 1960s, Farmer switched to the 

flugelhorn, finding a rounder, mellower sound 

with the instrument. He also co-led a band with 

guitarist Jim Hall until 1964. He worked in Europe 

from 1965-66, and when he returned stateside he 

again co-led a band, this time with Jimmy Heath. In 

1968 Farmer moved to Vienna, joined the Austrian Radio 

Orchestra, and worked with such European outfits as the ClarkeBoland Big Band, and Peter Herbolzheimer. 

In the 1980s, Farmer formed a new quintet featuring Clifford 

Jordan, which performed regularly in New York and toured Japan. 

At the same time, Farmer continued to perform in Europe with his 

European band that included pianist Fritz Pauer. In 1991, he began 

using the flumpet especially designed for him by David Monette. In 

1994, he was the recipient of the prestigious Austrian Gold Medal of 

Merit and, also, a Life Time Achievement Concert was held at Jazz 

at Lincoln Center in his honor. In 1998 and 1999, he toured with 

his quintet in celebration of the Academy Award-nominated film A 

Great Day in Harlem. 

One of the more lyrical of the 

post-bop musicians, Art Farmer 

helped to popularize the flugelhorn 

in jazz. Later in his career, he switched to 

a hybrid instrument known as the flumpet, 

an instrument that combined the power of the 

trumpet with the warmth of the flugelhorn. 

He and his twin brother, bassist Addison Farmer, 

were raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Farmer took up the 

piano, violin, and tuba before settling on the trumpet at 14. 

He later moved to Los Angeles and worked with Horace Henderson 

and Floyd Ray, eventually traveling east to New York with the Johnny 

Otis Revue in 1947. In New York, he studied with Maurice Grupp 

and freelanced in the clubs. In 1948 he returned to the West Coast 

and found work with Benny Carter, Gerald Wilson, Roy Porter, Jay 

McShann, and Wardell Gray. He toured with Lionel Hampton in 

1952-53, moving once again to New York after the tour.

Between 1954-56, he intermittently co-led a band with Gigi Gryce, 

then joined Horace Silver from 1956-58. He played with Gerry 

Mulligan from 1958-59, with whom he appeared in two films: I Want to 

Live and The Subterraneans. Farmer’s performances with the various 

groups earned him a reputation for being able to play in any style. 

Greater fame came in the flourishing of the Jazztet, the legendary 

sextet that he co-led with saxophonist Benny Golson from 1959 to 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

ART

FARMER

trumpetER flugelhornIST flumpetER

Born August 21, 1928 in Council Bluffs, IA 

Died October 4, 1999 

1999

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

When Farmer Met Gryce 

Original Jazz Classics, 1954-55

The Jazztet , Meet the Jazztet

MCA/Chess, 1960

Live at the Half Note

Atlantic, 1963

Blame It on My Youth

Contemporary, 1988

Silk Road

Arabesque, 1996
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 47

Photo by Lee Tanner

ELLA

FITZGERALD

vocalIST

Born April 25, 1917 in Newport News, VA 

Died June 15, 1996 

time her regular trio leader was bassist Ray 

Brown, to whom she was married from 1947 

to 1953. By 1955, Granz had become her 

manager and had begun recording Fitzgerald 

for his Verve label. This affiliation led to her 

recording with numerous greats, including Louis 

Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and 

Oscar Peterson. Among the landmark recordings she 

made with Granz were her historic songbook treatments 

of the music of Ellington, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving 

Berlin, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, Harold Arlen, Johnny 

Mercer, and Ira and George Gershwin.

Fitzgerald’s superb intonation and crystal clear voice was also 

blessed with a rhythmic flexibility to effortlessly swing. Though 

she came up in the swing era, Fitzgerald also could hang with the 

best of the beboppers. Her ability to scat with the most skilled 

instrumentalists served her well on such notable voice-as-instrument 

hits as “Lady Be Good,” “Flying Home,” and “How High The Moon.” 

Each became enduring parts of her repertoire. She forged memorable 

partnerships with her piano accompanists, most notably Tommy

Flanagan and Paul Smith.

In 1987, she received the National Medal of Arts. In her lifetime, 

she won 13 Grammy Awards and sold more than 40 million albums.

I t is quite apropos that Ella Fitzgerald was the first vocalist recipient 

of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, 

as she is considered by most people to be the 

quintessential jazz singer. The purity of her 

range and intonation, along with her peerless 

sense of pitch, made her a signature singer. In 

addition, her scat singing, using the technique of a 

master instrumental improviser, was her hallmark. These 

characteristics make her an enduring purveyor not only of jazz 

and the art of improvising, but also of the classic American songbook.

Fitzgerald was raised in Yonkers, New York, and her first artistic 

proclivities were as a dancer, even though she sang with her school 

glee club. At 17, she entered the famous amateur show competition 

at the Apollo Theater, which led to her being hired as a singer for 

Chick Webb’s orchestra. She soon became a popular attraction at 

the Savoy, and Fitzgerald recorded her first song, “Love and Kisses,” 

with Webb in June 1935. Three years of steady work later, she had 

her first major hit with her rendition of “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” That 

lightweight ditty remained a popular request throughout Fitzgerald’s 

ensuing decades.

When Webb died in 1939, Fitzgerald assumed leadership of 

the band for the next two years, beginning her solo career. In 1946 

she began an enduring relationship with producer Norman Granz, 

becoming part of his Jazz at the Philharmonic concert tours. At the 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

75th Birthday Celebration

GRP, 1938-55

The Complete Ella Fitzgerald 

& Louis Armstrong on Verve

Verve, 1956-57

Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook

Verve, 1956-57

The Complete Ella in Berlin

Verve, 1960-61

Montreux ’77 

Original Jazz Classics, 1977

1985
48		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

One of his most significant recordings was 

with John Coltrane on the wildly influential 

recording, Giant Steps. His playing on the 

complex title track, using space between the 

notes to contrast Coltrane’s rapid-fire attack, 

was especially inspired. 

He also met and began performing with Ella 

Fitzgerald, an association that lasted until the end of 

the 1970s, his trio touring exclusively with her from 1968-

78. After leaving Fitzgerald in 1978, some of his best, most 

compelling work was in the trio format, with George Mraz on bass and 

Elvin Jones or Lewis Nash on drums. Influenced by the playing and 

arrangements of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, Flanagan’s 

lyrical playing and harmonic sophistication placed him in the top 

echelon of jazz pianists. He was an especially tasteful interpreter of 

Billy Strayhorn, Thad Jones, and Tadd Dameron’s music. Flanagan 

was a multiple jazz poll winner, and in 1992 was recipient of the 

prestigious Danish Jazzpar Prize. During his career, he also was

nominated for four Grammy Awards.

Tommy Flanagan was noted as 

both a stimulating accompanist and 

a superb small ensemble leader, 

playing with some of the biggest names in jazz. 

A product of a noteworthy arts education system 

in the Detroit public schools, he began his musical 

pursuits on clarinet at six years old, switching to the 

piano at age 11. At 15, he made his professional debut. 

Thereafter he performed with fellow Detroiters Milt 

Jackson, Rudy Rutherford, Billy Mitchell, Kenny Burrell,

and Thad and Elvin Jones as part of the fertile Detroit jazz scene in 

the 1950s. 

Flanagan moved to New York in 1956, securing his first job as 

a replacement for Bud Powell at Birdland. Powell, along with Art 

Tatum and Nat “King” Cole, was a major influence on Flanagan’s 

playing. Throughout the 1950s, he worked with many of the biggest 

names in jazz, including J.J. Johnson, Miles Davis, Harry “Sweets”

Edison, Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Jim Hall, and Tony

Bennett, playing on some of the landmark recordings of that decade. 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

TOMMY

FLANAGAN

PIANIST

Born March 16, 1930 in Detroit, MI

Died November 16, 2001 

1996

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Thelonica

Enja, 1982

Beyond the Bluebird

Timeless, 1990

Giant Steps 

Enja, 1992

Lady Be Good ... For Ella

Verve, 1994

Sunset and the Mockingbird: 

The Birthday Concert

Blue Note, 1997
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 49

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

FRANK

FOSTER

saxophonIST composer arranger 

bandleader educator

Born September 23, 1928 in Cincinnati, OH 

(“Blues Backstage,” “Down for the Count,” 

the entire Easin’ It album, just to name a 

few), with his most popular number being 

“Shiny Stockings.” 

In the 1970s, Foster played with contemporary musicians such as Elvin Jones, George 

Coleman, and Joe Farrell and began expanding his 

compositions. He also was an extremely successful 

freelance writer, creating a large body of work for jazz, 

including works contributed to albums by singers Sarah

Vaughan and Frank Sinatra, and a commissioned work for the 1980 

Winter Olympics, Lake Placid Suite, written for jazz orchestra. In 

1983, Dizzy Gillespie commissioned Foster to orchestrate Gillespie’s 

song “Con Alma” for a performance and recording by the London 

Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Foster led his own band, the Loud Minority, until 1986 when 

he assumed leadership of the Count Basie Orchestra from Thad 

Jones. While playing the favorites, he also began introducing original 

material into the playlist. Foster resigned as the musical director of 

the orchestra in 1995 and began recording albums again. In addition 

to performing, he has also served as a musical consultant in the New 

York City public schools and taught at Queens College and the State 

University of New York at Buffalo. To date, Foster has received four 

Grammy Awards.

Although best known for his 

work in the Count Basie Orchestra 

(and as the composer of the Count 

Basie hit, “Shiny Stockings”), Frank Foster’s 

saxophone playing owes more to the bebop of 

Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt than the swing 

of Basie. 

Foster began playing clarinet at 11 years old before 

taking up the alto saxophone and eventually the tenor. 

By the time he was a senior in high school, he was leading 

and writing the arrangements for a 12-piece band. Foster studied at 

Wilberforce University in Ohio before heading to Detroit in 1949 with 

trumpeter Snooky Young for six weeks, becoming captivated by its 

burgeoning music scene. Drafted into the Army, Foster left Detroit 

and headed off to basic training near San Francisco, where he would 

jam in the evenings at Jimbo’s Bop City. 

After being discharged in 1953, two life-changing events happened 

to Foster: he sat in with Charlie Parker at Birdland and he was 

asked to join Count Basie’s band, where he stayed until 1964. 

Foster’s fiery solos contrasted nicely with Frank Wess’ ballad 

work, providing Basie with an interesting saxophone combination. 

Foster, already an accomplished composer by this time, learned 

from Basie how to simplify arrangements to make the music swing. 

He soon was providing compositions and arrangements for the band 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Count Basie, Verve Jazz Masters

Verve, 1954-65

Fearless

Original Jazz Classics, 1965

Shiny Stockings

Denon, 1977-78

Leo Rising

Arabesque, 1996

Loud Minority Big Band, 

We Do It Diff’rent

Mapleshade 2002

2002
50		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Messengers one of the defining bands of the 

hard-bop era. In 1968, Fuller toured Europe 

with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band. During the 

1970s, he experimented for a time playing hard 

bop arrangements in a band featuring electronic 

instruments, heading a group with guitarist Bill 

Washer and bassist Stanley Clarke. He concluded 

that phase with the 1973 album Crankin’. 

Fuller toured with the Count Basie band from 1975 

to 1977; co-led the quintet Giant Bones with Kai Winding 

in 1979 and 1980; and played with Art Blakey, Cedar Walton, and 

Benny Golson in the late 1970s and early ’80s. During the 1980s, 

Fuller toured Europe regularly with the Timeless All-Stars and 

performed and recorded with a reconvened Jazztet. 

In more recent years, Fuller has become known nationally 

and internationally as a master clinician in jazz studies programs, 

having worked with students and young professionals at institutions 

including Skidmore College, Harvard University, Stanford University, 

the University of Pittsburgh, Duke University, the New England 

Conservatory of Music, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the 

Performing Arts. He holds an honorary doctorate from Berklee 

College of Music.

A remarkably fluent trombonist, 

whose impeccable sense of time 

and ambitious solos made him a 

mainstay of the hard-bop scene, Curtis Fuller 

was born in Detroit, where he spent 10 years 

of his childhood in an orphanage. His interest in 

jazz was piqued when a nun at the orphanage took 

him to see Illinois Jacquet’s band, which featured J.J. 

Johnson on trombone. He soon took up the instrument. 

A stint in an Army band (where he played with Cannonball 

Adderley) helped him mature into a professional with virtuoso skills. 

After working in Detroit with Kenny Burrell and Yusef Lateef, he 

moved to New York, where he made his recording debut as a leader on 

Transition in 1955. He also became a strong presence on the Blue Note 

label, working with Clifford Jordan, John Coltrane (on the classic 

Blue Train), and his own The Opener (with Hank Mobley). Always 

in demand—he also played on late-1950s sessions for Prestige, United 

Artists, and Savoy—Fuller is the only trombonist to have recorded 

with Coltrane, Bud Powell, and Jimmy Smith.

In 1959, he became a founding member of the Jazztet with Benny 

Golson and Art Farmer, then joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers 

in 1961. For the next four years, working in a front line with Wayne 

Shorter and Freddie Hubbard, Fuller helped make this edition of the 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

CURTIS

FULLER

trombonist EDUCATOR

Born December 15, 1934 in Detroit, MI

2007

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Blues-ette

Savoy, 1956

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers,

Ugetsu 

Riverside/OJC, 1963

Crankin’

MRL, 1973

The Jazztet , Real Time

Contemporary, 1986

Keep It Simple

Savant, 2003
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 51

Photo by Michael Wilderman

DIZZY

GILLESPIE

trumpetER composer ARRANGER bandleader

Born October 21, 1917 in Cheraw, SC 

Died January 6, 1993

including that of Earl “Fatha” Hines. Hines’ 

band contained several musicians Gillespie 

would interact with in the development of 

bebop, such as singer Billy Eckstine, who 

formed his own band featuring Gillespie on 

trumpet in 1944.

The year 1945 was crucial for both bebop and 

Gillespie. He recorded with Parker many of his small 

ensemble hits, such as “Salt Peanuts,” and formed his 

own bebop big band. Despite economic woes, he was able 

to keep this band together for four years. His trumpet playing was 

at a peak, with rapid-fire attacks of notes and an amazing harmonic 

range. A number of future greats performed with Gillespie’s big band, 

including saxophonists Gene Ammons, Yusef Lateef, Paul Gonsalves, 

Jimmy Heath, James Moody, and John Coltrane. The rhythm section 

of John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Kenny Clarke, and Ray Brown became 

the original Modern Jazz Quartet.

He took various bands on State Department tours around the 

world starting in 1956, the first time the U.S. government provided 

economic aid and recognition to jazz. Those excursions not only kept 

Gillespie working, they also stimulated his musical interests as he began 

incorporating different ethnic elements into his music, such as the 

Afro-Cuban rhythms he weaved into his big band arrangements. Never 

losing his thirst for collaboration, Gillespie worked with a variety of 

jazz stars as well as leading his own small groups on into the 1980s. 

JOHN BIRKS “DIZZY” Gillespie’s effect on jazz cannot be overstated: 

his trumpet playing influenced every 

 player who came after him, his compositions 

have become part of the jazz canon, and his 

bands have included some of the most significant 

names in the business. He was also, along with 

Charlie Parker, one of the major leaders of the bebop 

movement. 

Gillespie’s father was an amateur bandleader who, although 

dead by the time Gillespie was ten, had given his son some of his earliest 

grounding in music. Gillespie began playing trumpet at 14 after briefly 

trying the trombone, and his first formal musical training came at the 

Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina.

Gillespie’s earliest professional jobs were with the Frankie Fairfax 

band, where he reportedly picked up the nickname Dizzy because 

of his outlandish antics. His earliest influence was Roy Eldridge, 

whom he later replaced in Teddy Hill’s band. From 1939-41, Gillespie 

was one of the principal soloists in Cab Calloway’s band, until 

he was dismissed for a notorious bandstand prank. While with 

Calloway he met the Cuban trumpeter Mario Bauza, from whom he 

gained a great interest in Afro-Cuban rhythms. At this time he also 

befriended Charlie Parker, with whom he would begin to develop 

some of the ideas behind bebop while sitting in at Minton’s Playhouse 

in Harlem.

From 1941-43, Gillespie freelanced with a number of big bands, 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Complete RCA Victor 

Recordings 1937-1949

Bluebird, 1937-49

Dizzy’s Diamonds

Verve, 1954-64

Birk’s Works: Verve Big Band Sessions

Verve, 1956-57

Gillespiana/Carnegie Hall Concert

Verve, 1960-61

Max + Dizzy, Paris 1989

A&M, 1989

1982
52		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

the Jazztet lasted from 1959-62. In 1963, he 

moved to California and began to concentrate 

on composing and arranging. He scored music 

for European and American television and 

films, and essentially discontinued touring until 

1982, when he and Farmer revived the Jazztet 

briefly. Thereafter he played more frequently, 

working in all-star aggregations, and completing 

commissioned assignments, such as an original orchestral 

work for the 100th anniversary of the Juilliard School of 

Music in 2005. His soundtrack credits include M*A*S*H, Mission 

Impossible, Mod Squad, and Ironside.

In 1987, Golson participated in a U.S. State Department tour 

of Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and 

Singapore. As a tribute to Art Blakey, Golson organized the Art 

Blakey Legacy Band tour of the U.S., Europe, and Japan from 1998 

to 2000. 

As an educator he has lectured, given clinics, and performed 

extended residencies at New York University, Stanford University, 

University of Pittsburgh, Cuyahoga Community College, Rutgers 

University, William Paterson College, and Berklee College of Music. 

Among his awards are a 1994 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2007 

Mellon Living Legend Legacy Award. Currently, he is working on two 

books: a major college textbook and his autobiography.

Benny Golson is as renowned for 

his distinctive compositions and 

arrangements as for his innovative 

tenor saxophone playing. Major cornerstones 

of his career have included not only notable 

additions to the jazz canon, but also his work in 

film and television studios, and his contributions to 

jazz education.

Golson began on the piano at age nine, moving to the 

saxophone at age 14. He earned a degree from Howard University, 

then joined Bull Moose Jackson’s band in 1951. Arranging and 

composing became a serious pursuit for him at the early encouragement 

of composer-arranger Tadd Dameron, whom he met in Jackson’s 

band. Other early band affiliations included Lionel Hampton, Johnny 

Hodges, and Earl Bostic. He toured with the Dizzy Gillespie big band 

from 1956-58, then joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His robust 

playing added extra kick to the band, and his solo on Bobby Timmons’ 

song “Moanin’” is a classic. With the Messengers, Golson’s writing 

skills blossomed as he contributed pieces for the band that have forever 

entered the jazz canon, including “Along Came Betty,” “Blues March,” 

“I Remember Clifford” (written upon the death of his friend Clifford 

Brown), “Killer Joe” (which later became a hit for Quincy Jones), and 

“Are You Real?”

After leaving the Messengers, he and Art Farmer formed the 

hard bop quintet known as the Jazztet. The original incarnation of 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

benny

GOLSON

saxophonIST composer ARRANGER EDUCATOR

Born January 25, 1929 in Philadelphia, PA

1996

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Benny Golson’s New 

York Scene

Original Jazz Classics, 1957

Tenor Legacy

Arkadia Jazz, 1996

One Day, Forever

Arkadia, 1996-2000

Terminal 1

Concord Jazz, 2004

New Time, New ‘Tet

Concord Jazz, 2008
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 53

Photo by Lee Tanner

DEXTER

GORDON

saxophonIST

Born February 27, 1923 in Los Angeles, CA 

Died April 25, 1990

acclaim, eventually settling in Copenhagen 

in 1962.

Gordon continued to play in Europe as 

a soloist, making a series of recordings for 

the Danish label Steeplechase. He added the 

soprano sax to his arsenal in the early 1970s. 

During a trip back to the States in 1976, he took 

a gig at the Village Vanguard and the response to his 

playing was overwhelming. He found willing partners 

in several musicians of a younger generation, including 

trumpeter Woody Shaw. The response prompted him to return 

permanently to the U.S., where he made a series of well-received 

records for the Columbia label. Included was a notable return to his 

two-tenor battle days, this time with fellow expatriate Johnny Griffin. 

In 1980, he was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.

The culmination of the decade-long renewal of interest in Gordon 

was his starring role in the film Round Midnight, which garnered an 

Oscar nomination. Thereafter, until felled by ill health, he continued 

to tour with his own potent quartets and returned to his former record 

label, Blue Note, for a brief time following his film success. His last 

major concert appearance was with the New York Philharmonic, along 

with Ron Carter and Tommy Flanagan, performing Ellingtones, a 

concerto written for Gordon by David Baker.

Dexter Gordon was one of the 

leading bebop tenor saxophonists, 

with his near-vibratoless sound 

and prodigious ability to improvise. He was a 

strong influence on the tenor saxophonists who 

came after bebop, especially Sonny Rollins and 

John Coltrane.

Gordon took up the clarinet at age 13, switching to 

the saxophone at 15. His first formal teacher was Lloyd 

Reese, who had other notable students, including Charles 

Mingus and Buddy Collette. Gordon left school in 1940 and joined a 

local band before taking a position with the Lionel Hampton band 

from 1940-43, cutting his first recordings with the band in 1942. 

Back home in Los Angeles, Gordon played with Lee Young (brother 

of Lester) and Jesse Price, and made a subsequent record with Nat 

“King” Cole at the piano.

Gordon began to garner attention when he moved to New York in 

1944 to join the Billy Eckstine Orchestra. He recorded with Eckstine 

and made his own recordings for the Savoy label. Through the 

remainder of the 1940s, he played and recorded with the major figures 

in bebop, such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Tadd Dameron. 

Between 1947 and 1952, he locked horns with fellow tenor saxophonist 

Wardell Gray for a series of classic two-tenor duels, including their 

classic recording of “The Chase.” Continuing to freelance throughout 

the 1950s, he began touring Europe as a soloist in the early 1960s to 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Dexter Gordon on Dial: 

The Complete Sessions

Spotlite, 1947

Doin’ Alright

Blue Note, 1961

Go!

Blue Note, 1962

Something Different

Steeplechase, 1975

Great Encounters

Columbia, 1978

1986
54		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

experience has produced a control of rhythm 

and harmony so that Hall’s playing, while 

grounded in scholarly technique and science, 

sounds both rich and free. 

He eventually formed his own trio in 1965, 

which still performs and records today. Wellstudied in classical composition, Hall has produced 

many original pieces for various jazz orchestral 

ensembles. His composition for jazz quartet, “Quartet 

Plus Four,” earned him the Jazzpar Prize in Denmark. In 

2004, Towson University in Maryland commissioned a work by Hall 

for the First World Guitar Congress, Peace Movement, a concerto for 

guitar and orchestra performed by Hall and the Baltimore Symphony.

His influence on jazz guitarists, including such disparate ones as 

Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny, is immense. Hall continues to explore 

new avenues of music, even appearing on saxophonist Greg Osby’s 

2000 recording, Invisible Hand, with legendary pianist Andrew Hill. 

He also has worked in smaller settings as well, often in duets with 

jazz greats such as pianists Bill Evans and Red Mitchell, and bassists 

Ron Carter and Charlie Haden. In addition to numerous Grammy 

nominations, Hall has been awarded the New York Jazz Critics Circle 

Award for Best Jazz Composer/Arranger. 

Jazz guitarist Jim Hall’s technique 

has been called subtle, his sound 

mellow, and his compositions 

understated; yet his recording and playing 

history is anything but modest. He has recorded 

with artists ranging from Bill Evans to Itzhak 

Perlman and performed alongside most of the jazz 

greats of the 20th century. The first of the modern 

jazz guitarists to receive an NEA Jazz Masters award, his 

prowess on the instrument puts him in the company of Charlie 

Christian, Wes Montgomery, and Django Reinhardt. 

After graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Hall 

became an original member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet in 1955 and 

of the Jimmy Giuffre 3 the following year—both small but musically 

vital ensembles of the era. Hall continued to hone his craft on Ella 

Fitzgerald’s South American tour in 1960, a fruitful time in which his 

exposure to bossa nova greatly influenced his subsequent work. From 

there, he joined Sonny Rollins’ quartet from 1961-62, and appears on 

The Bridge, Rollins’ first recording in three years after a self-imposed 

retirement. The interplay between Rollins’ fiery solos and Hall’s 

classic guitar runs make this one of jazz’s most essential recordings. 

Hall then co-led a quartet with Art Farmer, recorded a series 

of duets with noted saxophonist Paul Desmond, and performed as 

a session musician on numerous recordings. His extensive ensemble 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

JIM

HALL

GuitarIST composer 

Born December 4, 1930 in Buffalo, NY

2004

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Jimmy Giuffre 3, Trav’lin’ Light

Atlantic, 1958

Sonny Rollins, The Bridge

RCA, 1962

Ron Carter and Jim Hall, 

Live at Village West

Concord, 1982 

Something Special

Music Masters, 1993

Jim Hall and Bill Frisell, Hemispheres

ArtistShare, 2007-08
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 55

Photo by Lee Tanner

CHICO

HAMILTON

PercussionIST bandleader co mposer educator

Born September 21, 1921 in Los Angeles, CA

tenor sax and flute, and George Bohanon 

on trombone, bringing a fresh, new sound to 

jazz once again. Over the years, Hamilton’s 

bands have had various personnel, but the 

quality of the musicianship has remained 

high. Some of the players Hamilton nurtured 

in his bands include Jim Hall, Eric Dolphy, Ron

Carter, Arthur Blythe, Larry Coryell, and John 

Abercrombie. 

During the 1960s, Hamilton formed a company to score 

feature films and commercials for television and radio. In 1987, 

Hamilton was on the originating faculty at Parsons New School of 

Jazz in New York. During the same year, he formed a new quartet 

called Euphoria, and began touring in Europe. The quartet met 

with great popularity, and in 1992, their album Arroyo placed in the 

Jazz Album of the Year category in the DownBeat Reader’s Poll. In 

1995, a documentary of Hamilton’s extraordinary life and career, 

Dancing to a Different Drummer, directed by Julian Benedikt, was 

presented twice on the French-German Arts Network, ARTE. In 

June 1999, Hamilton received a Beacons of Jazz award from the 

Mannes College of Music at the New School University in New York 

City, where he is currently teaching. Never one to rest on his laurels, 

Hamilton released four new albums in 2006 in celebration of his 85th 

birthday. In 2007, he was a member of the NEA’s National Council 

on the Arts.

Foreststorn “Chico” Hamilton is 

not only a subtle, creative drummer, 

but also a skillful bandleader who 

continually discovers talented newcomers. As 

a teenager growing up in Los Angeles, Hamilton 

started playing regularly for the first time with 

a band that included classmates Charles Mingus, 

Dexter Gordon, and Illinois Jacquet. He made 

his recording debut with Slim Gaillard, and studied 

drumming with jazz great Jo Jones during his military service 

from 1942-46. 

After working briefly with Jimmy Mundy, Count Basie, and 

Lester Young, Hamilton joined Lena Horne’s band in 1948, staying 

with her on and off for six years, including a tour of Europe. During 

this time, he also became an original member of the legendary Gerry 

Mulligan Quartet, which included Mulligan, Chet Baker, and Bob 

Whitlock. Successfully recording with them for three years (1952-55) 

on the Pacific Jazz label, Hamilton got his first shot as bandleader. 

In 1955, he formed the Chico Hamilton Quintet, utilizing an 

unusual combination of instruments: cello, flute, guitar, bass, and 

drums. One of the important West Coast bands, the Hamilton group 

made their film debut in the movie The Sweet Smell of Success, as 

well as highlighting Jazz on a Summer’s Day, the film about the 1958 

Newport Jazz Festival. His second great band started in 1962 with 

Albert Stinson on bass, Gabor Szabo on guitar, Charles Lloyd on 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings 

of the Chico Hamilton Quintet

Mosaic, 1955-59

Man From Two Worlds

Impulse!, 1962

Dancing to a Different Drummer

Soul Note, 1993

Foreststorn

 Koch, 2000-01

Believe

Joyous Shout!, 2000-05

2004
56		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

driven by Illinois Jacquet’s unforgettable 

tenor saxophone solo.

Hampton’s popular big band boasted 

such potent musicians as Dexter Gordon, 

Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Johnny Griffin, 

Charles Mingus, Art Farmer, Clark Terry, Cat 

Anderson, Wes Montgomery, and singers Dinah 

Washington, Joe Williams, Betty Carter, and Aretha 

Franklin. He toured the globe and continued to nurture 

young talent, often providing some of the earliest band 

experiences to musicians who went on to become leaders in their 

own right. His band became the longest established orchestra in jazz 

history.

Lionel Hampton received numerous awards of merit, including 

several honorary doctoral degrees, the National Medal of Arts, and 

the Kennedy Center Honors. His diligent work with the jazz festival at 

the University of Idaho in Moscow led to it being renamed the Lionel 

Hampton International Jazz Festival in 1985. The university’s music 

department shortly followed suit and became the Lionel Hampton 

School of Music. Winner of numerous polls, Hampton had been an 

honored soloist into the 1990s, performing in numerous festivals as 

part of all-star assemblages. In 2001, he donated his vibraphone to the 

Smithsonian Institution.

F eaturing outstanding sidemen and soloists, as well as his 

own swinging vibe playing, Lionel 

Hampton’s bands during the 1940s and 1950s 

were among the most popular and most exciting 

in jazz. Hampton was raised in the Midwest, 

primarily in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he received 

his first musical training. His career began behind the 

drums, taking his first music job in a newsboys’ band 

sponsored by the Chicago Defender. 

In 1928, Hampton moved west to California, landing first in 

the Paul Howard Orchestra, later working with bandleaders Eddie 

Barefield and Les Hite. In 1929 he took up the vibraphone with the 

Hite band, which at the time was led by Louis Armstrong, becoming a 

pioneering figure in the use of vibes in a jazz band.

Hampton made his recorded debut on an Armstrong version of 

“Memories of You” in 1930. By 1934, Hampton had become leader of 

his own band, performing at Sebastian’s Cotton Club in Los Angeles. 

Benny Goodman saw Hampton perform at one of his gigs and recruited 

him to augment his trio, with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa, for a 

1936 recording date. Hampton remained in Goodman’s band through 

1940, occasionally replacing Krupa on the drums. Hampton became 

well known with the Goodman band, and started his own big band, 

achieving his biggest recorded hit with “Flying Home” in May 1942, 

0000

Photo by Jan Persson/CTSIMAGES

LIONEL

HAMPTON

vibraphonist drumMER pianIST vocalIST bandleader

Born April 20, 1908 in Louisville, KY 

Died September 30, 2002

1988

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Complete Lionel Hampton 

Bluebird, 1937-39

Hamp: The Legendary 

Decca Recordings

Decca, 1942-63

Hamp and Getz

Verve, 1956

Reunion at Newport

Bluebird, 1967

Made in Japan

Timeless, 1982
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 57

Photo by Lee Tanner

SLIDE

HAMPTON

Trombonist ARRANGER COMPOSER Educator

Born April 21, 1932 in Jeannette, PA

Herman, he elected to stay in Europe, 

performing with other expatriates such as 

Benny Bailey, Kenny Clarke, Kenny Drew, 

Art Farmer, and Dexter Gordon. Upon 

returning to the U.S. in 1977, he began a 

series of master classes at Harvard University, 

the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, De 

Paul University in Chicago, and Indiana University. 

During this period he formed the illustrious World of 

Trombones: an ensemble of nine trombones and a rhythm 

section.

In 1989, with Paquito D’Rivera, he was musical director of 

Dizzy’s Diamond Jubilee, a year-long series of celebrations honoring 

Dizzy Gillespie’s 75th birthday. Hampton’s countless collaborations 

with the most prominent musicians of jazz were acknowledged by 

the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Arrangement with a Vocalist 

for Dee Dee Bridgewater’s recording “Cotton Tail.” Most recently, 

he has served as musical advisor to the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. 

A charismatic figure, master arranger, and formidable trombonist, 

Hampton holds a place of distinction in the jazz tradition.

Slide Hampton’s distinguished 

career spans decades in the evolution 

of jazz. At the age of 12 he was already 

touring the Midwest with the Indianapolisbased Hampton Band, led by his father and 

comprising other members of his musical family. 

During these tours, Hampton encountered jazz 

musicians such as J.J. Johnson and Wes Montgomery, 

who became early influences. By 1952, at the age of 20, 

he was performing at Carnegie Hall with the Lionel Hampton 

band. He then joined Maynard Ferguson’s band, playing trombone 

and providing exciting charts on such popular tunes as “The Fugue,” 

“Three Little Foxes,” and “Slide’s Derangement.”

As his reputation grew, he soon began working with bands led by 

Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Harris, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, 

and Max Roach, again contributing both original compositions and 

arrangements. In 1962, he formed the Slide Hampton Octet, which 

included stellar horn players Booker Little, Freddie Hubbard, and 

George Coleman. The band toured the U.S. and Europe and recorded 

on several labels.

From 1964 to 1967, he served as music director for various 

orchestras and artists. Then, following a 1968 tour with Woody 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Slide Hampton and His 

Horn of Plenty

Strand, 1959

World of Trombones

1201 Music, 1979

Roots

Criss Cross, 1985

Dedicated to Diz

Telarc, 1993

Spirit of the Horn

MCG Jazz, 2003

2005
58		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Blue Note. It was toward the end of his tenure 

with Davis that he began to use electric piano. 

After leaving the band in 1968, Hancock 

continued to explore the use of electronic 

instruments in his music. In 1973, he formed 

a quartet whose first recording, Head Hunters, 

launched him into jazz stardom and became a bestselling jazz album. In the late 1970s, Hancock revived 

the old Miles Davis band (Freddie Hubbard stood in for 

Davis) under the name V.S.O.P. and they toured extensively. 

Throughout his career, he has demonstrated stunning artistic 

versatility. In 1983, “Rockit,” a single that resulted from a collaborative 

effort with the rock band Material, became a hit on MTV. Hancock 

then switched gears completely, partnering with Gambian kora

virtuoso Foday Musa Suso on two albums, Village Life and Jazz 

Africa. He also has written scores for several films, including Blow-Up

in 1966, Death Wish in 1974, and Round Midnight, for which he won 

an Academy Award in 1987. 

Hancock has won 12 Grammy Awards in the past two decades, and 

continues to work as a producer and in both the electric and acoustic 

spheres of jazz. In 2008, he won the Grammy Album of the Year for 

River: The Joni Letters, the first jazz album to win that award in 43 

years.

Herbie Hancock’s talent as 

a pianist was evident when, at 

age 11, he performed Mozart’s 

D Major Piano Concerto with the Chicago 

Symphony Orchestra. He began playing jazz 

in high school, initially influenced by Oscar 

Peterson and Bill Evans. Also at this time, a passion 

for electronic science began to develop, so Hancock 

studied both electrical engineering and music composition 

at Grinnell College in Iowa. His love of electronics led Hancock 

to be a pioneer in the use of electric piano, clavinet, and synthesizer 

in jazz. 

In 1961, trumpeter Donald Byrd asked the young pianist to join 

his group in New York, leading to Blue Note offering him a recording 

contract. His first album as leader, Takin’ Off, which included the 

hit single “Watermelon Man,” demonstrated a gift for composition 

and improvisation. His talent impressed Miles Davis enough to 

ask Hancock to join his band in 1963. In the five years he worked 

with Davis, who became a mentor as well as an employer, Hancock 

established his standing as one of the greatest pianists of all time. Along 

with Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums), Hancock altered 

the role of the rhythm section in jazz to include expanded solos and 

spontaneous changes in mood and tempo. He also composed a number 

of pieces for the band as well as for his outstanding solo recordings with 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

HERBIE

HANCOCK

keyboardist composer

Born April 12, 1940 in Chicago, IL

2004

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Complete Blue 

Note Sixties Sessions

Blue Note, 1962-69

Head Hunters

Columbia, 1973

V.S.O.P.

Columbia, 1977

Village Life

Columbia, 1985

River: The Joni Letters

Universal, 2007
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 59

Photo by Tom Pich

BARRY

HARRIS

pianIST COMPOSER ARRANGER educator

Born December 15, 1929 in Detroit, MI

in the 1960s and 1970s with fellow Detroiter 

Yusef Lateef, Charles McPherson, and 

Coleman Hawkins. In addition to sideman 

work, Harris led various trios and duos at 

piano bars and restaurants around New York. 

He also began to get work as an arranger and 

composer, showing a particular adeptness for his 

treatment of strings. A consummate freelancer, he 

found work in a variety of diverse settings and continued 

to play, inaugurating the Lincoln Center’s Penthouse piano 

series in 1997.

By the early 1980s, Harris’ acumen as a teacher and mentor to 

developing pianists had become legendary. He was able to expand these 

interests when he opened the Jazz Cultural Center in 1982 on Eighth 

Avenue in Manhattan. The Center served as workshop, educational 

facility, and performance space for Harris and his affiliated artists, 

but unfortunately only lasted until 1987. Harris soldiered on, though, 

continuing to teach and mentor young musicians, holding weekly 

workshop sessions in New York City for aspiring performers. He 

also continues to present and produce annual multimedia concert 

spectaculars at places like Symphony Space and the Manhattan 

Center in New York.

Barry Harris is part of an 

exceptional crew of Detroit-bred 

jazz musicians, including Tommy

Flanagan and Donald Byrd, who rose through 

the extraordinary arts education program in the 

public school system during the 1930s and 1940s. 

Harris’ earliest musical mentor was a church pianoplaying mother who exposed him to piano lessons at 

age four. He became seriously immersed in jazz in the 

mid-1940s and fell under the spell of Thelonious Monk, Charlie 

Parker, and Bud Powell. As a professional, he would become a key 

translator of Monk’s music.

Detroit was blessed with a high-energy jazz scene during the 

1940s, and Harris was house pianist at one of the hottest spots, the 

Blue Bird Lounge. At the Blue Bird and later at the Rouge, he backed 

such traveling soloists as Miles Davis, Wardell Gray, Max Roach, 

Sonny Stitt, Lee Konitz, and Lester Young. Displaying an early 

interest in passing the torch through education, Harris began teaching 

his bebop theories as early as 1956, tutoring young talent such as Joe 

Henderson. It is a tradition he has carried on throughout his life.

At the urging of Cannonball Adderley, Harris left Detroit in 1960 

and moved to New York. In addition to Adderley, Harris found work 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Chasin’ The Bird

Original Jazz Classics, 1962

Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron

Classics, 1975

For The Moment

Uptown, 1984

Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, 

Vol. 1 & 2

Concord, 1990

Live from New York, Vol 1

Lineage, 2004

1989
60		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

early 1960s were George Shearing, Kenny 

Burrell, Lennie Tristano, and Stan Getz. 

In addition, his style of drumming was an ideal 

accompaniment to singers, accenting the vocals 

without overpowering them, and he worked 

with Sarah Vaughan, and Lambert, Hendricks 

& Ross. 

 He later joined vibist Gary Burton, who had 

been a member of Getz’s band. After Burton’s band, 

which was one of the precursors of the jazz-rock movement, 

Haynes formed the Hip Ensemble, featuring such musicians as George 

Adams, and Hannibal Marvin Peterson. The band had a decidedly 

contemporary flavor, often employing various guitarists. He also has 

enjoyed an occasional playing relationship with Chick Corea, dating 

back to their Stan Getz days. He joined Corea’s Trio Music band in 

1981. Haynes received the prestigious Danish award, the JAZZPAR 

Prize, in 1994.

While periodically leading his own bands, he has also worked 

with artists such as Billy Taylor, Hank Jones, and Ted Curson, 

and as an innovative drummer in a variety of settings. His bands 

have included some of the more exceptional young musicians on 

the scene, ranging from his Hip Ensemble to his various quartets. 

He continues to influence the next generation of drummers with his 

distinctive sound.

Seemingly ageless, Roy Haynes 

has played the drums from the bebop 

days of the 1940s to the present day 

with the same restless energy. Haynes has 

remained fresh in his outlook and in his thirst for 

collaborating with younger artists and those who 

play in challenging styles, as is shown in his work 

with such disparate artists as Roland Kirk, Danilo 

Pérez, and Pat Metheny. He also has been a favorite 

sideman for any number of artists because of his crisply 

distinctive drumming style. Thelonious Monk once described Haynes’ 

drumming as “an eight ball right in the side pocket.”

Haynes became interested in music through his father, a church 

organist. In his earliest professional playing years in the mid-1940s, 

he worked in Boston with Sabby Lewis, Frankie Newton, and Pete 

Brown. In 1945, he joined the Luis Russell band, remaining until 

1947, whereupon he joined Lester Young’s band. In the late 1940s 

to mid-1950s, he worked with such greats as Miles Davis, Charlie 

Parker, Bud Powell, and Kai Winding. He later played in Monk’s 

band at the Five Spot Cafe before forming his own band in 1958.

Some of his most noted work in the early 1960s came when he 

subbed for Elvin Jones in the John Coltrane Quartet, both on gigs and 

on records. His drumming style was a marked change for Coltrane from 

Elvin Jones’ approach—lighter, less aggressive—and it gave the quartet 

a different sound. Among his other affiliations during the late 1950s to 

0000

Photo by Vance Jacobs

ROY

HAYNES

DRUMMER

Born March 13, 1925 in Roxbury, MA

1995

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

We Three

Original Jazz Classics, 1958

Out of the Afternoon

Impulse!, 1962

Te Vou!

Dreyfus, 1995

The Roy Haynes Trio

Verve, 2000

Whereas

Dreyfus Jazz, 2006
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 61

Photo by Tom Pich

JIMMY

HEATH

SaxophonIST FlutIST Composer 

Arranger Educator

Born October 25, 1926 in Philadelphia, PA

and arranging abilities, he has set a high 

standard of accomplishment in the jazz field. 

He has made more than 100 recordings and 

composed more than 100 original works. 

As an educator, Heath has taught at 

Jazzmobile, Housatonic Community College, 

City College of New York, and Queens College, 

where he retired from full-time teaching in 1998. 

He holds honorary degrees from Sojourner-Douglass 

College and the Juilliard School, and has a chair endowed in 

his name at Queens College. He continues to conduct workshops and 

clinics throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Since the mid-1970s, Jimmy had been teaming up with brothers 

Percy and Albert “Tootie” as the Heath Brothers, a band which also at 

times included contributions from Jimmy’s son, the noted percussionist, 

composer, and rhythm-and-blues producer, Mtume. In addition, he 

has performed with other jazz greats, such as Slide Hampton and 

Wynton Marsalis, and indulged in his continuing interest in the 

dynamics of arranging for big band. In 2010, his memoir, I Walked with 

Giants, was published. He remains active as an educator, saxophonist,

and composer. 

T he second of the illustrious 

Heath Brothers to receive an NEA 

Jazz Master Fellowship (bassist 

Percy received the award in 2002), Jimmy 

was the first Heath to choose music as a career 

path. Starting on alto saxophone (and acquiring 

the nickname “Little Bird” due to the influence 

Charlie “Yardbird” Parker had on his style), one of 

his first professional jobs came in 1945-46 in the Midwest 

territory band led by Nat Towles, out of Omaha, Nebraska. 

Returning to Philadelphia, he briefly led his own big band with a 

saxophone section that included John Coltrane and Benny Golson—

also products of the city’s jazz scene. Gigs followed with Howard 

McGhee in 1948 and with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band from 1949-50. 

In the early 1950s, Heath switched to tenor sax, playing with Miles 

Davis in 1953 and then again briefly in 1959, among other gigs. In 

the 1960s, he began his own recordings as a leader, and frequently 

teamed up with Milt Jackson and Art Farmer. By that time he had 

honed his talent as a composer and arranger, creating such widely 

performed compositions as “Gingerbread Boy” and “C.T.A.” By 

combining his versatile style of performing and his outstanding writing 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Really Big!

Riverside/OJC, 1960

On the Trail

Riverside/OJC, 1964

Little Man, Big Band

Verve, 1992

Heath Brother s, Jazz Family

Concord, 1998

Turn Up the Heath

Planet Arts, 2006

2003
62		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

heights with his performances. During his 

time with MJQ, Heath performed on film 

soundtracks and with symphony orchestras 

and string quartets, always exhibiting style and 

poise in every setting. 

During the break from the MJQ in 1975-82, 

Heath worked with Sarah Vaughan and began 

performing with the Heath Brothers band, which 

included Jimmy and Tootie, sometimes playing cello 

instead of bass. The Heath Brothers were featured in Danny 

Scher’s 2006 documentary, Brotherly Love. 

His talents on bass were much in demand as the house bass player 

for both Prestige and Blue Note record labels, providing a confident, 

straight-ahead style of playing reminiscent of the great Ray Brown. 

Heath received many honors in his career, such as the Maria 

Fischer Award, France’s Cross of Officer of Arts and Letters, and an 

honorary doctoral degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, 

Massachusetts. In addition, Heath performed at the White House for 

Presidents Nixon and Clinton. 

Percy Heath was the 

backbone of the popular jazz 

group Modern Jazz Quartet, 

and a superb bassist so sought after that 

he appeared on more than 200 jazz albums. 

Heath was a member of one of the great families 

of jazz (along with the Joneses and Marsalises), 

with brothers Jimmy (on saxophone) and Albert 

“Tootie” (on drums) also being stellar jazz musicians. 

Heath started on the violin in his school orchestra but 

began to seriously study music at the Granoff School of Music in 

Philadelphia after his service in the Air Force. In 1947, he joined his 

brother Jimmy in Howard McGhee’s band, ending up in New York 

where he performed regularly with jazz greats such as Miles Davis, J.J. 

Johnson, Sonny Rollins, Fats Navarro, and Charlie Parker. Heath 

joined Dizzy Gillespie’s sextet from 1950-52, where he met the other 

members of the soon-to-be Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ): John Lewis, 

Milt Jackson, and Kenny Clarke. Heath stayed with MJQ, off and on, 

from its beginning in 1952 for more than 40 years. Lewis’ arrangements 

brought the bass into greater prominence, prompting Heath to greater 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

PERCY

HEATH

BassIST Cellist

Born April 30, 1923 in Wilmington, NC 

Died April 28, 2005

2002

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Modern Jazz Quartet , The Artistry of 

the Modern Jazz Quartet

Prestige, 1952-55

Jimmy Heath, Really Big!

Original Jazz Classics, 1960

Heath Brother s, Marchin’ On!

Strata East, 1976

Heath Brother s, Brotherly Love

Antilles, 1991

Modern Jazz Quartet , 

Celebration

Atlantic, 1992
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 63

Photo by Lee Tanner

JOE

HENDERSON

SAXOPHONIST

Born April 24, 1937 in Lima, OH 

Died June 30, 2001 

66, and Andrew Hill in 1965, both Blue Note 

artists. Lee Morgan’s album The Sidewinder, 

especially on the hit title track, contains some 

of his best solos of the period. During the late 

1960s, he was part of the cooperative band, the 

Jazz Communicators, with Freddie Hubbard

and Louis Hayes.

At the end of the decade he spent more than a 

year with the Herbie Hancock Sextet (1969-70), and 

joined the pop band Blood, Sweat & Tears for a short time 

in 1971. Thereafter he worked mainly as a leader and freelance 

saxophonist. His bands employed a number of outstanding musicians 

and, following his Blue Note years, he made a series of rewarding discs 

for the Milestone label. 

In the 1990s, Henderson experienced a resurgence in popularity 

with a series of well-received albums on the Verve label. His recordings 

of the music of Billy Strayhorn, Miles Davis, and Antonio Carlos 

Jobim in inventive arrangements were inspired, and he showed a skill 

for big band arrangement with his 1996 release, Big Band. Henderson 

stopped performing in 1998 after suffering a stroke.

One of the more distinctive tenor 

saxophone voices to have emerged 

during the 1960s, Joe Henderson’s 

rich tone and strong sense of rhythm influenced 

scores of tenor saxophonists who followed him. 

In concert, his aggressive playing was often 

tempered by a melodic touch on ballads. 

Growing up in Lima, Ohio, he first played the 

drums, switching to tenor saxophone at age 13. After high 

school he studied at Kentucky State College, then Wayne State 

in Detroit from 1956-60, as well as under the private tutelage of pianist 

Barry Harris. One of his first jazz jobs was alongside saxophonist 

Sonny Stitt. In 1960, he then led his own band in Detroit until entering 

the Army that year, playing in the Army band until 1962.

After leaving the Army, Henderson eventually moved to New 

York, where he worked with organist Jack McDuff, then co-led a 

band with Kenny Dorham during 1962-63. His first recording as a 

leader in 1963, Page One, was one of the most popular releases for 

the Blue Note label, and led to one of his richest recording periods 

both as a leader and sideman. He played with Horace Silver in 1964-

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Page One

Blue Note, 1963

Four!

Verve, 1968

The State of the Tenor, Vol. 1 & 2

Blue Note, 1985

Lush Life: The Music of 

Billy Strayhorn

Verve, 1991

Big Band

Verve, 1992-96

1999
64		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Jam, he rearranged Jelly Roll Morton’s 

jazz compositions and musical fragments 

into a hit musical; Ain’t Misbehavin’ used 

the music of jazz great Fats Waller as a 

base. 

Henderson’s talents extended to the 

arena of television, where he held positions 

as musical director, orchestrator, arranger, 

and pianist for the Columbia Pictures 

television special Ain’t Misbehavin’ for which 

he received an Emmy nomination. Albums to 

his credit included several with the Canadian Brass 

Quintet and Eileen Farrell’s I Got a Right to Sing the Blues,

which was re-released in 1992. For Columbia Records, the Luther 

Henderson Orchestra recorded six albums. In addition, Henderson 

contributed to various albums recorded by the Duke Ellington 

Orchestra, the Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, 

Mandy Patinkin, Polly Bergen, Anita Ellis, and others. Henderson’s 

composition “Ten Good Years,” with lyricist Martin Charnin, was 

recorded by Nancy Wilson on her Coconut Grove album. 

Henderson died of cancer in 2003. His widow, Billie AllenHenderson, created the Luther Henderson Scholarship Fund at the 

Juilliard School in New York in 2006 for students of color to pursue 

musical study. 

When he was four, Luther 

Henderson moved to Harlem 

with his family and became 

neighbors with Duke Ellington. Ellington would 

become a major influence on Henderson’s life, 

beginning in the late 1940s and early 1950s when 

he adapted and orchestrated some of Ellington’s 

larger works, such as “Harlem—A Tone Parallel” 

and “Three Black Kings,” for performance in a concerto 

grosso format by Henderson’s orchestra and another symphony 

orchestra. Henderson’s classical training at the Juilliard School and 

music study at New York University led Ellington to dub Henderson 

“his classical arm.” His talents included composing, arranging, 

conducting, and performing, and he was hired by Ellington in 1946 to 

orchestrate his Broadway musical, Beggar’s Holiday. 

Henderson worked on more than 50 Broadway productions in 

various capacities. For Ain’t Misbehavin’, he was the original pianist 

as well as orchestrator, arranger, and musical supervisor. For Lena 

Horne: The Lady and Her Music, he was the musical consultant and 

arranged several selections. He orchestrated such musicals as the 

Tony Award-winning Raisin, Play On!, and Jelly’s Last Jam. As a 

dance arranger, Henderson’s credits included Flower Drum Song, Do 

Re Mi, Funny Girl, and No, No Nanette. His skill in bringing a jazz 

sensibility to musical theater was much in demand. For Jelly’s Last 

Photo by Sara Krulwich/The New York Times/Redux

LUTHER

HENDERSON

COMPOSER Arranger musical Director p ianIST

Born March 14, 1919 in Kansas City, MO 

Died July 29, 2003

2004

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Sarah Vaughan, No Count Sarah

Mercury, 1958

Eileen Farrell, I Got a Right to Sing the Blues

Columbia, 1960

Original Cast Recording, Ain’t Misbehavin’

RCA, 1978

American Composers Orchestra, Four Symphonic 

Works by Duke Ellington

Music Masters, 1989

Canadian Brass Quintet , Red Hot Jazz: 

The Dixieland Album

Philips, 1993
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 65

Photo by Tom Pich

JON

HENDRICKS

vocalIST lyricIST educator

Born September 16, 1921 Newark, OH 

the band. Lambert and Hendricks continued 

for a while with new singer Yolande Bavan, 

eventually breaking up in 1964. Hendricks 

found work as a soloist, then moved to 

England in 1968. In the early 1970s he put 

together another trio, this time with wife Judith 

and daughter Michelle, an arrangement he has 

occasionally revisited over the years.

Evolution of the Blues, an extended stage work 

Hendricks had first performed with Lambert and Ross at 

the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1960, went on a five-year run at the 

Broadway Theatre in San Francisco in the 1970s. Thereafter he took 

a variety of university teaching positions in California, and continued 

to work with Judith, Michelle, and youngest daughter Aria, with 

occasional male singers such as Bobby McFerrin, Kevin Burke, and 

Miles Griffith. He has written for and played with the Manhattan 

Transfer, a jazz vocal group heavily influenced by Hendricks. 

Also, he was one of three singers in Wynton Marsalis’ Pulitzer 

Prize-winning oratorio, Blood on the Fields. He has written lyrics 

to a number of jazz standards, including “Four,” “Hi Fly,” “Along 

Came Betty,” “Desifinado,” and “No More Blues.” In 2000, he was 

appointed distinguished professor of jazz studies at the University of 

Toledo in Ohio. A documentary about Hendricks’ time in the military, 

Blues March: Soldier Jon Hendricks, was released in 2009.

Jon Hendricks helped create the 

singing style known as “vocalese,” or 

crafting songs and lyrics out of the 

note sequences of famous jazz instrumental 

solos, as a member of the great jazz vocal 

ensemble Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. A gifted 

lyricist, he has added words to classics by Count 

Basie, Horace Silver, Miles Davis, and Art Blakey, 

brilliantly mirroring the instrumental effects.

He grew up largely in Toledo, Ohio, one of 17 children. 

His singing career began at age eight at parties and dinners. Later he 

sang on a radio show on which he was occasionally accompanied by 

another Toledoan, the great pianist Art Tatum. Returning home from 

service in the Army, he studied at the University of Toledo and taught 

himself to play drums. In 1952, he relocated to New York and found 

his initial work as a songwriter, working for such artists as Louis 

Jordan and King Pleasure. One of his earliest recordings came on a 

version of the Woody Herman band feature “Four Brothers.”

His collaboration with vocalist Dave Lambert began in 1957 when 

he re-recorded “Four Brothers,” which led to their association with 

singer Annie Ross on a collection of Count Basie songs. Sing a Song of 

Basie, using innovative multitracked arrangement of vocals, became 

a hit when released in 1958 and gave birth to Lambert, Hendricks 

& Ross as a full-time act. They subsequently toured with the Basie 

band and were a top-selling act for nearly four years, until Ross left 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, 

Sing a Song of Basie

Verve, 1957

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Everybody’s Boppin’

Columbia, 1959-61

Love

Muse, 1981-82

Freddie Freeloader

Denon, 1989-90

Wynton Marsalis, Blood 

on the Fields

Columbia, 1994

1993
66		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Jazz Critics and Scholars (with Albert J. 

McCarthy, 1974), Boston Boy: Growing Up 

with Jazz and Other Rebellious Passions

(1986), Listen to the Stories: Nat Hentoff on 

Jazz and Country Music (1995), and American 

Music Is (2004). His work has appeared in such 

venerable publications as the New York Times, 

New Republic, JazzTimes, and New Yorker, where 

he was a staff writer for more than 25 years. In addition 

to his status as a renowned jazz historian and critic, Hentoff 

also is an expert on First Amendment rights, criminal justice, and 

education and has written a number of books on these topics. 

In 1980, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in education 

as well as a Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association 

for his coverage of the law and criminal justice. Five years later, he 

was awarded an honorary degree from Northeastern University. The 

multidisciplinary body of work that Hentoff has produced represents 

an articulation of the interconnectedness of the ideals of constitutional 

rights and jazz music and is without a doubt a major contribution 

to the dialogue surrounding the uniquely American jazz tradition. 

Currently, Hentoff writes about music for the Wall Street Journal 

and has a column in the United Media syndicate, which distributes the 

column to 250 papers nationwide.

One of the major voices in 

jazz literature, Nat Hentoff has 

written about and championed 

jazz for more than half a century, produced 

recording sessions for some of the biggest names 

in jazz, and written liner notes for many more. 

Through his work, he has helped to advance the 

appreciation and knowledge of jazz. It is fitting that 

he is the first to receive the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship 

for Jazz Advocacy.

Hentoff began his education at Northeastern University in Boston, 

his hometown, and went on to pursue graduate studies at Harvard 

University. As a graduate student, he hosted a local radio show and 

became immersed in the Boston jazz scene. In 1953, after completing 

a Fulbright Fellowship at the Sorbonne in Paris, he spent four years 

as an associate editor at DownBeat magazine, where he laid the 

foundation for a truly remarkable career as a jazz journalist. Hentoff 

was co-editor of Jazz Review from 1958 to 1961, and worked for the 

Candid label as A&R director from 1960 to 1961, producing recording 

sessions by jazz icons such as Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor, and 

Abbey Lincoln.

His books on music include Jazz Country (1965), Jazz: New 

Perspectives on the History of Jazz by Twelve of the World’s Foremost 

0000

Photo by Tom Pich

NAT

HENTOFF

critic journalist producer

Born June 10, 1925 in Boston, MA 

2004

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jazz Country

Harper Collins, 1965

The Jazz Life

Harper Collins 1975

Jazz Is

Random House, 1976

Boston Boy: Growing Up With Jazz 

and Other Rebellious Passions

Random House, 1986

The Nat Hentoff Reader 

DaCapo Press, 2001

NEA JAZZ MASTERS FELLOWSHIP FOR

JAZZ ADVOCACY
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 67

Photo by Lee Tanner

BILLY

HIGGINS

DRUMMER

Born October 11, 1936 in Los Angeles, CA 

Died May 3, 2001 

His drumming was an important addition 

to many recordings, such as Andrew Hill’s 

Point of Departure, Herbie Hancock’sTakin’ 

Off, and Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder, the 

last two being especially popular jazz albums. 

He would intermittently work with Coleman 

again in the 1960s and 1970s as well. Outside of 

Coleman, a frequent musical collaborator was Cedar 

Walton, an association that began in 1966 and continued 

into the 1990s, often in Walton’s Eastern Rebellion band. 

In 1989, Higgins co-founded a cultural community center, the 

World Stage, in Los Angeles to advance the position of AfricanAmerican music, literature, and art. In the 1990s his career was 

halted by kidney disease, leading to a subsequent kidney transplant. 

After resuming playing, he remained much in demand for record 

dates. During 1999-2001, he worked frequently with Charles Lloyd 

when not leading his own bands, recording some of his most inventive 

drumming while playing against Lloyd’s saxophone.

Known among musicians and 

fans as “Smiling Billy,” Billy 

Higgins was first introduced to 

the broader jazz public when he came to the 

East Coast with the Ornette Coleman Quartet 

in 1959 for their extended engagement at the Five 

Spot Cafe. Although he does not have many records 

under his own name, Higgins was often in great 

demand as a sideman, providing sensitive accompaniment 

in a variety of settings.

Higgins started on the drums at age 12. By the time he was 19, he 

was working in rhythm-and-blues bands, with musicians such as Amos 

Milburn and Bo Diddley. Other early affiliations included singers 

Brook Benton, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. 

He also began working with jazz artists such as Dexter Gordon, 

Don Cherry, James Clay, and Walter Benton. He joined the Red 

Mitchell band in 1957, but soon left to join Ornette Coleman’s new 

band, with which he worked steadily in 1958 and 1959. In the early 

1960s, he worked with Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Sonny

Rollins. By then he had become one of the most in-demand freelance 

drummers on the scene, particularly on many Blue Note sessions.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Ornette Coleman, 

Change of the Century

Atlantic, 1959

Soweto

Red, 1979

Mr. Billy Higgins

Evidence, 1984

3/4 For Peace

Red, 1993

Charles Lloyd and Billy Higgins, 

Which Way Is East

ECM, 2001

1997
68		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

where he established the successful Summer 

Jazz Intensive. He also performed and taught 

at Harvard and Wesleyan universities among 

others.

He returned to New York City in the 1990s, 

reestablishing himself as a pianist, ensemble 

leader, and composer. In 2000, Hill released Dusk, 

a song cycle loosely based on Jean Toomer’s 1923 

book Cane, with yet another phenomenal band. The 

album brought him to the attention of and garnered him 

acclaim from a larger jazz audience, claiming a place on best-albumof-the-year lists in Fortune Magazine, San Diego Union Tribune,

Philadelphia Inquirer, JazzTimes, and DownBeat.

The new attention led to reissues of his classic Blue Note recordings 

of the 1960s and new issues of some previously unreleased recordings 

from that time period. One of the most interesting was Passing Ships, 

a previously unknown nonet recording that prefaced his big band 

recording in 2002, A Beautiful Day, by more than 30 years. In 2003, 

he received the prestigious Danish award, the JazzPar Prize.

After fighting lung cancer for many years, Hill succumbed to the

disease in April 2007. He was notified of the NEA Jazz Masters award 

before his passing, and his wife accepted the award on his behalf. 

Recognized by Blue Note 

Records’ founder Alfred Lion 

as his “last, great protégé,” 

pianist Andrew Hill spent 40 years composing, 

performing, recording, and mentoring young 

musicians.

Born in Chicago in 1931, Andrew Hill began 

teaching himself to play piano at age 10, and was later 

introduced to German composer and music theorist-inexile Paul Hindemith. He started performing in 1952 with 

touring jazz musicians, including Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington, 

Coleman Hawkins, and Miles Davis. 

He moved to New York in 1961 and shortly thereafter was 

contracted by Alfred Lion at Blue Note Records as a leader and a 

sideman, producing his early classics for the label, such as Point of 

Departure and Black Fire. Hill’s Blue Note sessions with acclaimed 

musicians such as Eric Dolphy, Kenny Dorham, John Gilmore, Roy

Haynes, Joe Henderson, and Elvin Jones cemented his reputation as 

a musician and composer of some renown. 

Hill served as composer-in-residence at Colgate University of 

Hamilton from 1970-72. In California, he performed in concert and 

taught classes at public schools and social service institutions before 

becoming an associate professor of music at Portland State University, 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

ANDREW

HILL

Pianist Composer Arranger Bandleader Educator

Born June 30, 1931 in Chicago, IL 

Died April 20, 2007

2008

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Point of Departure

Blue Note, 1964

Passing Ships

Blue Note, 1969

Live at Montreux

Freedom, 1975

Dusk

Palmetto, 1999

Time Lines

Blue Note, 2005
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 69

Photo by Lee Tanner

MILT

HINTON

bassIST educator photographer

Born June 23, 1910 in Vicksburg, MS

Died December 19, 2000 

Hinton’s early career experience was 

centered around the Cab Calloway Orchestra, 

with which he worked from 1936-51. After 

leaving Calloway, he worked with the big 

bands of Joe Bushkin, Jackie Gleason, Phil 

Moore, and Count Basie. He played with Louis 

Armstrong between 1952-55, then became a staff 

musician for CBS, one of the first African-American 

musicians welcomed into the TV studios. From 1956 

on, Hinton was a much in-demand studio musician, adept 

at different styles of playing, from the pop of Paul Anka to the jazz 

of Teddy Wilson. He also was in demand in live settings, performing 

with Jimmy McPartland, Benny Goodman, Ben Webster, Sammy 

Davis, Jr., Judy Garland, and Harry Belafonte, among others. In the 

1960s, he became a staff musician at ABC, working on the Dick Cavett 

Show. In the last decades of his life, Hinton continued to play and 

record, inspiring new generations of jazz musicians and fans.

He received numerous honorary doctoral degrees and taught jazz 

at several colleges and universities, including Hunter College, Baruch 

College, Skidmore College, and Interlochen Music Camp. A 2003 

documentary, Keeping Time: The Life, Music + Photographs of Milt 

Hinton, chronicled his career. 

Milt Hinton’s career spanned 

the gamut of jazz generations, 

working from the early 

swing days of the 1930s with Cab Calloway 

through the end of the millennium with the 

new guard of jazz, such as Branford Marsalis

and Christian McBride. His ability to make a 

contribution in any setting allowed for his vast array 

of work. As a soloist, Hinton, nicknamed “The Judge,” 

was adept at the early bass tradition of slapping the strings. 

In addition to his love of music, Hinton was a perceptive and widely 

exhibited photographer. Much of the history of jazz can be found in 

his photographs, which were published in several magazines and in 

two extraordinary coffee-table books. 

Like many African-American families in the early part of the 20th 

century, Hinton’s family migrated north from Mississippi to Chicago, 

where he was raised. His mother was a church musician, playing 

organ and piano, and directing the choir. She bought him a violin for 

his 13th birthday, which he studied for four years from 1923-27. Later 

he picked up the bass horn and tuba while studying music at Wendell 

Phillips High School in Chicago. In 1928, he found his voice when he 

switched to string bass. One of his earliest professional affiliations 

was with violinist Eddie South, with whom he played intermittently 

between 1931-36. Other early affiliations included Zutty Singleton, 

Erskine Tate, Art Tatum, and Jabbo Smith.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

cab calloway, 

Are You Hep to the Jive?

columbia/legacy, 1937-47

The Judge at his Best

Chiaroscuro, 1973-95

Back to Bass-ics

Progressive, 1984

Branford Marsalis, Trio Jeepy

Columbia, 1988

Laughing at Life 

Columbia, 1995

1993
70		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

BILL

HOLMAN

Composer Arranger Saxophonist

Born May 21, 1927 in Olive, CA 

In 1975, Holman launched the Bill Holman 

Band but recording was elusive; the recording 

of The Bill Holman Band in 1987 was his 

first release as a leader in 27 years. Since 

1980, Holman increasingly has become more 

active in Europe, including writing, conducting, 

and performing extended works for the WDR 

Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, Germany, and the 

Metropole Orchestra in the Netherlands.

To date, Holman has received 14 Grammy nominations 

and won three Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Arrangement 

of “Take the ‘A’ Train” for Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show 

Orchestra (1987); Best Instrumental Composition for “A View from 

the Side” for the Bill Holman Band (1995); and Best Instrumental 

Arrangement of “Straight, No Chaser” for the Bill Holman Band 

(1997). He was voted “Best Arranger” in the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll 

four times; and received the “Arranger of the Year” award three times 

in DownBeat magazine’s Readers’ Poll and Critics’ Poll. 

In 2000, the Bill Holman Collection of scores and memorabilia 

became part of the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection in 

Washington, DC. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rutgers Jazz Hall 

of Fame, and in 2008, he was doubly honored: a Golden Score Award 

from the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers and a 

place in the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers 

Jazz Wall of Fame. 

Bill Holman’s unique and complex arrangements have long been 

appreciated by musicians and critics 

alike, although he is best known on the West 

Coast. 

He took up clarinet in junior high school and 

tenor saxophone in high school, by which time he 

was leading his own band. After serving in the U.S. 

Navy and studying engineering, Holman decided in the 

late 1940s that he wanted to write big band music and enrolled 

at the Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles. He also studied 

composition privately with Russ Garcia and saxophone with Lloyd 

Reese. 

By 1949, Holman’s career was well underway. After writing for 

Charlie Barnet, in 1952 he began his association with Stan Kenton, 

for whom he would compose (and perform) for many years to come. 

During the 1950s, he also was active in the West Coast jazz movement, 

playing in small bands led by Shorty Rogers and Shelly Manne and 

co-leading a quintet with Mel Lewis. During the following decade, 

Holman expanded his writing efforts, working for bands led by jazz 

greats such as Louie Bellson, Count Basie, Bob Brookmeyer, 

Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Gerry Mulligan, Doc Severinsen, and 

others. In addition, he wrote for high-profile vocalists such as Natalie 

Cole (including her Grammy Award-winning album Unforgettable), 

Tony Bennett, Carmen MacRae, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, and 

Sarah Vaughan.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Fabulous Bill Holman

Coral, 1954-57

Bill Holman’s Great Big Band

Capitol, 1960

The Bill Holman Band

JVC, 1987

Brilliant Corners: The Music

 of Thelonious Monk

JVC, 1997

Hommage

Jazzed Media, 2005-06

2010
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 71

her to old fans, won her new followers, and 

revitalized her career, allowing her to take 

to the road with her trio and record more 

albums.

Her association with the Verve label, which 

began in 1987, gave a new showcase to her 

inimitable style and cemented her reputation as 

a world-class jazz artist. Six of her more than 20 

albums have been nominated for Grammy Awards, 

and she has collaborated with jazz artists including Hank 

Jones, Kenny Burrell, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Buck Hill, 

Branford Marsalis, and Toots Thielemans.

In 1990, she collaborated with Miles Davis on her critically 

acclaimed album You Won’t Forget Me. Her 1992 recording Here’s 

to Life was that year’s top-selling jazz album and earned a Grammy 

Award for arranger Johnny Mandel. In 1998, Horn paid tribute to 

her mentor with the brilliant recording I Remember Miles, winning the 

Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Health problems in 

the early 2000s forced her to cut back on her appearances.

Shirley Horn began leading her 

own group in the mid-1950s, and 

in 1960 recorded her first album, 

Embers and Ashes, which established her 

reputation as an exceptional and sensitive jazz 

vocalist. Born in 1934 in Washington, DC, she 

studied classical piano as a teenager at Howard 

University’s Junior School of Music.

Under the influence of artists such as Oscar Peterson 

and Ahmad Jamal, she then began a career as a jazz pianist 

and soon after discovered the great expressive power of her voice. 

When Miles Davis heard Embers and Ashes, he brought her to New 

York, where she began opening for him at the Village Vanguard. Soon 

she was performing in major venues throughout the United States and 

recording with Quincy Jones for the Mercury label.

For some years she spent much of her time in Europe, then took 

a ten-year hiatus to raise her family in Washington. She continued 

to appear in and around the DC area, and in the 1980s she returned 

to the recording studio. The overwhelming critical success of her 

1981 appearance at Holland’s North Sea Jazz Festival reintroduced 

0000

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

SHIRLEY

HORN

vocalIST pianIST

Born May 1, 1934 in Washington, DC

Died October 20, 2005

2005

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Embers and Ashes

Stereo-Craft, 1960

Violets for Your Furs

Steeple Chase, 1981

You Won’t Forget Me

Verve, 1990

I Remember Miles

Verve, 1998

May the Music Never End

Verve, 2003
72		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

FREDDIE

HUBBARD

trumpeter

Born April 7, 1938 in Indianapolis, IN 

Died December 29, 2008 

Hubbard remained with the Jazz 

Messengers until 1964, when he left to form 

his own small group, which over the next 

years featured Kenny Barron and Louis 

Hayes. Throughout the 1960s, Hubbard also 

played in bands led by other legends, including 

Max Roach, and was a significant presence on the 

Blue Note recordings of Shorter, Herbie Hancock, 

and Hank Mobley. Hubbard was also featured on four 

classic, groundbreaking 1960s sessions: Ornette Coleman’s 

Free Jazz, Oliver Nelson’s Blues and the Abstract Truth, Eric 

Dolphy’s Out to Lunch, and John Coltrane’s Ascension.

In the 1970s, Hubbard achieved his greatest popular success with 

a series of crossover albums on Atlantic and CTI Records, including 

the Grammy Award-winning First Light. He returned to acoustic hard 

bop in 1977 when he toured with the V.S.O.P. quintet, which teamed 

him with the members of Miles Davis’ 1960s ensemble: Shorter, 

Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. In the 1980s, Hubbard 

again led his own groups, often in the company of Joe Henderson, and 

he collaborated with fellow trumpet legend Woody Shaw on a series of 

albums for the Blue Note and Timeless labels.

One of the greatest trumpet 

virtuosos ever to play in the jazz 

idiom, and arguably one of the 

most influential, Freddie Hubbard played 

mellophone and then trumpet in his school band 

and studied at the Jordan Conservatory with the 

principal trumpeter of the Indianapolis Symphony 

Orchestra. As a teenager, he worked with Wes and 

Monk Montgomery and eventually founded his own 

band, the Jazz Contemporaries, with bassist Larry Ridley and 

saxophonist James Spaulding. After moving to New York in 1958, he 

quickly astonished fans and critics alike with his depth and maturity, 

playing with veteran artists Philly Joe Jones, Sonny Rollins, Slide

Hampton, J.J. Johnson, Eric Dolphy, and Quincy Jones, with whom 

he toured Europe. 

In June 1960, on the recommendation of Miles Davis, he recorded 

his first solo album, Open Sesame, for Blue Note Records, just weeks 

after his 22nd birthday. Within the next 10 months, he recorded two 

more albums, Goin’ Up and Hub Cap, and then in August 1961 made 

what many consider to be his masterpiece, Ready for Freddie, which 

was also his first Blue Note collaboration with Wayne Shorter. That 

same year, Hubbard joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, replacing 

Lee Morgan. By now, he had indisputably developed his own sound 

and had won the DownBeat “New Star” award on trumpet.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Ready for Freddie

Blue Note, 1961

Hub-Tones

Blue Note, 1962

Straight Life

Columbia, 1970

Live

CLP, 1983

New Colors

Hip Bop Essence, 2000

2006
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 73

Lunch is considered one of his most masterful 

sideman performances, providing a vibrant 

texture to the piano-less quintet. In 1965, Blue 

Note released his astounding debut record 

as a bandleader, Dialogue. Hutcherson was 

accompanied on the album by some of the biggest 

names emerging in jazz at the time: drummer Joe 

Chambers, bassist Richard Davis, pianist Andrew 

Hill, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, and saxophonist Sam 

Rivers. 

In 1967, he returned to California and co-lead a quintet with 

saxophonist Harold Land for several years. Hutcherson eventually 

settled in Montara, a small coastal town south of San Francisco, where 

he continues to live. Hutcherson is a founding member of the SFJAZZ 

Collective, an all-star octet that debuted in 2004. In 2008, Hutcherson 

was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Sedona 

Jazz on the Rocks festival in Arizona. 

In addition to his own recordings and tours, Hutcherson also 

appears on other artists’ records, including Tyner’s Manhattan 

Moods (1993) and Hammond B-3 organist Joey DeFrancesco’s Organic 

Vibes (2006). Hutcherson continues to perform at a masterful level on 

his instrument, playing with both his contemporaries and the new 

generation of jazz musicians. 

Bobby Hutcherson’s sound and 

innovative style on the vibraphone 

helped revitalize the instrument in 

the 1960s, adding an adventurous new voice to 

the free jazz and post bop eras. 

As a child, Hutcherson studied piano with his 

aunt, but his interest in becoming a professional 

musician was sparked after hearing vibraphonist Milt 

Jackson playing on a recording of the Thelonious Monk 

song “Bemsha Swing.” Jackson’s playing impressed him so 

much that he began working with his father (a brick mason) to save up 

money for a vibraphone. Studies under renowned vibraphonist Dave 

Pike followed, and soon Hutcherson played at local Los Angeles school 

dances in his friend Herbie Lewis’ group.

In 1960, Hutcherson joined an ensemble co-led by Al Grey 

and Billy Mitchell. A year later, the group performed at New 

York’s legendary Birdland club and the vibraphonist made his first 

live appearance opposite bassist Charles Mingus. Hutcherson soon 

relocated to New York City and signed with the Blue Note label. 

According to Hutcherson’s own account, he made 45 records as a 

bandleader and appeared on more than 250 records as a sideman 

during his years with Blue Note—working with jazz luminaries such 

as Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Jackie McLean, and McCoy 

Tyner, among others. His work on Eric Dolphy’s recording Out to 

0000

Photo by Francis Wolff © Mosaic Images

BOBBY

HUTCHERSON

Vibraphonist Marimba Player Composer

Born January 27, 1941 in Los Angeles, CA

2010

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Eric Dolphy, 

Out to Lunch

Blue Note, 1964

Dialogue

Blue Note, 1965

Solo/Quartet

Contemporary/OJC, 1981-82

Skyline

Verve, 1998

For Sentimental Reasons

Kind of Blue, 2006
74		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Kay eventually replacing Clarke. The MJQ 

would become an enduring jazz institution 

for more than 40 years, with Jackson’s bluesdrenched solos being a crucial ingredient in 

their sound. When the MJQ wasn’t touring, 

Jackson occasionally led bands featuring Jimmy 

Heath and Ray Brown and worked on recording 

sessions that included Cannonball Adderley and Ray 

Charles. 

He left the MJQ in 1974, leading his own groups or playing 

with all-star aggregations until 1981, when the MJQ reunited for a 

concert in Japan. Following that concert, the quartet made annual 

tours from 1982 through the early 1990s. For most of the remainder of 

his career he worked with his own groups, which often included such 

musicians as Mickey Roker, Bob Cranshaw, and Mike LeDonne.

The winner of numerous jazz polls, Jackson’s vibe-playing 

dominated the field for much of his career, leading to his induction 

into the Percussion Hall of Fame and DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, 

among other honors.

C haracterized by a slower 

vibrato than his predecessors, 

Milt Jackson’s ability to swing 

and to create vocal-like inflections made his 

an instantly recognizable sound on the vibes. 

Another jazz musician whose earliest experience 

was in the church, he sang gospel duets with his 

brother and played the guitar. At age 11, he began 

playing the piano, moving to the xylophone and the vibes 

in his early teens. After studying music at Michigan State 

University, his musical career actually began with a touring gospel 

ensemble in the early 1940s. Upon hearing him in Detroit, Dizzy 

Gillespie arranged for Jackson, known by the nickname “Bags,” to 

come to New York in 1945 to join his band. After leaving Gillespie’s 

pioneering bebop big band in 1948, he went on to play with Howard 

McGhee, Thelonious Monk, Tadd Dameron, and Charlie Parker, 

applying the bebop sound to the vibes.

He replaced Terry Gibbs in the Woody Herman band during 

1949-50, returning to the Gillespie band from 1950-52. Thereafter 

he formed his own quartet, featuring John Lewis, Ray Brown, and 

Kenny Clarke. The Milt Jackson Quartet then became the Modern 

Jazz Quartet, with Percy Heath replacing Brown, and Connie 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

MILT

JACKSON

vibraphonist pianist bandleader

Born January 1, 1923 in Detroit, MI

Died October 9, 1999 

1997

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Modern Jazz Quartet , MJQ

Original Jazz Classics, 1954-56

Plenty, Plenty Soul

Atlantic, 1957

Bags Meets Trane

Atlantic, 1959

Milt Jackson + Count Basie + The Big Band, 

Vol. 1 & 2

Original Jazz Classics, 1978

Sa Va Bella 

Warner Brothers, 1996
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 75

Photo by Michael Wilderman

AHMAD

JAMAL

PIANIST COMPOSER

Born July 2, 1930 in Pittsburgh, PA

Strings as pianist. This led to formation of his 

trio Three Strings in 1950-52, which debuted 

at Chicago’s Blue Note club, and later became 

the Ahmad Jamal Trio. His 1958 album At 

the Pershing became a surprising smash hit, 

highlighted by his interpretation of “Poinciana.” 

With the popularity of the album and the advocacy 

of Davis, Jamal’s trio was one of the most popular 

jazz acts in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

For the most part, Jamal has worked in pianobass-drums trios, using the intricate relationship of the band to 

explore his sound, directing the trio through seemingly abrupt time 

and tempo shifts. His piano virtuosity has also been welcomed by a 

number of orchestras and his abilities as a composer are considerable. 

His approach has been described as being chamber-jazz-like, and 

he has experimented with strings and electric instruments in his 

compositions. 

Among his many awards are the Living Jazz Legend Award from 

the Kennedy Center and the Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et des 

Lettres from France.

One of the subtlest virtuosos 

of jazz piano, Ahmad Jamal’s 

uncanny use of space in his playing 

and leadership of his small ensembles have been 

hallmarks of his influential career. Among those 

he has influenced is most notably Miles Davis. 

Davis made numerous and prominent mentions of 

Jamal’s influence on his playing, particularly in his 

use of space, allowing the music to “breathe,” and his 

choice of compositions. Several tunes that were in Jamal’s 

playlist, such as the standard “Autumn Leaves” and Jamal’s own 

“New Rhumba,” began appearing in the playlist of Davis’ 1950s 

bands. Jamal’s textured rhythms on piano influenced Davis’ piano 

players as well, from Wynton Kelly in the 1950s to Herbie Hancock

in the 1960s.

Jamal’s piano studies began at age three, and by age 11, he was 

making his professional debut with a sound strongly influenced by Art 

Tatum and Erroll Garner. Following graduation from Pittsburgh’s 

Westinghouse High School, he joined the George Hudson band in 

1947. In 1949, he joined swing violinist Joe Kennedy’s group Four 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

At the Pershing/But Not for Me 

Chess, 1958

Free Flight

Impulse!, 1971

Big Byrd: The Essence, Part 2

Verve, 1994-95

After Fajr

Birdology/Dreyfus Jazz, 2004

It’s Magic

Dreyfus Jazz, 2007

1994
76		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

he re-joined Winding in 1958. The group was 

instrumental in demonstrating the power and 

possibilities of the trombone in modern jazz.

In the late 1950s, he began to gain 

recognition as a composer. Two of his extended 

works, “El Camino Real” and “Sketch for 

Trombone and Orchestra,” were commissioned 

by the Monterey Jazz Festival. A commission from 

Dizzy Gillespie resulted in “Perceptions,” a large-scale 

work for orchestra that was recorded for Verve Records. In 

addition to his work as a composer, he performed with groups led by 

Miles Davis, Clark Terry, and Sonny Stitt, then moved to California 

in 1970. There he immersed himself in lucrative television and film 

scoring. His scores can be heard on such television programs as 

Mayberry RFD, That Girl, Mod Squad, Six Million Dollar Man, and 

Starsky and Hutch.

In 1987, he returned to his hometown Indianapolis and began 

playing, touring, and recording again. His awards include an honorary 

doctoral degree from Indiana University and the Indiana Governor’s 

Arts Award in 1989. 

Often referred to as the 

“Charlie Parker of the trombone” 

due to his uncanny musical 

dexterity and fluency, James Louis “J.J.” 

Johnson dominated his instrument for more than 

40 years, and was known as a potent composer 

and arranger. He was a perennial jazz magazine 

poll winner for his peerless trombone playing.

Between ages nine and 11, he studied piano with 

his family’s church organist, picking up the trombone at 

age 14. His first professional experience came with the bands of 

Clarence Love and Snookum Russell. It was in the Russell band that 

he met jazz trumpeter Fats Navarro, an early influence on the young 

trombonist. After leaving Russell, he spent three years with Benny 

Carter’s band, then gigged with Count Basie in 1945-46. He worked 

briefly with Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman, then toured the 

Far East with Oscar Pettiford. The difficulty of making a living in 

the jazz field affected Johnson; from 1952-54 he held a day job as a 

blueprint reader. Then came one of his most significant early bands, 

a two-trombone group he co-led with Kai Winding—the Jay and Kai 

Quintet—from 1954-56; after a period of freelancing and bandleading, 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

J.J.

JOHNSON

trombonist composer arranger

Born January 22, 1924 in Indianapolis, IN

Died February 4, 2001 

1996

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Eminent Jay Jay 

Johnson, Vol. 1 & 2

Blue Note, 1953-55

Stan Getz & J.J. Johnson 

at the Opera House

Verve, 1957

The Great Kai and J.J.

Impulse!, 1960

Live at the Village Vanguard

EmArcy, 1988

Tangence

Verve, 1994
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 77

Photo by Lee Tanner

ELVIN

JONES

Drummer composer

Born September 9, 1927 in Pontiac, MI 

Died May 18, 2004 

and provided innovative accompaniment to 

the rest of the rhythm section: pianist McCoy 

Tyner and bassists Jimmy Garrison and 

Reggie Workman. 

In 1965, Jones left the Coltrane group 

and formed his own band, a trio with Garrison 

and reed player Joe Farrell, beginning a series of 

recordings for the Blue Note label. Since that time, 

Jones’ trios and his latter day bands, known as the Jazz 

Machine, have welcomed numerous adventurous players. 

These have ranged from Steve Grossman, Sonny Fortune, and Roland 

Prince to such younger players as Delfeayo Marsalis, Nicholas 

Payton, David Sanchez, and John Coltrane’s son Ravi. 

Jones frequently performed free for schools and other institutions, 

and at jazz clinics. Aside from music, he made his acting debut as Job 

Caine in the 1970 film Zachariah. He toured extensively with his 

group Jazz Machine and made later recordings with Cecil Taylor, 

Dewey Redman, Dave Holland, and Bill Frisell. 

T he propulsive style of 

drummer Elvin Jones powered the 

John Coltrane Quartet during his 

six-year stint with the group and influenced 

countless percussionists that followed him over 

the past 40 years. As with fellow 2003 NEA Jazz 

Master Jimmy Heath, and a number of other jazz 

greats, Elvin Jones was the product of a musical 

family. His brothers include pianist Hank Jones and 

cornetist Thad Jones. The youngest of 10 siblings, Jones 

began learning the drums during his middle school years, studying 

the styles of Chick Webb, Jo Jones, Buddy Rich, and the beboppers 

that followed them, including Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Art 

Blakey. 

After serving in the Army from 1946-49, he returned to Detroit, 

immersing himself in the fertile jazz scene there in the early 1950s, 

before heading to New York in 1955. After playing with Harry “Sweets”

Edison, J.J. Johnson, and Sonny Rollins (at Rollins’ famous Village 

Vanguard session), he joined the John Coltrane Quartet in 1960. His 

dynamic drumming pushed Coltrane’s improvisations to new heights, 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

John Coltrane, The Complete 

Africa/Brass Sessions

Impulse!, 1961

Poly-Currents

Blue Note, 1969

David Murray, Special Quartet

Columbia, 1990

It Don’t Mean A Thing

Enja, 1993

Bill Frisell, With Dave Holland 

and Elvin Jones

Nonesuch, 2001

2003
78		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

served him well when he joined the staff of 

CBS as a studio musician, remaining for 

17 years. Although his studio work found 

him working on productions like the Ed 

Sullivan Show, Jones continued his touring and 

recording experiences in a variety of settings. His 

broad range and ability to fit in different settings 

also landed him in Broadway stage bands, where he 

served as pianist and conductor for such shows as Ain’t 

Misbehavin’.

Jones was the first regular pianist in brother Thad’s co-led 

orchestra with Mel Lewis, beginning in 1966. Throughout the 1970s, 

1980s, and 1990s, Jones continued to be much in demand for 

record dates and tours. Among his affiliations was the Great Jazz 

Trio, a cooperative unit with Ron Carter and Tony Williams, who 

were later supplanted by Buster Williams and Ben Riley. Jones 

has also experienced his share of piano duos, with the likes of 

Tommy Flanagan—with whom he became acquainted when both 

were developing around the Detroit area—George Shearing, and John 

Lewis. 

In 2008, Jones received the National Medal of Arts and the 

following year the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. As a 

leader and valued sideman, Jones can be found on thousands 

of recordings.

Hank Jones, a member of the 

famous jazz family that includes 

brothers cornetist Thad and 

drummer Elvin, served as a pianist in a vast 

array of settings, always lending a distinctive, 

swinging sensibility to the sessions. Although born 

in Mississippi, Jones grew up in Pontiac, Michigan, 

listening to such performers as Earl Hines, Fats 

Waller, and Art Tatum. A performer by the time he was 

13, Jones played with territory bands that toured Michigan 

and Ohio. In one such band he met saxophonist Lucky Thompson, 

who got him a job in the Hot Lips Page band in 1944, prompting Jones’ 

move to New York.

Once in New York, Jones became exposed to bebop, embracing 

the style in his playing and even recording with Charlie Parker. 

Meanwhile, he took jobs with such bandleaders as John Kirby, 

Coleman Hawkins, Andy Kirk, Billy Eckstine, and Howard McGhee. 

He toured with Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1947-

51. As a result, he became Ella Fitzgerald’s pianist, touring with her 

from 1948-53. These experiences served to broaden his musical palette 

and sophistication. 

A consummate freelancer, Jones found work with artists such 

as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Milt Jackson, and Cannonball 

Adderley. The versatility Jones acquired through such affiliations 

0000

Photo by Michael Wilderman

HANK

JONES

PIANIST

Born July 31, 1918 in Vicksburg, MS

Died May 16, 2010

1989

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Jazz Trio of Hank Jones

Savoy, 1955

Upon Reflection

Verve, 1993

Charlie Haden/Hank Jones, Steal Away 

Verve, 1994

For My Father

Justin Time, 2004

West of 5th

Chesky, 2006
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 79

Photo by Herman Leonard Photography LLC/CSTIMAGES

JO

JONES

DRUMMER

Born July 10, 1911 in Chicago, IL

Died September 3, 1985 

In 1934 came the affiliation with which his 

artistry is forever identified, drumming with 

the Count Basie band, with which he worked 

on and off for more than 15 years. Jones’ 

drumming was the final ingredient to what 

became known as the “All-American Rhythm 

Section.” Besides Jones, this included guitarist 

Freddie Green, bassist Walter Page, and Basie on 

piano. They provided the irresistible pulse that drove 

the Count Basie band of the day to be called the swinging-est 

band in the land. Jones served two years in the Army from 1944-

46, then returned to the Basie band, where he remained a full-time 

member until 1948. 

Thereafter, though frequently reuniting with Basie on special 

occasions, Jones became a freelance drummer. He played on tours 

with Jazz at the Philharmonic, and recorded with many of the jazz 

greats, including Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, 

Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Art Tatum, and Benny Goodman. 

Jones was constantly in demand for a variety of all-star swing sessions 

and made numerous recordings as a highly valued sideman. In 1979, 

Jones was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame for his 

contributions to Alabama’s musical heritage.

Jonathan “Jo” Jones’ uncanny way 

around the drums, ability to truly swing 

a band without ever overpowering it, 

and slick, smiling sense of showmanship made 

him one of the most influential of the early swing 

band drummers. Jones made an art form of the 

use of brushes on the drum kit, with accents timely 

and thoroughly appropriate for whatever band with 

which he played. Jo Jones is credited with the transfer 

of the essential pulse of jazz music from the bass drum to the 

hi-hat cymbal, influencing such modern drummers as Max Roach. 

His technique was to leave the hi-hat cymbals just slightly apart, 

which produced a sound different from the relative staccato approach 

of his predecessors. Never one to engage in extended solos, his delight 

was in driving a band with his incomparable swing.

Jones grew up in Alabama, touring with various shows and 

carnivals as a tap dancer and instrumentalist while still in his teens. 

His first major jazz job came when he joined the territory band 

known as Walter Page’s Blue Devils in Oklahoma City in the late 

1920s. Jones stayed in the Midwest for quite some time, working with 

trumpeter Lloyd Hunter and moving to Kansas City in 1933. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Count Basie, The Original 

American Decca Recordings

MCA, 1937-39

The Essential Jo Jones

Vanguard, 1955

Jo Jones Trio

Fresh Sounds, 1959

Jo Jones Sextet

Fresh Sounds, 1960

The Main Man 

Original Jazz Classics, 1976

1985
80		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

a highly successful career as a film score 

composer. To date he has written scores for 

more than 35 films, including In Cold Blood,

In the Heat of the Night, and The Italian Job.

In addition to his film scoring, he also 

continued to produce and arrange sessions in the 

1960s, notably for Frank Sinatra on his albums 

with Count Basie, It Might As Well Be Swing in 1964 

and Sinatra at the Sands in 1966. He later produced 

Sinatra’s L.A. Is My Lady album in 1984. 

Returning to the studio with his own work, he recorded a series 

of Grammy Award-winning albums between 1969 and 1981, including 

Walking in Space and You’ve Got It Bad, Girl. Following recovery 

from a near-fatal cerebral aneurysm in 1974, he focused on producing 

albums, most successfully with Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and 

Thriller, and the “We Are the World” sessions to raise money for the 

victims of Ethiopia’s famine in 1985. In 1991, he coaxed Miles Davis 

into revisiting his 1950s orchestral collaborations with Gil Evans 

at the Montreux Jazz Festival, conducting the orchestra for Davis’ 

last concert. Jones holds the record for the most Grammy Award 

nominations at 79, of which he won 27. 

In the 1980s and 1990s, Jones ventured into filmmaking, 

co-producing with Steven Spielberg The Color Purple, and managing 

his own record label Qwest Records, along with continuing to make 

and produce music. 

Quincy Jones has distinguished 

himself in just about every 

aspect of music, including as a

 bandleader, record producer, 

musical composer and arranger, trumpeter, 

and record label executive. He has worked with 

everyone from Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and 

Count Basie to Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and 

Michael Jackson. 

Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones was brought up in Seattle. 

He began learning the trumpet as a teenager. He moved to New York 

City in the early 1950s, finding work as an arranger and musician 

with Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, and Lionel Hampton. In 1956, 

Dizzy Gillespie chose Jones to play in his big band, later having him 

put together a band and act as musical director on Gillespie’s U.S. 

State Department tours of South America and the Middle East. The 

experience honed Jones’ skills at leading a jazz orchestra.

Jones moved to Paris, France, in 1957 and put together 

a jazz orchestra that toured throughout Europe and North America. 

Though critically acclaimed, the tour did not make money, and Jones 

disbanded the orchestra. 

He became music director for Mercury Records in 1960, rising to 

vice president four years later. Also in 1964, he composed his first film 

score for Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker. After the success of that 

film, he left Mercury Records for Los Angeles to pursue what became 

0000

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

QUINCY

JONES

Bandleader Trumpeter Composer 

Arranger Producer

Born March 14, 1933 in Chicago, IL 

2008

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

This Is How I Feel About Jazz

Paramount, 1956

Bossa Nova

Mercury, 1962

Walking in Space

A&M, 1969

Miles Davis/Quincy Jones, Live at Montreux

Warner Bros., 1991

Quincy Jones/Sammy Nestico Orchestra, 

Basie & Beyond

Warner Bros., 2000
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 81

Photo courtesy of Ray Avery Photo Archives/CTSIMAGES

ANDY

KIRK

bandleader saxophonist 

Born May 28, 1898 in Newport, KY 

Died December 11, 1992 

band, the Benny Moten Orchestra, and Jay 

McShann’s band—one of the purveyors of 

the Kansas City swing sound. Particularly 

popular was their recording of “Until the Real 

Thing Comes Along” in 1936. 

Although the leader of the band, Kirk usually 

was not a soloist, utilizing the talent in his band for 

the spotlight instead. His genius lay in realizing how 

best to make use of his band members’ skills. Realizing 

the awesome writing and arranging aptitude of Mary Lou 

Williams, for example, he made her the chief composer and arranger 

for the Clouds of Joy from 1929-42. Other notable band members who 

Kirk highlighted as soloists included Shorty Baker, Don Byas, Kenny 

Kersey, Howard McGhee, Fats Navarro, and Dick Wilson. The band 

continued to tour and record until disbanding in 1948. 

 Kirk led another band in California in the early 1950s, then went 

into other professions. In the 1970s he led pickup bands on occasion, 

though he spent the remainder of his life working for his Jehovah’s 

Witness church.

Andy Kirk, though virtually 

unknown nowadays outside of jazz 

circles, led one of the hottest swing 

bands in the country during the 1930s, rivaling 

Basie’s. His band, the Clouds of Joy, also 

introduced some of the biggest names in jazz, 

most notably Mary Lou Williams. 

Kirk grew up in Denver, Colorado, where he came 

under the musical tutelage of Paul Whiteman’s father, 

Wilberforce Whiteman. His first job, as bass saxophonist and 

tuba player, came with the George Morrison Orchestra in 1918. In 

1925 he relocated to Dallas and joined Terence Holder’s Dark Clouds 

of Joy, a band he eventually took over in 1929, changing the name 

to the Clouds of Joy (sometimes known as the Twelve Clouds of Joy, 

depending on the number of musicians in the band). 

He moved the band to Kansas City, where they made their 

first recordings in 1929-30, including Mary Lou Williams’ “Froggy 

Bottom,” which has been covered countless times since. Kirk’s 

band was highly popular, becoming—along with the Count Basie

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

1929-1931 

Classics, 1929-31

1936-1937

Classics, 1936-37

1937-1938 

Classics, 1937-38

Kansas City Bounce

Black and Blue, 1939-40

1940-1942

Classics, 1940-42

1991
82		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

In the early 1960s, as opportunities for 

performances declined, Konitz withdrew 

from the music business and took on day 

work. He continued to develop his unique 

sound, however, occasionally working with such 

musicians as Paul Bley, Martial Solal, Charlie 

Haden, and Brad Mehldau. He also worked as 

a private teacher, conducting lessons by tape with 

students worldwide. Konitz joined with Warne Marsh, 

his fellow sideman from early Tristano sessions, to tour 

Europe and record in 1975-76; he also founded his own nonet and 

performed regularly during the 1980s. In 1992, Konitz won the 

prestigious Danish JAZZPAR Prize.

With his insatiable musical curiosity, Konitz records in a variety 

of different settings. His later albums include French impressionist 

music with a string quartet (Lee Konitz & The Axis String Quartet 

Play French Impressionist Music from the 20th Century), work with 

the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos (Portology), and an album with the 

big band Mark Masters Ensemble (One Day with Lee). Konitz divides 

his time between residences in the United States and Germany and 

continues to travel and perform around the globe. 

L ee Konitz is one of the more 

distinctive alto saxophonists in jazz 

since Charlie Parker (and one of 

the few that did not outright copy Parker’s 

style), pairing his individual style and voice with 

a strong sense of innovation. 

Born to an Austrian father and a Russian 

mother in Chicago, Konitz as a youth studied clarinet, 

then alto saxophone with various teachers. In the early 

1940s, Konitz met noted pianist Lennie Tristano, under whose 

influence and tutelage Konitz’s mature style in jazz began to emerge. 

His recordings with Tristano include the 1949 releases “Intuition” and 

“Digression”—precursors to the “free jazz” movement of the 1960s.

In 1947, Konitz played with the Claude Thornhill Orchestra, 

meeting Gil Evans, who was then arranging for Thornhill. Evans 

brought Konitz along to participate in Miles Davis’ nonet performances 

and recordings (Birth of the Cool, 1948-50), considered the beginning 

point for what came to be called “cool jazz.” Konitz went on to play 

with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker’s influential band and worked 

from 1952-53 in Stan Kenton’s big band. From then on, he mainly led 

his own small groups, occasionally touring abroad.

0000

Photo by Michael Wilderman

LEE

KONITZ

Saxophonist Composer Educator

Born October 13, 1927 in Chicago, IL

2009

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Subconscious-Lee

Prestige/OJC, 1949-50

The Lee Konitz Duets

Milestone/OJC, 1967

The New York Album

Soul Note, 1987

New Nonet

Omnitone, 2006

Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor Big Band, 

Portology

Omnitone, 2007
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 83

Photo by Michael Wilderman

YUSEF

LATEEF

Saxophonist Flutist Oboist Composer Educator

Born October 9, 1920 in Chattanooga, TN

time, he began recording under his own name 

for Savoy Records. In 1960, he moved to 

New York City and joined Charles Mingus’ 

band. He then performed and recorded 

with Cannonball Adderley from 1962-64. His 

albums as leader on Impulse! (1962-66) and 

Atlantic (1967-76) are considered some of his most 

exciting and diverse recordings. 

As a composer, Lateef has compiled a body of 

work for soloists, small ensembles, chamber and symphony 

orchestras, stage bands, and choirs. His extended works have 

been performed by orchestras in Germany and the United States—

including the Atlanta, Augusta, and Detroit symphony orchestras—

and the Symphony of the New World. In 1987, he won a Grammy 

Award for his recording Yusef Lateef’s Little Symphony, on which 

Lateef played all the instruments. 

Lateef holds a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree 

in music education from the Manhattan School of Music. From 1987 

to 2002, he was a professor at the University of Massachusetts in 

Amherst, from which he was awarded a doctorate in education. 

Lateef has performed extensively throughout the United States, 

Europe, Japan, and Africa. His touring ensembles have included 

master musicians such as Kenny Barron, Albert “Tootie” Heath, and 

Cecil McBee.

Avirtuoso on the traditional jazz 

instruments of saxophone and flute, 

Yusef Lateef also brings a broad 

spectrum of sounds to his music through his 

mastery of such Middle Eastern and Asian reed 

instruments as the bamboo flute, shanai, shofar, 

argol, sarewa, and taiwan koto. A major force 

on the international musical scene for more than six 

decades, he was one of the first to bring a world music 

approach to traditional jazz.

Lateef was born William Emanuel Huddleston in Chattanooga, 

Tennessee, and moved with his family to Detroit in 1925. In Detroit’s 

fertile musical environment, Lateef established personal and musical 

relationships with such jazz legends as Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, 

Paul Chambers, Tommy Flanagan, Milt Jackson, Barry Harris, the 

Jones brothers (Hank, Thad and Elvin), and Lucky Thompson. By 

the time he was 18 years old, he was touring professionally with swing 

bands led by Lucky Millinder, Roy Eldridge, Hot Lips Page, and 

Ernie Fields, performing under the name Bill Evans. In 1949, he was 

invited to perform with the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra. At that time 

he converted to Islam and took the name by which he is now known: 

Yusef Lateef. 

From 1955–59 he led a quintet in Detroit that included Ernie 

Farrell, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, and Hugh Lawson. During that 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Eastern Sounds

Prestige/OJC, 1961

Live at Pep’s

Impulse!, 1964

The Doctor is In...and Out

Atlantic, 1976

The African-American Epic Suite

Act, 1993

Yusef Lateef and Adam Rudolph, 

In the Garden

Meta/YAL, 2003

2010
84		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Leroy Hamilton

JOHN

LEVY

manager bassist

Born April 11, 1912 in New Orleans, LA

the group’s full-time manager, making musicindustry history and establishing the career 

he would follow for the next half-century.

Levy’s client roster over the years has 

included Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Betty 

Carter, Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock, 

Shirley Horn, Freddie Hubbard, Ahmad Jamal, 

Ramsey Lewis, Abbey Lincoln, Herbie Mann, Wes 

Montgomery, Carol Sloane, Joe Williams, and Nancy 

Wilson, as well as Arsenio Hall (the only comedian he 

has managed among some 100 entertainers). In recognition of his 

achievements, Levy has received awards such as a certificate of 

appreciation from Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley (1991), induction 

into the International Jazz Hall of Fame (1997), and the Lifetime 

Achievement Award of the Los Angeles Jazz Society (2002). His 

autobiography, Men, Women, and Girl Singers: My Life as a 

Musician Turned Talent Manager, written with his wife Devra Hall, 

was published in 2001 and expanded into a photo book, Strollin’: A 

Jazz Life through John Levy’s Personal Lens, released in 2008 on the 

occasion of his 96th birthday. John Levy continues to be active today 

in representing his clients.

Renowned as a leading representative of jazz musicians, and as 

the first African American to work 

in the music industry as a personal manager, 

John Levy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, 

in 1912. His mother was a midwife and nurse, 

and his father was an engine stoker on the railroad. 

When Levy was six, his family moved to Chicago, 

where a well-meaning schoolteacher would encourage him 

to find a steady job at the post office. He did work there for a 

while, but he also began gigging around town as a jazz bassist.

In 1944, Levy left Chicago with the Stuff Smith Trio to play an 

extended engagement at the Onyx club on New York City’s 52nd 

Street. Over the next years, he was to play with many jazz notables, 

including Ben Webster, Buddy Rich, Errol Garner, Milt Jackson, 

and Billy Taylor, as well as with Billie Holiday at her comeback 

performance at Carnegie Hall in 1948.

In 1949, George Shearing heard Levy play at Birdland with 

Buddy Rich’s big band and hired him for his own group, which 

featured Buddy DeFranco. As Levy toured the country playing with 

the original George Shearing Quintet, he gradually took on the role of 

road manager. Finally, in 1951, Levy put aside performing to become 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Stuff Sm ith, The 1943 Trio

Progressive, 1943

Billie Holiday, The Complete 

Decca Recordings

GRP, 1944-50

Erroll Garner, Penthouse Serenade

Savoy, 1945

Billy Taylor, 1945-49

Classics, 1945-49

George She aring, Complete Savoy 

Trio and Quintet Sessions

Jazz Factory, 1945-50

2006 A.B. Spellman NEA JAZZ MASTERS Award FOR JAZZ ADVOCACY
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 85

In 1951, the Gillespie band rhythm 

section of 1946—Lewis, Clarke, Jackson, 

and Brown—reunited in the recording studio 

as the Milt Jackson Quartet, later becoming 

the Modern Jazz Quartet. By the time those 

recordings were issued, Percy Heath had 

replaced Brown. In 1954, the Modern Jazz Quartet 

began touring and Connie Kay replaced Clarke on 

drums the following year. During his more than 40 years 

with MJQ, Lewis honed his composing and arranging skills, 

experimenting with form and sound, while collaborating with guests 

ranging in diversity from Sonny Rollins to the Beaux Arts String 

Quartet to singer Diahann Carroll to full orchestras. Perhaps his most 

widely interpreted composition is “Django,” which he wrote in honor 

of the legendary Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt.

Throughout his career, Lewis wrote for a vast number of musical 

configurations in a dizzying array of styles, from solo piano to 

symphonies, from ballets to film and television scores. Lewis was part 

of the first wave of what composer Gunther Schuller dubbed the 

Third Stream—an effort at forging a third stream through the fusing 

of the two primary streams: jazz and European classical music. 

As an educator, he served as director of faculty at the Lenox School 

of Jazz, where he first championed Ornette Coleman; on the trustee 

board of the Manhattan School of Music; and in faculty positions at 

Harvard University and City College of New York. 

John Lewis’ artistry flowered during 

his historic tenure as musical director 

of the longest continuing small ensemble 

 in the annals of jazz, the Modern Jazz Quartet, with whom he was able to realize his unique 

vision of fusing blues, bebop, and classical music 

into an artful, elegant balance. 

Lewis’ mother was a primary musical influence 

during his younger years growing up in Albuquerque, 

New Mexico. After high school, Lewis joined the Army in 1942, 

where he met drummer Kenny Clarke and trumpeter/bandleader 

Dizzy Gillespie. 

In 1946, Lewis and Clarke joined the rhythm section of Gillespie’s 

pioneer big band, which included vibraphonist Milt Jackson and 

bassist Ray Brown. The Gillespie band provided a convenient 

canvas for Lewis to write compositions and craft arrangements, 

utilizing the talents of some of the finest young musicians in jazz. 

Lewis’ first extended composition for Gillespie was his 1947 “Toccata 

for Trumpet,” which premiered at Carnegie Hall. Other early 

contributions to the Gillespie book included Lewis’ arrangements of 

the tunes “Two Bass Hit” and “Emanon.” 

Coinciding with his work with the Gillespie band, Lewis continued 

his music studies at the Manhattan School of Music, eventually earning 

his master’s degree in 1953. Lewis also worked with other jazz greats 

in between tours with Gillespie’s band, including serving as pianist and 

arranger for the Miles Davis recording Birth of the Cool in 1950. 

0000

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

JOHN

LEWIS

pianist composer ARRANGER educator 

Born May 3, 1920 in La Grange, IL 

Died March 29, 2001

2001

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Modern Jazz Quartet , Django 

Original Jazz Classics, 1953-55

Grand Encounter

Blue Note, 1956

The Wonderful World of Jazz

Atlantic, 1960

Kansas City Breaks

DRG, 1982

Private Concert

EmArcy, 1990
86		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Michael Wilderman

RAMSEY

LEWIS

Pianist Composer Educator Broadcaster

Born May 27, 1935 in Chicago, IL

Expanding his career through teaching, 

programming, and work in radio and 

television, he also has become an ambassador 

for jazz. Lewis has served as Art Tatum 

Professor in Jazz Studies at Roosevelt 

University; as artistic director of the Jazz at 

Ravinia series of the Ravinia Festival; and as 

host of a weekday morning drive-time radio show on 

Chicago’s WNUA-FM, for which he has been awarded 

R&R’s 1999 and 2000 Personality of the Year Award. He 

hosts the syndicated Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis, a two-hour 

radio program that airs throughout the United States, and was the 

co-producer (with PBS television station WTTW-Chicago) and host 

of a television series of the same name, which featured emerging and 

established jazz musicians. 

Active in community affairs, especially on behalf of youth, Lewis 

helped organize the Ravinia Festival’s Jazz Mentor Program. In 

recognition of his activities, he was featured as the “Person of the 

Week” on ABC Nightly News in February 1995 and received the 

prestigious Lincoln Academy of Illinois Laureate Award in Springfield, 

Illinois, in April 1997. He currently tours and performs with his own 

trio, featuring Larry Gray on bass and Leon Joyce on drums.

With a style that springs 

from his early gospel experience, his classical training, and 

a deep love of jazz, pianist and composer 

Ramsey Lewis has built a decades-long career as 

one of America’s most popular performers. Born 

in Chicago, where he continues to make his home, 

he began taking piano lessons at the age of four and 

credits his teacher Dorothy Mendelsohn with awakening 

him to the communicative power of music. He recalls her telling 

him to “‘Listen with your inner ear,’ and ‘Make the piano sing.’ These 

concepts were revelations!” 

During these early years, though, Lewis had no experience with 

jazz, except for the records his father would play at home from artists 

such as Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, and Meade “Lux” Lewis. He was 

already 15, and an accomplished gospel pianist, when a fellow church 

musician, Wallace Burton, asked him to join his band and helped 

Lewis learn the fundamentals of jazz. With his very first trio album, 

Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing, Lewis captivated a large 

and diverse jazz audience. By 1965, he was one of the nation’s most 

successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with “The ‘In’ Crowd,” 

“Hang On Sloopy,” and “Wade in the Water.” Since then, he has 

won three Grammy Awards and the Recording Academy Governor’s 

Award (2000), and earned seven gold records and three honorary 

doctorates. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The In Crowd

Chess, 1965

Dancing in the Streets

Cadet, 1968

Ramsey Lew is/Billy Taylor, 

We Meet Again

Columbia, 1988-89

Appassionata

Narada, 1999

With One Voice

Narada, 2005

2007
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 87

Over the years, she has worked with some of 

the biggest names in jazz, including Sonny

Rollins, Eric Dolphy, Coleman Hawkins, 

Miles Davis, Jackie McLean, Clark Terry, 

and Stan Getz. 

In addition to her music, Lincoln also pursued 

acting, appearing in the films Nothing But A Man

and For Love of Ivy and on television series, such as 

Mission: Impossible and the Flip Wilson Show. She also 

taught drama at the California State University. She did not 

record any albums as a leader from 1962-72, but made a grand return 

to jazz with her 1973 recording, People In Me, her first album of all 

original material. 

Lincoln returned to her influences in 1987, recording two albums 

in tribute to Billie Holiday, and then a series of recordings for Verve 

throughout the 1990s and 2000s that showcased her writing prowess. 

Her emotionally honest, mature style was present in every song she 

sang. 

Strongly influenced by jazz 

icons Billie Holiday and Louis 

Armstrong, both of whom she met 

early in her career, Abbey Lincoln’s distinctive 

vocal style, thought-provoking writing, and 

spirited personality secured her a place among 

the jazz luminaries.

Born in Chicago and raised in rural Michigan, 

Lincoln began performing while still in high school. In 

1951, she moved to the West Coast, working under various 

names (Gaby Lee, Anna Marie, Gaby Wooldridge) before settling on 

Abbey Lincoln. She recorded her first album with jazz great Benny 

Carter in 1956 and appeared in the 1957 film, The Girl Can’t Help It. 

Lincoln then recorded a series of albums for the Riverside label with 

drummer Max Roach, who had introduced her to the label’s owner. 

Lincoln’s collaborations with Roach (to whom she was married 

from 1962-70) lasted more than a decade, and included the seminal 

recording, We Insist! Freedom Now Suite in 1960. This was the 

beginning of a more social and political activist approach to her music. 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

ABBEY

LINCOLN

Vocalist composer

Born August 6, 1930 in Chicago, IL

Died August 14, 2010

2003

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Max Roach, We Insist! 

Freedom Now Suite

Candid, 1960

Straight Ahead

Candid, 1961

Abbey Sings Billie, Vol. 1 & 2

Enja, 1987

The World Is Falling Down

Verve, 1990

Abbey Sings Abbey

Verve, 2006
88		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

MELBA

LISTON

trombonist arranger composer educator

Born January 13, 1926 in Kansas City, MO

Died April 23, 1999 

In the 1950s, Liston began a partnership 

that she would return to on and off for 

more than 40 years. From the seminal 

1959 recording Little Niles through 1998’s 

Khepera, Liston was the arranger on many of 

Randy Weston’s albums. Her arrangements, 

with a powerful base of brass and percussion and 

expressive solo performances, helped shape and 

embellish Weston’s compositions. 

Other affiliations during the 1960s included co-leading a 

band with trumpeter Clark Terry, and writing for the Duke Ellington 

orchestra, singers Tony Bennett and Eddie Fisher, and the Buffalo 

Symphony Orchestra. During the 1970s, she worked with youth 

orchestras in Los Angeles, continuing to write for Basie, Ellington, 

and singer Abbey Lincoln. Liston also became a staff arranger for the 

Motown label. Later that decade she took up residence in Jamaica, 

where she taught at the University of the West Indies and was director 

of Popular Music Studies at the Jamaica Institute of Music.

Slowed by a stroke in 1985, which effectively ended her playing 

career, she was able to resume work as a composer and arranger in 

the 1990s through the aid of computer technology. Liston’s career 

helped pave the way for women in jazz in roles other than as vocalists. 

Although a formidable trombone 

player, Melba Liston was primarily 

known for her arrangements, 

especially working with Randy Weston, and 

compositions. Growing up mostly in Los Angeles, 

some of her first work came during the 1940s with 

two West Coast masters: bandleader Gerald Wilson

and tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. In Gordon’s 

small combos, she began to blossom as a trombone soloist, 

and Gordon wrote a song as a tribute to her, “Mischievous 

Lady.” Despite her obvious talent as a soloist, Liston became an 

in-demand big band section player, which likely fueled her later work 

as an arranger. During the 1940s, Liston also worked with the Count 

Basie band and with Billie Holiday. 

Following a brief hiatus from music, she joined Dizzy Gillespie’s 

bebop big band in 1950, and again for two of Gillespie’s State 

Department tours in 1956 and 1957, which included her arrangements 

of “Annie’s Dance” and “Stella by Starlight” in performances. She 

started her own all-woman quintet in 1958, working in New York 

and Bermuda, before joining Quincy Jones’ band in 1959 to play the 

musical Free and Easy. She stayed in Jones’ touring band as one of 

two woman members until 1961. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Dizzy Gillespie, Dizzy In South 

America, Vol. 1 & 2

CAP, 1956

And Her ’Bones

Fresh Sounds Records, 1956-58

Quincy Jones, Q Live in Paris 

Warner Brothers, 1960

Randy Weston, Tanjah

Verve, 1973

Randy Weston/Melba Liston, 

Volcano Blues

Verve, 1993

1987
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 89

the Hip String Quartet album, and was a 

favorite of Dizzy Gillespie, who featured 

three of McIntosh’s songs on his Something 

Old, Something New recording. McIntosh 

was an original member of the Thad JonesMel Lewis Orchestra, to which he contributed 

songs and arrangements. He was also much 

admired by Tommy Flanagan, who often noted that 

McIntosh was his favorite composer, recording several 

of his songs. 

When jazz’s popularity waned towards the end on the 1960s, 

McIntosh went to Hollywood as a film composer for two Gordon 

Parks’ films, The Learning Tree and Shaft. He remained in California 

for the next 20 years as a music director for films and TV. Finally 

tiring of Hollywood, McIntosh returned to the East Coast in the 1990s, 

teaching at various conservatories, including as music director of 

the Thelonious Monk Institute at the New England Conservatory of 

Music. He also continued to write music. In 2004, he released his first 

recording under his own name (at the age of 77), with a second volume 

of his works forthcoming. 

T hough not well known outside 

of jazz circles, the unique voice 

of composer and arranger Tom 

“Mac” McIntosh made him a favorite of Dizzy 

Gillespie, James Moody, Milt Jackson, and 

Tommy Flanagan, among other jazz giants.

McIntosh was born and raised in Baltimore. 

After a stint with the Army, he attended Juilliard and 

later became an active participant in the New York jazz 

scene as a trombone player and composer. 

He was a member of the famous Jazztet, formed by Benny 

Golson and Art Farmer, and was one of the founders of the New York 

Jazz Sextet. Many outstanding New York-based instrumentalists of the 

1950s and ’60s migrated in and out of the band, including Thad Jones, 

Art Farmer, James Moody, Tommy Flanagan, Roland Hanna, and 

Richard Davis. McIntosh and Moody have a long history of friendship 

and collaboration that dates to the 1950s when McIntosh played and 

wrote for Moody’s bands and provided arrangements for some of 

Moody’s 1960s recordings. 

He also wrote and arranged for Milt Jackson, including his And 

0000

Photo by Tom Pich

TOM

McINTOSH

Composer Arranger Trombonist Educator

Born February 6, 1927 in Baltimore, MD

2008

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

James Moody, Hey! It’s James Moody

Argo/Lone Hill Jazz, 1956-59

The Jazztet , At Birdhouse

Argo, 1961

Thad Jones/Mel Lew is Or chestra, The Complete 

Solid State Recordings

Mosaic, 1966-70

Milt Jackson, And the Hip String Quartet

Verve, 1968

With Malice Toward None: The 

Music of Tom McIntosh

IPO Recordings, 2003
90		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

JACKIE

McLEAN

saxophonist composer educator

Born May 17, 1931 in New York, NY 

Died March 31, 2006 

His intense playing has fit in well with both 

hard bop and the avant-garde, two schools of 

jazz in which McLean has experimented.

Throughout the 1960s, McLean continued 

to work with his own bands and occasional 

all-star aggregations, but also became more 

interested in social issues. In 1959-60 he acted in 

the off-Broadway play The Connection, a cautionary 

tale dealing with jazz and the perils of drug abuse, 

which evolved into a 1961 film. In 1967 he took his music into 

prisons, working as a music instructor and counselor. Then in 1968, he 

moved to Hartford, Connecticut, to take a teaching position at Hartt 

College of Music of the University of Hartford. It was in Hartford that 

McLean and his wife Dollie founded the Artists Collective, a widely 

hailed combination community center/fine arts school, primarily 

aimed at troubled youth. The Artists Collective opened a beautiful new 

building in 1999 following years of residence in a former schoolhouse 

in one of Hartford’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.

At the University of Hartford, McLean established the school’s 

African American Music Department and subsequent Jazz Studies 

degree program, which was renamed the Jackie McLean Institute of 

Jazz on November 17, 2000. The program has instructed a number 

of exceptional young jazz musicians, including saxophonist Antoine 

Roney, drummer Eric MacPherson, trombonist Steve Davis, and 

pianist Alan Palmer.

Known in the jazz community 

as “Jackie Mac,” Jackie McLean 

was a stalwart, enduring force in 

jazz since the early 1950s, and a distinguished 

educator since 1968. Long the possessor of one 

of the most recognizable alto saxophone sounds 

and styles, he explored the cutting edge of jazz 

creativity.

McLean grew up in a musical family: his father was 

a guitarist for bandleader Tiny Bradshaw and his stepfather 

owned a record store. By age 15, he chose the alto saxophone as his 

instrument. Jackie’s earliest studies came through the tutelage of 

Foots Thomas, Cecil Scott, Joe Napoleon, and Andy Brown in his 

native New York. Another of his informal teachers was piano master 

Bud Powell. McLean’s most significant early band affiliation came 

during the years 1948-49, when he joined a Harlem neighborhood 

band led by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and including pianist 

Kenny Drew. McLean’s stints with the Miles Davis band, between 

1949-53, yielded his first recording sessions as a sideman and marked 

the beginning of what became known as hard bop, an advanced 

progression on bebop.

During McLean’s busiest period as a sideman in the 1950s, he 

worked with pianist George Wallington, drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz 

Messengers, and bassist Charles Mingus. McLean’s first recording as 

a leader came in 1955, when he cut a quintet date for the Ad Lib label. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

4, 5 and 6

Original Jazz Classics, 1956

New Soil

Blue Note, 1959

Let Freedom Ring

Blue Note, 1962

The Jackie Mac Attack Live

Verve, 1991

Nature Boy

Blue Note, 2000

2001
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 91

program, and led to McPartland’s induction 

into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2007. 

An intimate program involving just her and 

a guest—usually a pianist—the program has 

won numerous awards, including the Peabody 

Award. Many of the programs have been 

subsequently released on compact disc. As part 

of the segments, McPartland interviews the guest, 

drawing out colorful anecdotes and stories about their 

careers. The shows also include performances of McPartland 

and the guest together. Taken as a whole, the series presents a 

formidable history of jazz. 

Her playing career has also included piano tours with such greats 

as Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Ellis Larkins, and Benny Carter. 

She has performed with symphony orchestras and at many of the 

major jazz festivals, and has received numerous awards, including a 

DownBeat Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

McPartland has received several honorary doctorates as well as a 

Grammy Trustee’s Award for lifetime achievement. She also authored 

The Artistry of Marian McPartland, a collection of transcriptions, 

and Marian McPartland’s Jazz World: All in Good Time, a collection 

of her jazz profiles. 

Best known as the host of the 

weekly national radio program 

Piano Jazz, Marian McPartland 

has helped to popularize jazz with her intricate 

knowledge and prowess on the piano. She has 

made the program one of the most popular in the 

history of public radio.

Born to a musical mother who played classical 

piano, she studied at the famed Guildhall School of Music 

in London. Her first professional activity was as part of a 

touring vaudeville act featuring four pianists. During World War II, 

she entertained the troops and while playing in Belgium met her late 

husband, cornetist Jimmy McPartland, whom she married in 1945. 

They relocated to the U.S. in 1946, whereupon she performed in 

his band in Chicago. She formed her first active trio in 1950 for an 

engagement at the Embers in New York. Two years later, she began 

what would be an eight-year residency at the Hickory House in New 

York with her trio.

In 1963, she worked with the Benny Goodman Sextet, and in 

1965 she began her radio career, at WBAI in New York. In 1970 

she started her own record company, Halcyon Records, one of the 

first jazz women to do so. In 1979, she began her weekly radio show 

Piano Jazz, which—after 30 years of continuous programming—

has become the longest-running syndicated National Public Radio 

0000

Photo by Melisa Goh

MARIAN

McPARTLAND

pianist broadcaster

Born March 20, 1918 in Slough, England

2000

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Jazz at the Hickory House

Jasmine, 1954

Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz with Guest 

Dave Brubeck

Jazz Alliance, 1984

Plays the Benny Carter Songbook

Concord, 1990

Just Friends

Concord, 1998

85 Candles—Live in New York

Concord, 2003 
92		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

CARMEN

McRAE

vocalist pianist

Born April 8, 1920 in New York, NY 

Died November 10, 1994 

Sarah Vaughan, whom she idolized and later 

paid homage on a recording. Her greatest idol 

was Billie Holiday, whom she feted on record

and in performances on many occasions. 

Although she admired these singers, she never 

resorted to sheer mimicry and developed her 

own original style. 

She recorded notably alongside Louis Armstrong 

on Dave Brubeck’s extended work The Real 

Ambassadors, a social commentary written with his wife Iola. 

She made several film and television appearances, and performed as 

an actress in the landmark television series Roots. In the late 1980s, 

she returned to her first love, recording a full album of Monk’s 

music with lyrics by Jon Hendricks, Abbey Lincoln, Mike Ferro, 

Sally Swisher, and Bernie Hanighen. The album became one of her 

signature recordings. 

McRae performed many times at the Monterey Jazz Festival, 

the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, and the Montreux 

Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where she shared the stage with Dizzy 

Gillespie and Phil Woods. She was forced to retire for health reasons 

in 1991. 

Tender and warm with a ballad, 

Carmen McRae was one of the great 

singers of jazz, finding the depth of 

feeling in the lyrics of the songs she interpreted. 

An accomplished pianist who in her early career 

accompanied herself, she occasionally returned to 

the piano later in her career.

McRae learned piano through private lessons and 

was discovered by Irene Wilson Kitchings, a musician 

and former wife of pianist Teddy Wilson. McRae sang with the 

Benny Carter, Count Basie, and Mercer Ellington big bands during 

the 1940s and made her recorded debut as Carmen Clarke while 

the wife of drummer Kenny Clarke. During the bebop revolution 

at Minton’s Playhouse, McRae was an intermission pianist. At the 

Playhouse is likely where she first heard Thelonious Monk’s music, 

which influenced her piano playing and musical sense. In the early 

1950s, she worked with the Mat Mathews Quintet. She signed her first 

significant recording contract with Decca in 1954.

Working as a soloist, she gained wide recognition and was often 

seen in the pantheon of jazz singers that included Ella Fitzgerald and 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Carmen McRae Sings 

Great American Songwriters

GRP/DECCA, 1955-59

Sings Lover Man & Other

 Billie Holiday Classics

Columbia, 1961

At the Great American Music Hall

blue note, 1976

Carmen Sings Monk

Novus, 1988

Sarah—Dedicated to You 

Novus, 1990

1994
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 93

blues singer Walter Brown. McShann’s first 

New York appearance, at the Savoy Ballroom, 

came in February 1942. His band during the 

height of his popularity included such notables 

as Parker, bassist Gene Ramey, drummer Gus 

Johnson, and saxophonists Paul Quinichette 

and Jimmy Forrest, all of whom McShann used 

brilliantly as soloists. Following service in the Army, 

McShann reformed his band, which played New York 

spots and traveled west to California. Towards the end 

of the 1940s, McShann’s small band fronted blues singer Jimmy 

Witherspoon. 

In the early 1950s, McShann moved his home base back to 

Kansas City. In the 1970s and 1980s, McShann experienced a bit of a 

renaissance, with increased recording and performing opportunities, 

often with Kansas City violinist Claude “Fiddler” Williams. 

A biographical film, Hootie’s Blues, was made in 1978, and he was 

featured in The Last of the Blue Devils, a film about Kansas City jazz 

shot between 1974 and 1979. In addition, he was one of the featured 

players in Clint Eastwood’s documentary Piano Blues (2003). 

For better or worse, Jay 

McShann was tied to the legend of 

Charlie Parker. Parker’s first real 

professional work was with McShann’s Kansas 

City band, and McShann was credited with 

helping Parker to hone his talents. Arguably more 

important, McShann—along with Andy Kirk’s 

Clouds of Joy, the Bennie Moten Orchestra, and the 

great Count Basie bands—shaped and developed the 

Kansas City swing sound that was so popular in the 1930s and 

1940s. 

Known in jazz circles as “Hootie,” McShann is for the most part 

a self-taught artist, though he did attend Tuskegee Institute. He 

developed a piano style that drew heavily on blues and boogie woogie. 

McShann’s earliest professional job came with tenor saxophonist Don 

Byas in 1931. Following his days at Tuskegee, McShann played in 

bands in Oklahoma and Arkansas prior to joining a trio with bassist 

Oliver Todd and drummer Elmer Hopkins in late 1936 in Kansas City.

In subsequent months, he worked with alto saxophonist Buster 

Smith and trumpeter Dee Stewart before forming a sextet in 1937. In 

late 1939, McShann put together his first big band. His recording career 

commenced in 1941 with the Decca label, records that often featured 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

JAY

McSHANN

pianist vocalist bandleader

Born January 12, 1916 in Muskogee, OK 

Died December 7, 2006 

1987

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Blues from Kansas City 

MCA, 1941-43

1944-46

Classics, 1944-46

Vine Street Boogie

Black Lion, 1974

A Tribute to Charlie Parker

Music Masters, 1989

Hootie!

Chiaroscuro, 1997
94		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Vance Jacobs

JAMES

MOODY

saxophonist flutist vocalist educator

Born March 26, 1925 in Savannah, GA

Died December 9, 2010

for the song by singing his famous solo.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, he led 

his own bands, and worked alongside other 

saxophonists, notably Gene Ammons and 

Sonny Stitt, with whom he co-led a three-tenor 

sax band. In 1963 he returned to the Dizzy 

Gillespie small group, where he largely remained 

until 1971. In 1975, he moved to Las Vegas and 

worked numerous hotel and casino shows with singers 

and comics, picking up the clarinet along the way. In 1979, he 

left Las Vegas and moved back to New York to lead his own quintet.

Then in 1989 he moved to San Diego, working as a consummate 

soloist and member of all-star touring units. In the 1990s, he 

teamed up again with his lifelong friend Dizzy Gillespie to tour 

Europe and the United States as a member of the United Nations 

Orchestra. He continually experimented with his music, sometimes 

including synthesizers and strings on his recordings. Demand for his 

musicianship extended to college and university campuses for master 

classes, workshops, and lectures, and he received honorary doctoral 

degrees from the Florida Memorial College and the Berklee College of 

Music. In 1997, he played an acting role in the Clint Eastwood film 

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In 2010, he was honored 

with the Jazz Journalists Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz. 

One of the champions of Dizzy 

Gillespie’s music, James Moody 

was an accomplished musician on 

the tenor and alto saxophones, as well as 

the flute, despite being born partially deaf. In 

addition to his instrumental prowess, Moody was 

an engaging entertainer, captivating audiences with 

his personal charm and wit.

Although born in Savannah, he was raised in Newark, 

New Jersey. His interest in jazz was sparked by a trumpetplaying father who gigged in the Tiny Bradshaw band, and he took up 

the alto sax, a gift from his uncle, at the age of 16. His first musical 

training came in the Air Force, and after leaving the service in 1946 

he joined the Dizzy Gillespie big band, staying until 1948. Gillespie 

became his musical mentor. In 1949, he moved to Paris for three 

years, often playing with visiting American musicians, including the 

Tadd Dameron- Miles Davis band.

In Sweden he recorded his famous improvisation on “I’m in the 

Mood For Love” in 1949, playing on an alto saxophone instead of his 

usual tenor. His solo was later set to lyrics by Eddie Jefferson and 

recorded by King Pleasure, known as “Moody’s Mood for Love,” 

becoming a surprise hit in 1952. Throughout the rest of his career, 

Moody was more known for the vocal version of the song based on 

his solo than for the instrumental version itself, and obliged requests 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

James Moody and

His Swedish Crowns

Dragon, 1949

Last Train from Overbrook 

GRP/Chess, 1954-55

Moody’s Party

Telarc, 1995

Moody Plays Mancini

Warner Brothers, 1997

James Moody and Hank Jones, 

Our Delight

IPO, 2008

1998
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 95

Morgenstern has taught jazz history at 

the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins 

University, Brooklyn College (where he 

was also a visiting professor at the Institute 

for Studies in American Music), New York 

University, and the Schweitzer Institute of 

Music in Idaho. He served on the faculties of 

the Institutes in Jazz Criticism, jointly sponsored 

by the Smithsonian Institution and the Music Critics 

Association, and is on the faculty of the Masters Program in 

Jazz History and Research at Rutgers University. 

Morgenstern is a former vice president and trustee of the National 

Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; was a co-founder of the 

Jazz Institute of Chicago; served on the boards of the New York Jazz 

Museum and the American Jazz Orchestra; and is a director of the 

Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and the Mary Lou Williams 

Foundation. He has been a member of Denmark’s International 

JAZZPAR Prize Committee since its inception in 1989. 

A prolific annotator of record albums, Morgenstern has won seven 

Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes (1973, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1991, 

1995, 2006, and 2009). He received ASCAP’s Deems Taylor Award for 

Jazz People in 1977 and in 2005 for Living with Jazz.

Director of the Institute of Jazz 

Studies at Rutgers University since 

1976, Dan Morgenstern is a jazz 

historian and archivist, author, editor, and 

educator who has been active in the jazz field 

since 1958. The Institute of Jazz Studies is the 

largest collection of jazz-related materials anywhere. 

Born in Germany and reared in Austria and 

Denmark, Morgenstern came to the United States in 

1947. He was chief editor of DownBeat from 1967 to 1973, 

and served as New York editor from 1964; prior to that time he edited 

the periodicals Metronome and Jazz. Morgenstern is co-editor of the 

Annual Review Of Jazz Studies and the monograph series Studies In 

Jazz, published jointly by the IJS and Scarecrow Press, and author 

of Jazz People. He has been jazz critic for the New York Post, record 

reviewer for the Chicago Sun Times, and New York correspondent 

and columnist for England’s Jazz Journal and Japan’s Swing 

Journal. He has contributed to reference works including the New 

Grove Dictionary of Jazz, Dictionary of American Music, AfricanAmerican Almanac, and Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year; 

and to such anthologies as Reading Jazz, Setting The Tempo, The 

Louis Armstrong Companion, The Duke Ellington Reader, The Miles 

Davis Companion, and The Lester Young Reader. 

0000

Photo by Tom Pich

DAN

MORGENSTERN

JAZZ HISTORIAN ARCHIVIST AUTHOR 

EDITOR EDUCATOR 

Born October 24, 1929 in Munich, Germany

2007

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jazz People

H.N. Abrams, 1976 (reprinted 

by Da Capo Press, 1993)

Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy 

(with Donald Bogle, Richard A. Long, and 

Marc H. Miller)

University of Washington Press, 1994

Living with Jazz: A Reader, 

ed. Sheldon Meyer

Pantheon, 2004

A.B. Spellman NEA JAZZ MASTERS Award FOR JAZZ ADVOCACY
96		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Ray Avery /CTSIMAGES

ANITA

O’DAY

VOCALIST

Born October 18, 1919 in Chicago, IL

Died November 23, 2006 

albums for the Verve label, demonstrating the 

power of her vocals. 

In 1958 her appearance at the Newport 

Jazz Festival, replete with characteristic big 

hat, caused a sensation. She provided one of the 

highlights of the subsequent film of the festival, 

Jazz on a Summer’s Day. From that point on 

she worked mainly on the club circuit with her own 

groups.

Always a hit in Japan, she made her first tour there in 

1964, returning on several occasions. Frustrated with record label 

indifference to her artistry, she developed her own record labels. In 

the 1980s and 1990s, she continued to work the club and jazz festival 

circuits, including a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1985 to celebrate her 

50 years in jazz and notable performances at the Vine Street Bar & 

Grill in Los Angeles in 1992.

A documentary about the singer’s life, Anita O’Day: The Life of a 

Jazz Singer, won a 2008 Satellite Award from the International Press 

Academy.

Anita O’Day’s unique sound and 

swinging rhythmic sense put her in 

the upper echelon of jazz singers, 

as skillful with ballads as with scatting and 

liberal interpretations of standard songs. Her 

career spanned the late swing and bebop eras, 

inspiring many singers who followed her, such as 

June Christy, Chris Connor, and Helen Merrill. She 

began her performing career as a ballroom dance contest 

winner in the 1930s, which is when she adopted the stage 

name O’Day. At 19, she began singing professionally in clubs around 

Chicago. 

In 1941 she joined Gene Krupa’s big band, recording a memorable 

duet with Roy Eldridge on “Let Me Off Uptown,” one of the first 

interracial vocal duets on record. She also may have been the first 

feminist big band singer, refusing to appear in the standard gown and 

gloves, instead opting for a band jacket and short skirt. She stayed 

with the Krupa band until 1943. In 1944 she joined Stan Kenton’s 

band. She then re-joined Krupa in 1945, remaining there until 1946, 

when she began a solo career. In the mid-1950s she made a few notable 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Complete Recordings, 

1949-50 

Baldwin Street Music, 1949-50

Swings Cole Porter with Billy May 

Verve, 1952-59

Anita Sings the Winners 

Verve, 1956-62

Anita Sings the Most

Verve, 1957

Rules of the Road

Pablo, 1993

1997
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 97

also included saxophonists Harold Land and 

Sonny Rollins. 

In the late 1950s, Roach began adding 

political commentary to his recordings, starting 

with Deeds Not Words, but coming into sharper 

focus with We Insist! Freedom Now Suite in 1960, 

on which he collaborated with singer-lyricist Oscar 

Brown, Jr. From then on he became an eloquent 

spokesman in the area of racial and political justice.

Roach continued to experiment with his sound, eschewing 

the use of the piano or other chording instruments in his bands for 

the most part from the late 1960s on. His thirst for experimentation 

led to collaborations with seemingly disparate artists, including duets 

with saxophonist Anthony Braxton and pianist Cecil Taylor, as well 

as partnerships with pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and saxophonist Archie 

Shepp.

As a drum soloist he had few peers in terms of innovations, 

stemming from his deeply personal sound and approach. His 

proclivities in the area of multiethnic percussion flowered with his 

intermittent percussion ensemble M’Boom, founded in 1970. A broadbased percussionist who was a pioneer in establishing a fixed pulse 

on the ride cymbal instead of the bass drum, Roach also collaborated 

with voice, string, and brass ensembles, lectured on college campuses 

extensively, and composed music for dance, theater, film, and 

television. 

Max Roach was one of the 

two leading drummers of the 

bebop era (along with Kenny 

Clarke) and was one of the leading musicians, 

composers, and bandleaders in jazz since the 

1940s. His often biting political commentary 

and strong intellect, not to mention his rhythmic 

innovations, kept him at the vanguard of jazz for more 

than 50 years.

Roach grew up in a household where gospel music was quite 

prominent. His mother was a gospel singer and he began drumming in 

a gospel ensemble at age 10. Roach’s formal study of music took him to 

the Manhattan School of Music. In 1942, he became house drummer at 

Monroe’s Uptown House, enabling him to play and interact with some 

of the giants of the bebop era, such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, 

Thelonious Monk, and Bud Powell. Roach would later record with 

Parker, Gillespie, Powell, and bassist Charles Mingus at the historic 

Massey Hall concert in 1953.

Throughout the 1940s, Roach continued to branch out in his 

playing, drumming with Benny Carter, Stan Getz, Allen Eager, and 

Miles Davis. In 1952, he and Mingus collaborated to create their own 

record label, Debut Records. In 1954, Roach began a short-lived but 

crucial band with incendiary trumpeter Clifford Brown. This historic 

band, which ended abruptly with Brown’s tragic death in 1956, 

0000

Photo by Michael Wilderman

MAX

ROACH

drummer composer bandleader

Born January 10, 1924 in New Land, NC 

Died August 16, 2007 

1984

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Clifford Brown and Max Roach, 

At Basin Steet

EmArcy, 1956

We Insist! Freedom Now Suite

Candid, 1960

M’Boom

Columbia, 1979

To The Max

Rhino, 1990-91

Explorations to the Mth Degree

Slam, 1994
98		 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

SONNY

ROLLINS

saxophonist composer

Born September 7, 1930 in New York, NY

included an encounter with John Coltrane; 

Saxophone Colossus, a sparkling album that 

introduced his most noted composition, “St. 

Thomas,” which honored his parents’ Virgin 

Islands roots; and Way Out West, which took 

seemingly mundane songs like “I’m an Old 

Cowhand” and spun them out with extraordinary 

improvisations. 

By 1959, Rollins had grown impatient with the vagaries 

of the jazz scene and took a hiatus. He would often practice his 

horn deep into the night on the upper reaches of the Williamsburg 

Bridge, which crosses the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn. In 

1961 he returned to the scene, refreshed and playing better than ever. 

He made a series of recordings for the RCA label with musicians such as 

Jim Hall, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins, and Herbie Hancock, and also 

began his long-term employment of bassist Bob Cranshaw. 

In London in 1966, he composed and recorded a soundtrack 

album for the film Alfie for the Impulse! label, which brought him 

some popularity beyond jazz audiences. By 1968 Rollins again 

required a break from the scene, returning in 1971. He has been 

playing and growing ever since, working almost exclusively on concert 

stages. Rollins’ recordings have continued to reflect his interest in 

Caribbean rhythms, particularly the calypso. In 2010, he was elected 

a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

With more than 50 years 

in jazz, Theodore “Sonny” 

Rollins’ towering achievements 

on the tenor saxophone are many, and he 

continues to be one of the most exciting and 

fiery players in concert. Inspired by the example 

of his brother’s pursuit of music, Rollins began 

piano lessons at age nine. At 14 he picked up the alto 

saxophone, and switched to the tenor two years later. 

Soon he was playing dances in a band of youngsters in his New 

York community, which included Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew, and 

Art Taylor. Rollins’ first recording was made alongside the bop singer 

Babs Gonzales in 1949. Later that year he played at sessions with 

J.J. Johnson and Bud Powell, recording his song “Audubon” with 

Johnson.

In the 1950s, Rollins began by serving as a sideman on sessions 

with Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Farmer, and the Modern 

Jazz Quartet. In late 1955, while living in Chicago, he began one of 

his most fruitful band affiliations when he stood in for Harold Land in 

the superb Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet at the Bee Hive club. 

He remained a regular member until Brown’s tragic June 1956 death 

from an auto accident. 

Rollins continued to record, mainly for Prestige, where his output 

was some of the finest music recorded in the mid-1950s on any label. 

Among the highlights during this period were Tenor Madness, which 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

A Night at the Village Vanguard 

Blue Note, 1957

The Complete RCA Victor Recordings

RCA Victor, 1962–64

Silver City

Milestone, 1972-95

Road Shows, Vol. 1

EmArcy, 1980–2007 

Without A Song: The 9/11 Concert

Milestone, 2001

1983
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 99

teamed up with vocalists Dave Lambert and 

Jon Hendricks on an album of Count Basie

solos transposed for vocals. That was the 

beginning of the group Lambert, Hendricks 

& Ross.

Between 1957 and 1962, the group recorded 

seven albums, including the one that put them 

in the spotlight: Sing A Song Of Basie (1957). 

They toured all over the world and also appear 

in Dave Brubeck’s musical theater piece The Real 

Ambassadors (1961). Ross left the group in 1962 and two 

years later she opened her own London nightclub called Annie’s 

Room; a compilation of her 1965 performances there was released on 

Live in London (2006).

Ross also is an accomplished actress and has appeared in a number 

of films, such as Superman III (1983), Throw Mama from the Train 

(1987), Pump Up the Volume (1990), and Blue Sky (1994). Her most 

notable film role was as the jazz singer Tess Trainer in Robert Altman’s 

Short Cuts (1993), in which she also sang. On stage, Ross appeared in 

Cranks (1955) in both London and New York, The Threepenny Opera 

(1972) with Vanessa Redgrave, and in the Joe Papp production of The 

Pirates Of Penzance (1982) with Tim Curry.

Ross resides in New York City where she still performs regularly.

As part of the vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Annie Ross 

was one of the early practitioners 

of a singing style known as “vocalese,” which 

involves the setting of original lyrics to an 

instrumental jazz solo. She has been equally at 

home in the acting field, appearing in numerous 

films. 

Ross was born in England, but raised in Los 

Angeles. She landed a role in the Our Gang film series 

at the age of eight, singing a musical number on the show. 

Returning to Europe, she began her singing career, working 

with musicians such as James Moody, Kenny Clarke, and Coleman 

Hawkins. 

Ross returned to the United States in 1952, settling in New York 

City, and soon recorded Singin’ and Swingin’ with members of the 

Modern Jazz Quartet. Later that year she recorded an album with 

vocalist King Pleasure, including the classic example of vocalese, 

“Twisted,” which featured her treatment of saxophonist Wardell 

Gray’s solo. It is perhaps her most famous song and has been 

recorded by Joni Mitchell, Bette Midler, and many others. 

In 1953, Ross toured Europe with Lionel Hampton’s band, 

which included Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, and Quincy Jones. 

After several years in Europe, she returned to the States where she 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

ANNIE

ROSS

VOCALIST LYRICIST

Born July 25, 1930 in Surrey, England 

2010

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, 

Twisted: The Best of Lambert, 

Hendricks & Ross

Rhino, 1957-61

Sings a Song with Mulligan!

EMI, 1958

Sings a Handful of Songs

Fresh Sound, 1963

Music is Forever

DRG, 1995

Let Me Sing

Consolidated Artists 

Productions, 2005
100	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

perhaps the first major contribution by a 

jazz musician to the field of musical theory. 

Russell’s continued refinement and study of 

this concept eventually led him to academia.

During 1958-59, he taught at the Lenox School 

of Jazz. In the meantime, his theories on modes 

influenced Miles Davis and Bill Evans (who 

studied with Russell), leading to the creation of 

Davis’ masterpiece, Kind of Blue. In the early 1960s, 

Russell led several small groups, which included musicians 

such as Eric Dolphy and David Baker, and made some significant 

recordings before moving to Scandinavia. There he continued to refine 

his theories and work with Scandinavian musicians, among them Jan 

Garbarek and Terje Rypdal, before returning to the U.S. in 1969. 

That year he took a teaching position at New England Conservatory 

of Music at the invitation of then president Gunther Schuller. In the 

late 1970s, Russell formed big bands to play his music, creating his 

Living Time Orchestra in 1978. The orchestra made frequent tours of 

Europe, including residencies at the Perugia Jazz Festival. 

In addition to teaching and lecturing at other conservatories and 

universities, Russell was the recipient of numerous awards, honors, 

and grants, including a MacArthur award, two Guggenheim fellowships, 

and election to the Royal Swedish Academy. In 1969, he received the 

first NEA grant in the area of jazz. Russell published the revised and 

expanded edition of his Lydian Chromatic Concept in 2001.

George Russell was first and 

foremost a composer rather than 

an instrumentalist, and was one of 

the most important jazz theorists of the latter 

half of the 20th century. He first expressed 

himself musically on the drums in the drum and 

bugle corps. After high school, Russell attended 

Wilberforce University, where he found gigs playing 

drums at local clubs. Russell’s study of composing and 

arranging increased while he was bedridden with a case of 

tuberculosis at 19. It was during this time that he began formulating 

his unprecedented musical theorems.

While his first arrangements were for the A.B. Townsend Orchestra, 

a Cincinnati dance band, Russell’s initial major band affiliation was as 

a drummer with Benny Carter. Later he found work arranging with 

the Earl Hines band. His first major score was “Cubano Be, Cubano 

Bop,” an Afro-Cuban piece written for the Dizzy Gillespie big band. 

Russell followed that with charts for Lee Konitz (“Ezz-thetic” and 

“Odjenar”) and Buddy DeFranco (“A Bird in Igor’s Yard”). He 

continued his advanced composition study with Stefan Wolpe. His 

theory, The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, was 

eventually published in book form in the mid-1950s. Russell’s concept 

involves a composition system based on using the Lydian scale, rather 

than the major scale, as the basis for analysis and composition. 

Music theoreticians hailed this as a breakthrough, and it was 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

GEORGE

RUSSELL

Composer Arranger Theoretician educator

Pianist Drummer 

Born June 23, 1923 in Cincinnati, OH 

Died July 27, 2009 

1990

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Jazz Workshop

RCA Victor, 1956

New York, NY

Impulse!, 1958

Ezz-Thetics

Original Jazz Classics, 1961

The African Game

Blue Note, 1983

The 80th Birthday Concert

Concept, 2003
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 101

Photo by Tom Pich

GUNTHER

SCHULLER

Author Composer Arranger Conductor 

Educator French Horn Player

Born November 22, 1925 in New York, NY

effort to fuse the two primary streams of 

music, jazz and classical, into a new hybrid—

of which John Lewis was one of the main 

practitioners. Schuller also was an early 

admirer of Charles Mingus’ music—so much so 

that when a 19-movement score was discovered 

of an unproduced Mingus work, Epitaph, Schuller 

was asked to conduct the orchestra for the premiere 

at Lincoln Center in 1989 (produced with NEA support). 

In 1975, he started recording and publishing businesses 

that focused on, among other genres, the compositions of Duke 

Ellington. He sold the two publishing companies in 2000 to G. 

Schirmer, Inc., but still retains the record company GM Recordings. 

Schuller also served as editor-in-chief of the Smithsonian Jazz 

Masterworks Editions. 

Schuller’s jazz writings include Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical 

Development (1968), considered one of the seminal books on the 

history of jazz, and The Swing Era (1989), the second volume of a 

planned three-volume history of jazz. 

Schuller has written more than 180 compositions in a wide range 

of styles and has won many awards for his work, including the 1994 

Pulitzer Prize in music for Of Reminiscences and Reflections. Schuller 

also is a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (1991).

Recognized as a renaissance 

man of music, Gunther Schuller 

is a leader in both the classical 

and jazz traditions, contributing significant 

musical compositions and writings to expand 

jazz’s horizons.

Schuller was born in 1925 in New York City. 

At age 17, he joined the Cincinnati Symphony as 

principal horn. Two years later, he joined the orchestra of 

the Metropolitan Opera while also becoming actively involved 

in the New York bebop scene, performing and recording with such 

jazz greats as Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Dizzy 

Gillespie, John Lewis, and Charles Mingus. 

When he was 25, Schuller took a teaching position at the 

Manhattan School of Music, beginning a long and distinguished 

teaching career that includes his tenure as co-director, along with 

David Baker, of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and 

professor of composition of music at Yale. In the late 1950s, he 

taught at the legendary Lenox School of Jazz. From 1967 to 1977, 

he was president of the New England Conservatory of Music where 

early in his tenure he established a jazz department offering both 

undergraduate and graduate degree programs. He was artistic 

director of Tanglewood Berkshire Music Center from 1970 to 1985.

Schuller is a proponent of what he called the Third Stream—an 

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Early Jazz: Its Roots and 

Musical Development

Oxford University Press, 1968

The Swing Era: The Development 

of Jazz, 1930-45

Oxford University Press, 1989

Musings: The Musical Worlds 

of Gunther Schuller

Oxford University Press, 1989

2008 A.b. Spellman JAZZ MASTERS Award FOR JAZZ ADVOCACY
102	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

working for a time as a hotel shipping clerk 

and as a caretaker for his ailing father. He 

returned to the stage in 1985 and began 

recording again in 1990, and his career took 

off again two years later when Seymour Stein 

heard him perform at songwriter Doc Pomus’s 

funeral and signed him to the Warner Brothers 

Sire label. His resurgence in the public eye included 

appearances on Lou Reed’s 1992 recording Magic and 

Loss and in an episode of David Lynch’s 1990s television series 

Twin Peaks. 

Scott joined Milestone Records in 2000.He sang new interpretations 

of “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” and “When Did You Leave 

Heaven?” on the Milestone CD Over the Rainbow, released in 2001, 

on which he returned the compliment Billie Holiday had paid him by 

performing his own distinctive version of one of her signature songs, 

“Strange Fruit.” 

Scott’s new fans have rediscovered his original hit recordings of 

the 1950s on such collections as the three-CD box set The Savoy Years 

and More released in 1999, which included his 1952 recordings for 

Roost Records and his 1955-72 recordings for Savoy. He continues to 

record and perform frequently. 

For more than five decades, 

vocalist Jimmy Scott has numbered 

among the jazz world’s best singers 

with his select group of fans. No less an 

authority than Billie Holiday named Scott—

and only Scott—as a vocalist she admired. 

Although he was, for a period, “perhaps the most 

unjustly ignored American singer of the 20th century” 

(according to Joseph Hooper in a New York Times 

Magazine profile), Scott today is once more finding a dedicated 

international audience for his emotionally penetrating art. 

James Victor Scott was born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, and as 

a child was diagnosed with Kallmann syndrome, a rare condition 

that prevented him from experiencing puberty—therefore his voice 

never changed, giving his singing an almost otherworldly sound. 

He got his first big break in 1949 when Lionel Hampton hired 

him and billed him as “Little Jimmy Scott.” As featured vocalist 

with the Hampton big band, Scott achieved fame in 1950 with 

the ballad “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” His success continued 

throughout the next decade, notably with his hit recording in 1955 

of the old Bing Crosby favorite “When Did You Leave Heaven?,” 

a song that he made his own. 

Scott subsequently spent long periods away from the microphone, 

0000

Photo by Michael Wilderman

JIMMY

SCOTT

VOCALIST

Born July 17, 1925 in Cleveland, OH

2007

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Savoy Years and More

Savoy, 1952-72

Falling in Love is Wonderful

Rhino, 1962

All the Way

Sire, 1992

Holding Back the Years

Artists Only, 1998

Over the Rainbow

Milestone, 2000
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 103

Photo courtesy of Ray Avery Photo Archives/CTSIMAGES

ARTIE

SHAW

BANDLEADER CLARINETIST COMPOSER ARRANGER

Born May 23, 1910 in New York, NY 

Died December 30, 2004 

trombone, saxophone, and a singer, signed a 

recording contract, and led his first orchestra 

into New York’s Lexington Hotel. During 

1938, with a more conventional swing band 

line-up (which briefly included Billie Holiday 

as vocalist), he recorded Cole Porter’s “Begin 

the Beguine,” which propelled him to the forefront 

of big band leaders.

After the United States entered World War II, 

Shaw enlisted in the Navy and was soon leading a service 

band throughout the Pacific war zone. Upon returning stateside, 

he organized a new band in 1944, with which he toured and made 

recordings that included the classic “Little Jazz,” featuring Roy

Eldridge on trumpet. Over the next 10 years, Shaw worked in 

Hollywood, toured extensively (including appearances at Carnegie 

Hall and a performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Leonard 

Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic), and continued to record, 

both with his big bands and with a small group named Gramercy Five.

Although he retired from music in 1954, Artie Shaw continued to 

enjoy popularity through his recordings and also through a big band 

fronted by Dick Johnson bearing Artie Shaw’s name. The library of 

the University of Arizona holds his collection of scores.

I mmensely popular and startlingly 

innovative, Artie Shaw rose to 

prominence in the 1930s as a swing 

bandleader, master clarinetist, and boundarycrossing artist, who infused jazz with the 

influences of modern European composers.

Born in 1910, he left New Haven, Connecticut, 

at age 15 to tour as a jazz musician. Though based 

in Cleveland, where he wrote his first arrangements for 

bandleader Austin Wylie, he later made important road trips 

with Irving Aaronson’s band. The band took him to Chicago, where 

he played in jam sessions and first heard recordings by Stravinsky 

and Debussy. Next, in 1929, the Aaronson band brought him to New 

York, where he played in Harlem jam sessions and came under the 

influence of Willie “The Lion” Smith. He decided to stay on and at age 

21 became one of New York’s most successful reed players for radio 

and recording sessions.

He made his breakthrough in his first appearance as a bandleader 

at a 1936 swing concert at Broadway’s Imperial Theater. To fill a spot 

between headliners, he performed his chamber composition Interlude 

in B Flat––scored for string quartet, three rhythm instruments, and 

clarinet––which created a sensation. He then added two trumpets, 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Self Portrait

Bluebird/RCA, 1936-54

Begin the Beguine

Bluebird/RCA, 1938-41

The Complete Gramercy Five Sessions

Bluebird/RCA, 1940-45

Artie Shaw at the Hollywood Palladium

HEP, 1941

The Last Recordings: 

Rare and Unreleased

Music Masters, 1954

2005
104	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

“ESP,” “Paraphernalia,” and “Sanctuary.” 

He also developed his sound, a mixture 

of technique and emotion, able to find the 

appropriate mood in his playing to fit the song. 

During the latter stages of his Davis tenure, he 

took up the soprano saxophone, which thereafter 

often became his principal horn.

In 1971 he and pianist Joe Zawinul, who also 

had been part of Davis’ recording sessions in the late1960s to early-1970s, formed one of the pioneering jazz fusion 

bands, Weather Report. The band stayed together for 15 years through 

several different permutations, engaging electronics and numerous 

ethnic influences and furthering Shorter’s reputation as a composer. The 

band scored a major hit, “Birdland,” in 1977 on their bestselling record, 

Heavy Weather.

After the breakup of Weather Report, Shorter made occasional 

recordings and tours, continuing to write intriguing music based on the 

influences from other musical cultures. He is a major influence on the 

generations of musicians who have entered the scene since the 1970s. 

In 2001, he began touring and releasing recordings with a new quartet 

comprising Danilo Pérez on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and Brian 

Blade on drums. Shorter, who originally studied as a visual artist, 

continues to pursue the visual arts as well as music. 

E qually renowned for his 

compositions as for his saxophone 

playing, Wayne Shorter has 

contributed many songs to the jazz canon while 

participating in some of the major changes in 

jazz music over the last 40 years, and has received 

nine Grammy Awards for his recordings. 

Shorter’s musical pursuits started on the clarinet, 

at age 16, evolving to the tenor saxophone soon thereafter. 

Shorter majored in music education at New York University 

from 1956-58, working for a short while with Horace Silver in 1956. 

After serving in the Army, he joined Maynard Ferguson’s band 

for a couple of months in 1959, followed by one of his most fruitful 

jobs: playing with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He remained in 

the Messengers until 1964, establishing himself as both composer 

and saxophonist, and began making his own records, first for Vee 

Jay, then for the Blue Note label. His three releases for Blue Note in 

1964, Night Dreamer, Juju, and Speak No Evil, are considered the 

quintessential Blue Note sound: sophisticated structures and rhythms, 

strong melodies, and exceptional playing. 

He left Blakey in 1964 to assume another productive affiliation with 

the Miles Davis Quintet, where he remained until 1970. While with 

Davis, he further solidified his position as one of the most intriguing 

composers of his time, contributing tunes such as “Nefertiti,” “Fall,” 

0000

Photo by Michael Wilderman

WAYNE

SHORTER

saxophonIST composer

Born August 25, 1933 in Newark, NJ

1998

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Speak No Evil

Blue Note, 1964

Miles Davis, Miles Smiles

Columbia, 1966

Weather Report, Live in Tokyo 

Columbia, 1972

Herbie Hancock/Wayne Sh orter , 1+1 

Verve, 1997

Beyond the Sound Barrier

Verve, 2002–04
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 105

Photo by Lee Tanner

HORACE

SILVER

pianIST composer

Born September 2, 1928 in Norwalk, CT

with Coleman Hawkins, Bill Harris, Oscar 

Pettiford, Lester Young, and Art Blakey. In 

1952, as a result of a Lou Donaldson record 

session, he began what became a 28-year 

relationship with the Blue Note label. Between 

1953-55 he played in the groundbreaking band 

the Jazz Messengers, co-led by Blakey. The band 

was at the forefront of the hard bop movement that 

followed bebop. By 1956, Silver formed his own band 

and Blakey maintained the Jazz Messengers name as his own. 

Both Silver’s band and the Jazz Messengers turned out to be proving 

grounds for a number of exceptional, aspiring musicians. Among 

those who passed through his band were Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, 

Joe Henderson, Blue Mitchell, Charles Tolliver, Stanley Turrentine, 

Woody Shaw, and Randy and Michael Brecker. Silver’s terse, funky 

playing has influenced pianists as disparate as Herbie Hancock and 

Cecil Taylor. For several years in the 1980s, he recorded on his 

own Silveto label, writing lyrics to his compositions with a decidedly 

metaphysical bent. In the 1990s, he returned to the hard bop sound 

he helped create. His autobiography, Let’s Get to the Nitty Gritty, was 

published in 2006.

Horace Silver was the heart of 

the hard bop era, helping to form 

the influential Jazz Messengers 

and composing many blues and gospel-flavored 

songs that have become part of the jazz canon, 

including “Lonely Woman,” “Song For My 

Father,” “Señor Blues,” “The Preacher,” “Nica’s 

Dream,” and “Peace.” His piano playing is heavily 

rhythmic, driving his musical colleagues to greater heights 

in their solos.

Silver was exposed to music at an early age, hearing Cape Verde 

Islands folk music from his father. Silver later used the island 

rhythms and flavor to great effect on his 1960s albums Song For My 

Father and Cape Verdean Blues. He took up the saxophone and 

piano in high school, and was influenced early on by the blues of 

Memphis Slim, various boogie woogie piano players, and the bebop 

pianists Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. After a 1950 stint backing 

guest soloist Stan Getz on a gig in Hartford, Connecticut, Silver was 

enlisted by Getz to join him on tour for the next year. Getz recorded 

three of Silver’s earliest compositions, “Split Kick,” “Potter’s Luck,” 

and “Penny.”

In 1951, he moved to New York and quickly found work 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Horace Silver and 

the Jazz Messengers

Blue Note, 1954

Blowin’ the Blues Away

Blue Note, 1959

Song For My Father

Blue Note, 1964

Cape Verdean Blues

Blue Note, 1965

The Hardbop Grandpop

GRP, 1996

1995
106	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

debuted at Café Bohemia. His fame grew with 

his influential Blue Note recordings (1956-63), 

including brilliant collaborations with Kenny 

Burrell, Lou Donaldson, Jackie McLean, Wes 

Montgomery, Lee Morgan, Ike Quebec, and 

Stanley Turrentine. His appearances at Birdland 

and the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival solidified his 

international prominence as the first jazz organ star.

He toured extensively through the 1960s and 1970s 

and continued to release hit albums, this time on Verve (1963-

72), including several big band recordings with such stellar arrangers 

as Oliver Nelson and Lalo Schifrin. His reputation in the 1990s was 

enhanced by the sampling of his Verve work by rap group the Beastie 

Boys on the song “Root Down.” 

He recorded for the Blue Note and Milestone labels in the late 1980s 

through the 1990s, and in 2001 released his first new recording after a 

five-year layoff: Dot Com Blues, which featured guest appearances by 

Dr. John, Taj Mahal, Etta James, Keb’ Mo’, and B.B. King. 

Jimmy Smith personified the jazz 

organ revolution. He raised the 

organ—specifically the legendary 

Hammond B3, over which he reigned during 

the 1950s and 1960s—from a novelty instrument 

in jazz to primary status. Having first learned 

piano from his parents in his native Norristown, 

Pennsylvania, he was playing stride piano by 14 and 

performing with his father by the early 1940s. He joined 

the Navy at age 15 and after discharge attended the Hamilton 

School of Music (1948) and Ornstein’s School of Music (1949-50), 

where he studied bass and piano. He then switched to the Hammond 

organ, practicing in a warehouse for a year.

Inspired by the great horn players of the day—Don Byas, Arnett 

Cobb, Coleman Hawkins—as well as by pianists Art Tatum, Erroll 

Garner, and Bud Powell, he cut the tremolo off and began playing 

horn lines with his right hand. He also created a new organ registration 

to simulate Garner’s sound, establishing the standard for jazz 

organists who would follow.

Smith’s burgeoning reputation soon took him to New York, where he 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

JIMMY

SMITH

ORGANIST

Born December 8, 1928 in Norristown, PA 

Died February 8, 2005 

2005

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

A New Sound, A New Star: 

Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Vols. 1-2

Blue Note, 1956

The Sermon!

Blue Note, 1958

Root Down

Verve, 1972

Fourmost

Milestone, 1990

Dot Com Blues

Verve, 2000
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 107

Photo by Michael Wilderman

SUN

RA

bandleader keyboardist composer arranger 

Born May 22, 1914 in Birmingham, AL

Died May 30, 1993 

musicians, known as the Sun Palace. In 

March 1966, the band began one of its most 

significant residencies, playing every Monday 

night at Slug’s nightclub on New York’s Lower 

East Side. 

By the 1970s, the Sun Ra Arkestra and 

its various permutations began touring Europe 

extensively. His performances had by then expanded 

to include singers, dancers, martial arts practitioners, 

film, and colorful homemade costumes, becoming a true 

multimedia attraction. Their performances would often stretch on 

for hours, including hypnotic, chanting processionals through the 

audience. Sun Ra’s global following had become significant, though 

his recordings had become sporadic. His arrangements of his songs, 

however, were among the best in jazz. He made excellent use of his 

soloists, especially the great saxophone section: tenor John Gilmore, 

alto Marshall Allen, and baritone Pat Patrick, all of whom were with 

the Arkestra on and off for decades. 

An outsider who linked the African-American experience with 

ancient Egyptian mythology and outer space, Sun Ra was years 

ahead of all other avant-garde musicians in his experimentation 

with sound and instruments, a pioneer in group improvisations and 

the use of electric instruments in jazz. Since Sun Ra’s death, the 

Arkestra has continued to perform under the direction of Allen. 

Sun Ra was one of the most unusual 

musicians in the history of jazz, 

moving from Fletcher Henderson 

swing to free jazz with ease, sometimes in the 

same song. Portraying himself as a product of 

outer space, he “traveled the spaceways” with a 

colorful troupe of musicians, using a multitude of 

percussion and unusual instrumentation, from tree 

drum to celeste.

Sun Ra, who enjoyed cloaking his origins and development 

in mystery, is known to have studied piano early on with Lula 

Randolph in Washington, DC. His first noted professional job was 

during 1946-47 as pianist with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra 

at the Club DeLisa on the South Side of Chicago. In addition to 

playing piano in the band he also served as one of the staff arrangers. 

Finding his calling as an arranger, he put together a band to play his 

compositions. In the 1950s, he began issuing recordings of his unusual 

music on his Saturn label, becoming one of the first jazz musicians to 

record and sell his own albums. 

Sun Ra’s band became a central part of the early avant-garde 

jazz movement in Chicago, being one of the first jazz bands to 

employ electronic instruments (as early as 1956), including electric 

piano, clavioline, celeste, and synthesizers. In 1960, he moved his 

band to New York, where he established a communal home for his 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Singles

Evidence, 1954-82

Jazz in Silhouette

Evidence, 1958

The Heliocentric Worlds 

of Sun Ra, Vol. 1 & 2

ESP, 1965

Space is the Place

Evidence, 1972

Purple Night

A&M, 1989

1982
108	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

As a jazz educator, Taylor’s experience has 

been vast, starting with authoring a series of 

beginning piano primers. He was a founder of 

New York’s successful Jazzmobile community 

performance and school-without-walls, which 

debuted in 1965. He earned his doctorate in 

Music at the University of Massachusetts in 1975, 

with a dissertation on The History and Development 

of Jazz Piano: A New Perspective for Educators. 

Taylor has subsequently taught at Yale, Manhattan School of 

Music, Howard University, University of California, Fredonia State 

University, and C.W. Post College. His experience at the University of 

Massachusetts led to a lead faculty position at the university’s annual 

summer intensive program, Jazz in July.

As a composer he has written a number of commissioned works, 

his most well-known composition being “I Wish I Knew How It Would 

Feel To Be Free.” In the 1990s, Taylor became artistic director of the 

Jazz at the Kennedy Center program in Washington, DC, from which 

he launched his syndicated NPR radio series, Billy Taylor’s Jazz 

at the Kennedy Center. He is the recipient of two Peabody Awards, 

an Emmy, a Grammy, and a host of prestigious awards, such as the 

Tiffany Award, a DownBeat Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 

National Medal of Arts (1992). 

Although well respected for 

his tasteful, non-intrusive accompaniment as a sideman, Billy Taylor 

is known for his championing of jazz music, 

especially through his various broadcasting and 

educational ventures. 

After growing up in Washington, DC, and 

studying music at Virginia State College, where he 

earned a degree in Music in 1942, Taylor moved to New 

York. He spent the 1940s frequently playing the clubs on New 

York’s famed 52nd Street, performing with greats such as Charlie 

Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, Stuff Smith, Machito, Slam 

Stewart, and Don Redman. His adroit abilities enabled him to freely 

cross over from swing to the then-burgeoning modern jazz called 

bebop.

In the 1950s, he served as the ideal sideman, finding work with 

Roy Eldridge, Oscar Pettiford, and Lee Konitz while employed as 

house pianist at Birdland in 1951. Beginning in 1952 he became a 

bandleader, primarily heading trios with bass and drums. 

Taylor started in radio with a program in the 1960s on WLIB 

in New York. From 1969-72 he was house bandleader for the David 

Frost television show, and in the 1970s also served as host-director 

of the NPR syndicated Jazz Alive radio series. Since 1981, Taylor 

has profiled some of the biggest names in jazz as an interviewer and 

reporter for CBS television’s Sunday Morning program.

0000

Photo by Tom Pich

BILLY

TAYLOR

pianIST composer educator broadcaster

Born July 24, 1921 in Greenville, NC

1988

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Cross-Section

Original Jazz Classics, 1953-54

My Fair Lady Loves Jazz

Impulse!, 1965

White Nights and Jazz in Leningrad 

Taylor-Made Music, 1988

It’s a Matter of Pride

GRP, 1993

Live at the IAJE, New York

Soundpost, 2001
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 109

Photo by Michael Wilderman

CECIL

TAYLOR 

pianIST composer

Born March 15, 1929 in New York, NY

touring Scandinavian countries during the 

winter of 1962-63 with his trio, including 

Jimmy Lyons on alto saxophone, and Sunny 

Murray on drums. His approach had evolved 

to incorporate clusters and a dense rhythmic 

sensibility, coupled with a sheer physicality 

that often found him addressing the keyboard 

with open palms, elbows, and forearms. His solo 

piano recordings are some of the most challenging and 

rewarding to listen to in all of jazz.

His work as a pianist and composer gained much-needed 

momentum in the 1970s and beyond, as touring and recording 

opportunities increased, largely overseas, though finding regular 

work for his uncompromising style of music still remains a struggle. 

Throughout his career, he has worked with many important, likeminded musicians, including Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, Steve Lacy, 

Sam Rivers, Max Roach, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and a host 

of European and Scandinavian musicians. In 1979, he performed at 

the White House, and he has received numerous awards, including 

a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1973 and a MacArthur Foundation 

Fellowship in 1991. His influence on the avant-garde, especially of 

the 1960s and 1970s, in terms of performance and composition, is 

enormous. 

Cecil Taylor is one of the most 

uncompromisingly gifted pianists 

in jazz history, utilizing a nearly 

overwhelming orchestral facility on the piano. 

While his work has elicited controversy almost 

from the start, Taylor’s artistic vision has never 

swayed.

At his mother’s urging he began piano studies at 

age five. He later studied percussion, which undoubtedly 

influenced his highly percussive keyboard style. At age 23 he 

studied at the New England Conservatory, concentrating on piano 

and music theory. He immersed himself in 20th-century classical 

composers, including Stravinsky, and found sustenance for his jazz 

proclivities in the work of Lennie Tristano and Dave Brubeck. 

Later Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Horace Silver began 

to influence his playing. By 1956 he was working as a professional, 

taking a prolonged engagement at New York’s Five Spot Cafe, 

recording his first album, Jazz Advance, and making his Newport 

Jazz Festival debut.

Playing in this style—an aggressive near-assault on the piano, 

sometimes breaking keys and strings—presented challenges in terms 

of finding steady work. Taylor struggled to find gigs for most of the 

1950s and 1960s, despite being recognized by DownBeat magazine 

in its “New Star” poll category. He eventually found work overseas, 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Jazz Advance

Blue Note, 1956

3 Phasis

New World, 1978

For Olim

Soul Note, 1986

Alms/Tiegarten

FMP, 1988

Cecil Taylor and the It alian 

Instabile Or chestr a, The 

Owner of the River Bank 

Enja, 2000

1990
110	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

prominence through his popular “Mumbles” 

persona, his unique way of mumbling a scat 

vocal solo. He worked and recorded with 

artists such as J.J. Johnson, Oscar Peterson, 

and Ella Fitzgerald, then co-led a quintet with 

Bob Brookmeyer. Thereafter he led his own 

small and large bands, including his Big Bad Band, 

beginning in 1972. He also became part of Norman 

Granz’s traveling all-stars, Jazz at the Philharmonic. 

As a jazz educator he was one of the earliest active 

practitioners to take time off from the road to enter the classroom, 

conducting numerous clinics and jazz camps. This work culminated 

in his own music school at Teikyo Westmar University in Le Mars, 

Iowa. A distinctive stylist, he is also a consummate entertainer, often 

alternating trumpet and flugelhorn in a solo duel with himself in 

concerts. He continues to play in both the U.S. and Europe, recording 

and performing in a wide variety of settings, such as the One-on-One

recording of duets with 14 different pianists. Over the years, Terry has 

received numerous awards and honors, including a Grammy Award 

(and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010), the French 

Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a knighthood in Germany, 

and a star on St. Louis’ Walk of Fame. 

Clark Terry is the consummate 

freelance musician, able to add 

a distinctive element to whatever 

band or jam session of which he is a part. 

His exuberant, swinging horn playing was an 

important contribution to two of the greatest big 

bands in jazz, Count Basie’s and Duke Ellington’s. 

In addition, his use of the flugelhorn as an alternative 

to trumpet influenced Art Farmer and Miles Davis, 

among others. 

In high school, Terry took up the valve trombone, later playing the 

bugle with the Tom Powell Drum and Bugle Corps. Upon his discharge 

from the Navy in 1945, he found work with Lionel Hampton’s band. 

He rounded out the 1940s playing with bands led by Charlie Barnet, 

Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Charlie Ventura, and George Hudson. 

From 1948-51, Terry was a member of Basie’s big band and octet. 

Terry’s reputation grew with Ellington’s band, with whom he 

worked from 1951-59, often featured as a soloist on trumpet and 

flugelhorn. He also led his own recording dates during this time. After 

working with Quincy Jones in 1959-60, he found steady work as a 

freelance studio artist, eventually becoming a staff musician at NBC. 

As a member of the Tonight Show orchestra—one of the first AfricanAmerican musicians employed in a television house band—he came to 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

CLARK

TERRY

trumpetER flugelhorniST vocalIST educator

Born December 14, 1920 in St. Louis, MO

1991

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

In Orbit

Original Jazz Classics, 1958

Color Changes

Candid, 1960

The Clark Terry Spacemen

Chiaroscuro, 1976

One-on-One

Chesky Jazz, 2000

Live at Marihans

Chiaroscuro, 2004
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 111

Photo by Lee Tanner

TOOTS

THIELEMANS

Harmonica Player Gu itarist

Born April 29, 1922 in Brussels, Belgium

playing and recording with Ella Fitzgerald, 

Quincy Jones, Bill Evans, Paul Simon, 

Billy Joel, Astrud Gilberto, and Elis Regina, 

among others. He also made prominent 

appearances on movie soundtracks, notably on 

The Pawnbroker, Midnight Cowboy, and The 

Sugarland Express.

Thielemans has appeared as a leader of swing 

and bop quartets on recordings and at international 

festivals. At the Montreux International Jazz Festival, he 

recorded as a sideman with Oscar Peterson in 1975, then with Dizzy 

Gillespie in 1980. Thielemans’ two-volume Brasil Project was popular 

in the 1990s and featured top Brazilian musicians. 

A perennial winner of DownBeat readers and critics polls in the 

category “miscellaneous instruments,” Thielemans was called “one

of the greatest musicians of our time” by Quincy Jones in 1995. 

Thielemans has received many awards and titles, including the French

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and honorary doctorates from both 

universities in the city of Brussels. In 2001, Belguim’s King Albert II 

bestowed on him the title “Baron,” making him Baron Jean “Toots” 

Thielemans. 

Harmonica player, guitarist, 

and whistler Jean Baptiste 

“Toots” Thielemans has been 

credited by jazz aficionados as being among 

the greatest jazz harmonica players of the 20th 

century, improvising on an instrument more 

known in folk and blues music. Thielemans is 

known to audiences young and old, his harmonica 

heard on the Sesame Street theme and his whistling heard 

in an “Old Spice” commercial. 

Thielemans learned to play the accordion at the age of three, 

took up chromatic harmonica at 17, and taught himself to play 

the guitar. Influenced by Django Reinhardt and Charlie Parker, 

he became interested in jazz. In 1950, Thielemans toured Europe 

as a guitarist with the Benny Goodman Sextet. He immigrated to 

the United States in 1952, getting a chance to play with Charlie 

Parker’s All-Stars. His performance so impressed George Shearing 

that he invited Thielemans into his band, where he stayed until 1959. 

In 1961, Thielemans composed and recorded “Bluesette” using 

unison whistling and guitar, and ever since has been greatly in 

demand—particularly for his harmonica and his whistling—on 

pop records and as a jazz soloist. Thielemans began freelancing, 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Man Bites Harmonica

Riverside/OJC, 1957-58

Do Not Leave Me

Vintage Jazz, 1986

Only Trust Your Heart

Concord Jazz, 1988

East Coast West Coast

Private Music, 1994

Toots and Kenny Werner

Verve, 2001

2009
112	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

After leaving the quartet, Tyner 

demonstrated his tremendous melodic and 

rhythmic flair for composition on such albums 

as The Real McCoy, which featured “Passion 

Dance,” “Contemplation,” and “Blues on the 

Corner,” and Sahara, which featured “Ebony 

Queen” and the title track. Tyner has continued 

to experiment with his sound, pushing rhythms and 

tonalities to the limit, his fluttering right hand creating a 

cascade of notes. In particular, he has explored the trio form, 

recording with a series of different bassists and drummers, such as 

Ron Carter, Art Davis, Stanley Clarke, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, 

and Al Foster. In the 1980s, he recorded with a singer for the first 

time, Phylis Hyman. 

In the 1990s, he led a big band in new arrangements of previously 

recorded songs, used Latin American rhythms and forms, and revealed 

the romantic side of his playing with a surprising album of Burt 

Bacharach songs. While experimenting with his sound, Tyner has 

eschewed the use of electric pianos, preferring the warm sound of an 

acoustic piano, and earned five Grammy Awards for his recordings. 

A dynamic performer in live settings, Tyner has continued to tour 

steadily. 

McCoy Tyner’s powerful, 

propulsive style of piano playing 

was an integral part of the 

John Coltrane Quartet in the early 1960s and 

influenced countless musicians that followed 

him. His rich chord clusters continue to be copied 

by many young jazz pianists.

Growing up in Philadelphia, Tyner’s neighbors 

were jazz musicians Richie and Bud Powell, who were 

very influential to his piano playing. Studying music at the 

West Philadelphia Music School and later at the Granoff School 

of Music, Tyner began playing gigs in his teens, and first met 

Coltrane while performing at a local club called the Red Rooster 

at age 17. His first important professional gig was with the Benny 

Golson–Art Farmer band Jazztet in 1959, with which he made his 

recording debut. 

Soon he began working with Coltrane, a relationship 

that produced some of the most influential music in jazz. 

From 1960-65, Tyner played a major role in the success of the 

Coltrane quartet (which included Elvin Jones on drums and 

Jimmy Garrison on bass), using richly textured harmonies as rhythmic 

devices against Coltrane’s “sheets of sound” saxophone playing. 

0000

Photo by Lee Tanner

McCOY

TYNER

pianist composer

Born December 11, 1938 in Philadelphia, PA

2002

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

The Real McCoy

Blue Note, 1967

Sahara

Original Jazz Classics, 1972

Remembering John

Enja, 1991

Illuminations

Telarc, 2003

Guitars

Half Note, 2006
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 113

Photo by Francis Wolff © Mosaic Images

RUDY

VAN GELDER

Recording Engineer

Born November 2, 1924 in Jersey City, NJ

facility he built in Englewood Cliffs, New 

Jersey, where he has remained ever since. He 

became the house engineer for Creed Taylor’s 

CTI label in the early 1970s. 

The signature Van Gelder sound features 

a clearly defined separation among the 

instruments, ensuring that every sonic detail is 

clear and audible. This was accomplished by the 

strategic placement of instruments in the studio, though 

his exact technique has always been a closely guarded 

secret. Van Gelder’s main goal was to create the best mood for the 

musicians to perform in, and from the results, he seems to have greatly 

succeeded. Among the timeless recordings made under his aegis 

are John Coltrane’s Blue Train (Blue Note) Miles Davis’ Workin’

(Prestige), Andrew Hill’s Point of Departure (Blue Note), Freddie 

Hubbard’s Red Clay (CTI), and Wayne Shorter’s Speak No Evil

(Blue Note).

Van Gelder still freelances for a variety of labels and since 1999 

has been instrumental in the modern remastering of his original 

recordings—most notably the Blue Note RVG series—with the 

conversion from analog to digital formats.

Considered by many the greatest 

recording engineer in jazz, Rudy 

Van Gelder has recorded practically 

every major jazz musician of the 1950s and 

1960s on thousands of albums. 

Van Gelder became involved with amateur 

radio as a teenager, which led to his interest in 

microphones and electronics. Since recording consoles 

were not then manufactured commercially, he created 

his own equipment and set up a studio in his parents’ living 

room in Hackensack, New Jersey. An optometrist by day, Van Gelder 

began recording local jazz musicians in his free time. 

In 1953, saxophonist Gil Mellé introduced Van Gelder to Blue 

Note founder Alfred Lion, beginning a 14-year association with the 

label. He recorded practically every session that Blue Note produced 

during that time period, from obscure sessions like Jutta Hipp with 

Zoot Sims in 1956 to the popular Maiden Voyage by Herbie Hancock

in 1965. Van Gelder’s notable recordings helped establish Blue Note’s 

reputation as an elite jazz label. They also enticed other labels, such 

as Prestige, Savoy, and Impulse!, to seek out his recording skills. 

In 1959, needing a larger space for Blue Note and his other clients, 

Van Gelder finally quit his day job and moved his studio to a new 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Sonny Rollins, Volume 2

Blue Note, 1957

Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’ Else

Blue Note, 1958

Eric Dolphy, Outward Bound

Prestige/OJC, 1960

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme 

Impulse!, 1964

Joe Henderson, Lush Life: 

The Music of Billy Strayhorn

Verve, 1991

2009 A.b. Spellman NEA JAZZ MASTERS Award FOR JAZZ ADVOCACY
114	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

recognition, particularly in musicians’ circles. 

They worked with her on a May 25, 1945, 

session as well, which was highlighted by 

her vocal version of Gillespie’s “A Night in 

Tunisia,” called “Interlude” on the album. Her 

first husband, trumpeter-bandleader George 

Treadwell, helped re-make her “look” and she 

began to work and record more regularly, starting 

in 1949 with Columbia Records. In the 1960s, Vaughan 

made records with bandleaders such as Count Basie, Benny 

Carter, Frank Foster, and Quincy Jones on the Mercury and 

Roulette labels among others. It was during this time that her level of 

international recognition began to grow as she toured widely, generally 

accompanied by a trio, and on occasion doing orchestra dates. 

These large ensemble dates ranged from the Boston Pops to the 

Cleveland Orchestra as her voice became recognized as one of the most 

beautiful and versatile in all of jazz, blessed with a range that literally 

went from baritone to soprano. In the 1970s and 1980s, her voice 

darkened, providing a deeper and all the more alluring tone.

The power, range, and flexibility 

of her voice made Sarah Vaughan, 

known as “Sassy” or “The Divine 

One,” one of the great singers in jazz. With 

her rich, controlled tone and vibrato, she could 

create astounding performances on jazz standards, 

often adding bop-oriented phrasing. Along with 

Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, Vaughan helped 

popularize the art of jazz singing, influencing generations 

of vocalists following her. 

Vaughan began singing at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in her 

native Newark, and started extensive piano lessons at age seven. 

Winner of the amateur contest at the Apollo Theatre, Vaughan was 

hired by Earl Hines for his big band as a second pianist and singer on 

the recommendation of Billy Eckstine in 1943. She joined Eckstine’s 

band in 1944, as well as making her first recording under her own 

name.

After leaving Eckstine, Sarah worked briefly in the John Kirby 

band, and thereafter was primarily a vocal soloist. Charlie Parker 

and Dizzy Gillespie often sang her praises, assisting her in gaining 

0000

Photo by Paul Hoeffler/CTSIMAGES

SARAH

VAUGHAN

vocalIST pianIST

Born March 27, 1924 in Newark, NJ 

Died April 3, 1990

1989

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

1944-46

Classics, 1944-46

In Hi-Fi

Columbia/Legacy, 1949-53

The Complete Sarah Vaughan 

on Mercury, Vol. 1

Mercury, 1954-56

Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown

Verve, 1955

The Duke Ellington 

Songbook, Vol. 1

Pablo, 1979
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 115

Photo by Lee Tanner

CEDAR

WALTON

PIANIST COMPOSER

Born Born January 17, 1934 in Dallas, TX

as “Mosaic,” “Ugetsu,” and “The Promised 

Land” to the group’s repertoire. Walton left 

the Jazz Messengers to lead rhythm sections 

and trios featured in various New York clubs 

and work as a sideman for well-known artists 

such as Abbey Lincoln (1965-66) and Lee 

Morgan (1966-68). 

In 1974, Walton joined with bassist Sam Jones, 

drummer Billy Higgins, and saxophonist Clifford 

Jordan to form the group Eastern Rebellion, which would 

perform and record sporadically over the subsequent two decades. 

Other musicians rotated in and out of the band, including George 

Coleman, Bob Berg, Ralph Moore, David Williams, Curtis Fuller, 

and Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros. Higgins became a regular 

accompanist for Walton throughout the 1980s—along with other 

stellar musicians such as Ron Carter, Bobby Hutcherson, Harold 

Land, and Buster Williams. In addition, he continued to perform 

in rhythm sections for Milt Jackson, Frank Morgan, and Dexter 

Gordon and accompanied vocalists Ernestine Anderson and Freddy 

Cole. He also led the backup trio for the Trumpet Summit Band, 

which started as a project for the 1995 Jazz in Marciac festival in 

France. He continues to perform and record with his own groups all 

over the world. 

One of the great hard bop 

pianists, Cedar Walton is also 

known for his compositions, some 

of which have become jazz standards, such as 

“Bolivia,” “Clockwise,” and “Firm Roots.”

Walton was first taught piano by his mother, 

and, after high school, moved to Colorado to 

commence studies at the University of Denver. There, 

during after-hours jazz club gigs, he met musicians, such 

as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and John Coltrane, who 

would sit in with Walton’s group when traveling through town. 

Eventually, Walton moved to New York. In 1955, he was drafted 

into the U.S. Army and sent to Germany where he performed in a 

military jazz ensemble. Upon his return to New York City two years 

later, he began playing and recording with Kenny Dorham, J. J. 

Johnson, and Gigi Gryce. In 1959, he recorded with Coltrane on his 

seminal album Giant Steps, but the recordings weren’t included on 

the initial issue of the album; the alternate tracks were later issued on 

the CD version. From 1960-61, Walton worked with Art Farmer and 

Benny Golson’s band Jazztet. 

Walton’s next significant musical association was with Art Blakey 

and the Jazz Messengers. During his years with Blakey (1961-64), 

Walton stepped forward as composer, contributing originals such 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers,

Mosaic

Blue Note, 1961

Cedar!

Prestige/OJC, 1967

Eastern Rebe llion, Eastern Rebellion 

Timeless, 1975

Composer

Astor Place, 1996

Seasoned Wood

High Note, 2008

2010
116	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

GEORGE

WEIN

producer pianIST

Born October 3, 1925 in Boston, MA

sold Festival Productions in 2007, he remains 

active in the music scene, serving on the 

boards of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Apollo 

Theatre Foundation, and Carnegie Hall. 

Wein has received numerous honors over 

the years, including honorary degrees from the 

Berklee College of Music and Rhode Island College 

of Music, a DownBeat Lifetime Achievement Award, 

the Commandeur de L’Ordre des Arts et Lettres from 

France, and invitations to be honored at the White House 

in 1978 and 1993. In addition, he is an author, whose autobiography 

Myself Among Others was recognized by the Jazz Journalists 

Association as 2004’s best book about jazz, and he continues to 

perform as a pianist with his group, the Newport All-Stars.

In 2009, Wein again became involved with the jazz festivals in 

New York and Newport, finding a new sponsor (CareFusion) when the 

longtime festivals lost their sponsorship. As Wein said when started 

with the festivals again, “I never went into it as ‘a business’... I mean, 

the music was in my head, in my heart, in my soul. And it still is.”

Jazz impresario George Wein is 

renowned for his work in organizing 

and booking music festivals, and 

in particular for creating the Newport Jazz 

Festival, an event that, in the words of the late 

jazz critic Leonard Feather, started the “festival 

era.”

A professional pianist from his early teens, Wein 

went on to lead his own band in and around his native 

Boston, frequently accompanying visiting jazz musicians. 

In 1950, he opened his own club in Boston, formed the Storyville 

record label, and launched his career as a jazz entrepreneur. In 

1954, he was invited to organize the first Newport Jazz Festival. 

He subsequently played an important role in establishing numerous 

other international festivals, including the annual Grande Parade du 

Jazz in Nice, France. In 1969, Wein established Festival Productions, 

Inc., which has offices in six cities and produces hundreds of musical 

events internationally each year. In 1971, unruly crowds forced Wein 

to move the jazz festival from Newport to New York City, where he 

pioneered the idea of corporate underwriting of festivals, first with the 

Kool Jazz Festival and then with the JVC Jazz Festival. Though he 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Wein, Women & Song

Atlantic, 1955

George Wein & the Newport All-Stars 

Impulse!, 1962

George Wein’s Newport All-Stars

Atlantic, 1969

European Tour

Concord Jazz, 1987

Swing That Music

Columbia, 1993

2005 A.B. Spellman NEA JAZZ  MASTERS Award FOR

JAZZ ADVOCACY
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 117

Basie Orchestra’s new sound, while his tenor 

saxophone playing served as a counterpoint to 

the more fiery sound of Frank Foster.

Wess has played since the 1960s in 

countless settings: with Clark Terry’s big band, 

the New York Quartet with Roland Hanna, 

Dameronia (1981-85), and Toshiko Akiyoshi’s 

Jazz Orchestra. During this period, he also bridged 

the worlds of jazz and popular show business. Wess 

performed as a staff musician for ABC Television, both for 

the Dick Cavett Show and for the David Frost Show (with the Billy 

Taylor Orchestra). In Broadway pit bands, he played for shows such 

as Golden Boy (starring Sammy Davis), Irene (with Debbie Reynolds), 

and Sugar Babies (with Mickey Rooney). For ten years, he played 

first-chair tenor saxophonist in the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. 

He has also led his own big bands on world tours, and has played 

recently in the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band. Widely recorded 

on many labels, both as a leader and a sideman, Wess is a perennial 

favorite in DownBeat polls and a now-legendary presence on the jazz 

scene.

A 

multi-instrumentalist

whose inspired solos have kept bigband jazz fresh and vital into the 

present, Frank Wess is revered as a smoothly 

swinging tenor saxophone player in the Lester 

Young tradition, as an expert alto saxophonist, 

and as one of the most influential, instantly 

recognizable flutists in jazz history. 

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Wess first studied 

classical music and played with the Kansas All-State High 

School Orchestra. After moving to Washington, DC as a teenager 

in 1935, he began to play jazz in lunchtime jam sessions with 

fellow students, including Billy Taylor. An early touring career 

was interrupted by military service—he played in a 17-piece band 

during World War II—and then was resumed when Wess came out 

of the Army and joined an outstanding lineup in the Billy Eckstine 

Orchestra. It was at this time that he took up the flute, studying at the 

Modern School of Music in Washington. 

All this time, Count Basie had been calling. Wess finally joined 

his big band in 1953, helping it to evolve during its so-called “New 

Testament” phase and remaining with it until 1964. Wess’s flute 

playing, set off by Neal Hefti’s arrangements, contributed strongly to the 

0000

Photo by Michael Wilderman

FRANK

WESS

FLUTIST SAXOPHONIST COMPOSER

Born January 4, 1922 in Kansas City, MO

2007

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Count Basie, Verve Jazz Masters

Verve, 1954-65

I Hear Ya Talkin’

Savoy, 1959

Flute Juice

Progressive, 1981

Going Wess

Town Crier, 1993

Once is Not Enough

Labeth, 2009
118	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

RANDY

WESTON

pianIST composer

Born April 6, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY

he also began his long and fruitful musical 

partnership with trombonist-arranger Melba 

Liston (a listing of some of the albums on 

which they collaborated can be found in the 

Liston Selected Discography), a relationship 

that would continue until her death in 1999, 

forming some of Weston’s best recordings. 

Weston’s interest in the African continent was 

sparked at an early age, and he lectured and performed 

in Africa in the early 1960s. He toured 14 African countries 

with his ensemble in 1967 on a State Department tour, eventually 

settling in Rabat, Morocco. He later moved to Tangier, opening the 

African Rhythms Club in 1969. It was in Morocco that Weston first 

forged unique collaborations with Berber and Gnawan musicians, 

infusing his jazz with African music and rhythms. 

Since returning to the U.S. in 1972, he has lived in Brooklyn, 

traveling extensively overseas with bands that generally include 

trombonist Benny Powell and longtime musical director, saxophonist 

Talib Kibwe (aka T.K. Blue). In recent years, a number of Weston’s 

U.S. concert appearances have been true events, including 1998 

and 1999 Brooklyn and Kennedy Center collaborations with the 

Master Musicians of Gnawa, and a triumphant 1998 recreation of his 

masterwork suite “Uhuru Africa” in Brooklyn. Many of Weston’s 

compositions, such as “Hi Fly” and “Berkshire Blues,” have become 

jazz standards. In 2010, Weston’s autobiography, African Rhythms, 

was published.

Randy Weston has spent most 

of his career combining the rich 

music of the African continent 

with the African-American tradition of jazz, 

mixing rhythms and melodies into a hybrid 

musical stew. 

Weston received his earliest training from 

private teachers in a household that nurtured his 

budding musicianship. Growing up in Brooklyn, Weston 

was influenced by such peers as saxophonist Cecil Payne 

and trumpeter Ray Copeland as well as the steady influx of great 

jazz musicians who frequented Brooklyn clubs and jam sessions 

on a regular basis. Such musicians as Thelonious Monk and Duke 

Ellington would have a lasting influence on Weston’s music, both in 

terms of his piano playing and composition.

After a 1945 stint in the Army, Weston began playing piano with 

such rhythm-and-blues bands as Bull Moose Jackson and Eddie 

“Cleanhead” Vinson. At the Music Inn educational retreat in Lenox, 

Massachusetts, in 1954, he took work as a cook during the summer, 

while playing the piano at night. The head of Riverside Records, 

Orrin Keepnews, heard him and signed Weston to do a record of Cole 

Porter standards. 

Weston’s recording sessions frequently included contributions 

from his Brooklyn neighborhood buddies Copeland, Payne, and 

bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik. It was at this early juncture that 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Uhuru Africa/Highlife 

Roulette, 1960-63

Blues to Africa

Arista/Freedom, 1974

The Spirit of Our Ancestors 

Verve, 1991

Zep Tepi

Random Chance, 2005

The Storyteller

MOTÉMA MUSIC, 2009

2001
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 119

the orchestras of Jimmie Lunceford, Herbie 

Fields, Sam Donahue, Lucky Millinder, Noble 

Sissle, Dizzy Gillespie, and Count Basie, while 

also playing in the pit orchestras for Broadway 

musicals.

Wilder returned to school in the 1960s, 

earning a bachelor’s degree at the Manhattan 

School of Music where he was also principal trumpet 

with the school’s symphony orchestra under conductor 

Jonel Perlea. At that time, he performed on several occasions 

with the New York Philharmonic under Andre Kostolanitz and 

Pierre Boulez.

From 1957 to 1974, Wilder did studio work for ABC-TV while 

building his reputation as a soloist with his albums for Savoy and 

Columbia. He was also a regular sideman with such musicians as 

Gil Evans, Benny Goodman, and Hank Jones, even accompanying 

Goodman on his tour of Russia. He became a favorite with vocalists 

and played for Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Eileen Farrell, Billie 

Holiday, Lena Horne, Johnny Mathis, and many others.

He is the only surviving member of the Count Basie All-Star 

Orchestra that appeared in the classic 1959 film The Sound of Jazz.

Joe Wilder has played with a virtual 

Who’s Who of jazz—Louis Armstrong,

Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Benny 

Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, 

Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, 

Quincy Jones, John Lewis, Charles Mingus, 

George Russell, and Dinah Washington, to name 

just a few.

Wilder was born in 1922 into a musical family led by 

his father Curtis, a bassist and bandleader in Philadelphia. 

Wilder’s first performances took place on the radio program Parisian 

Tailor’s Colored Kiddies of the Air. He and the other young musicians 

were backed up by such illustrious bands as Duke Ellington’s and 

Louis Armstrong’s that were also then playing at the Lincoln Theater. 

Wilder studied at the Mastbaum School of Music in Philadelphia but 

turned to jazz when he felt that there was little future for an AfricanAmerican classical musician. Wilder joined his first touring big band, 

Les Hite’s band, in 1941.

Wilder was one of the first thousand African Americans to serve in 

the Marines during World War II. He worked first in Special Weapons 

and eventually became assistant bandmaster at the headquarters’ 

band. Following the war during the 1940s and early ’50s, he played in 

0000

Photo by Tom Pich

JOE

WILDER

TRUMPETER

Born February 22, 1922 in Colwyn, PA

2008

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Softly with Feeling

Savoy, 1956

Jazz from “Peter Gunn”

Columbia, 1959

Benny Carter , A Gentleman and His Music

Concord, 1985

No Greater Love

Evening Star, 1993

Among Friends

Evening Star, 2002
120	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Lee Tanner

JOE

WILLIAMS

VOCALIST

Born December 12, 1918 in Cordele, GA

Died March 29, 1999 

but offered a new range of opportunities for 

Basie to use. Williams’ sound was smoother, 

strong on ballads and blues, while Rushing 

was a more aggressive singer, best on the 

up-tempo numbers.

Williams’ hits with the Basie band included 

“Alright, Okay, You Win,” “The Comeback,” 

and what would become one of his most requested 

tunes, “Every Day.” Starting in the 1960s, he was a 

vocal soloist, fronting trios led by such pianists as Norman 

Simmons and Junior Mance. Simmons would later become his longest 

tenured musical director-pianist. He also toured with fellow Basie 

alumnus Harry “Sweets” Edison. He continued to expand his range, 

becoming a superior crooner and exhibiting a real depth of feeling on 

ballads. 

Among his many awards and citations were a number of jazz poll 

commendations and honors. Late in life, he had a recurring role on 

the Cosby Show television program as the star’s father-in-law.

Joe Williams’ versatile baritone voice 

made him one of the signature male 

vocalists in jazz annals, responsible 

for some of the Count Basie band’s main hits 

in the 1950s.

Though born in Georgia, Williams was raised 

in that great haven of the blues, Chicago, Illinois. 

His first professional job came with clarinetist Jimmie 

Noone in 1937. In the 1940s, in addition to singing in 

Chicago area groups, he worked with the big bands of Coleman 

Hawkins, Lionel Hampton, and Andy Kirk. Later he sang with two of 

Cafe Society’s renowned pianists, Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson. 

From 1950-53, he worked mostly with the Red Saunders band. What 

came after would be a job he would cherish and return to frequently 

throughout his career: fronting the Count Basie band. Often referred 

to jokingly as “Count Basie’s #1 son,” he stepped right into the band 

upon the departure of Jimmy Rushing. Williams was the perfect 

replacement in that he did not just duplicate Rushing’s vocal style, 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Count Basie, Count Basie Swings/

Joe Williams Sings

Verve, 1955-56

Every Day—The Best 

of the Verve Years

Verve, 1955-90

Count Basie, Count on the Coast, Vol. 1 & 2

Phontastic, 1958

Me and the Blues

RCA, 1963

Here’s to Life

Telarc, 1993

1993
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 121

Liston, and replaced the Duke Ellington 

band at the Apollo Theatre when they hit 

New York. Wilson’s work as a composerarranger enabled him to work for the Count 

Basie and Dizzy Gillespie bands. Wilson then 

accompanied Billie Holiday on her tour of the 

South in 1949. 

In the early 1960s, he again led his own big bands. 

His series of Pacific Jazz recordings established his 

unique harmonic voice, and Mexican culture—especially the 

bullfight tradition—influenced his work. His appearance at the 1963 

Monterey Jazz Festival increased his popularity. 

He has contributed his skill as an arranger and composer to artists 

ranging from Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, and Ella Fitzgerald to the 

Los Angeles Philharmonic to his guitarist-son Anthony. Additionally he 

has been a radio broadcaster at KBCA and a frequent jazz educator. 

Among his more noted commissions are one for the 40th anniversary 

of the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1998, which he revisited in 2007 with 

his album Monterey Moods, and one for the 30th anniversary of the 

Detroit International Jazz Festival in 2009.

Gerald Wilson’s use of multiple 

harmonies is a hallmark of his big 

bands, earning him a reputation 

as a leading composer and arranger. His band 

was one of the greats in jazz, leaning heavily 

on the blues but integrating other styles. His 

arrangements influenced many musicians that 

came after him, including multi-instrumentalist Eric 

Dolphy, who dedicated the song “G.W.” to Wilson on his 

1960 release Outward Bound.

Wilson started out on the piano, learning from his mother, 

then taking formal lessons and classes in high school in Memphis, 

Tennessee. The family moved to Detroit in 1934, enabling him to 

study in the noted music program at Cass Tech High School. As a 

professional trumpeter, his first jobs were with the Plantation Club 

Orchestra. He took Sy Oliver’s place in the Jimmie Lunceford band in 

1939, remaining in the seat until 1942, when he moved to Los Angeles. 

In California, he worked in the bands of Benny Carter, Les Hite, 

and Phil Moore. When the Navy sent him to its Great Lakes Naval 

Training Station in Chicago, he found work in Willie Smith’s band. 

He put together his own band in late 1944, which included Melba 

0000

Photo by Vance Jacobs

GERALD

WILSON

bandleader composer arranger trumpetER 

Born September 4, 1918 in Shelby, MS

1990

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

1945-46

Classics, 1945-46

The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings 

Mosaic, 1961-69

Love You Madly

Discovery, 1982

Theme For Monterey

Mama, 1998

Detroit

Mack Avenue, 2009
122	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

to the Beatles, surpassing Frank Sinatra, the 

Beach Boys, and even Nat “King” Cole.

Wilson also has worked in television, 

where in 1968 she won an Emmy Award for 

her NBC series, The Nancy Wilson Show. She 

has performed on The Andy Williams Show

and The Carol Burnett Show and has appeared 

in series such as Hawaii Five-O, The Cosby Show, 

Moesha, and The Parkers. 

Although she often has crossed over to pop and rhythmand-blues recordings, she still is best known for her jazz performances. 

In the 1980s, she returned to jazz with a series of performances with 

such jazz greats as Art Farmer, Benny Golson, and Hank Jones. And 

to start the new century, Wilson teamed with pianist Ramsey Lewis

for a pair of highly regarded recordings.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, 

including two Grammy Awards and honorary degrees from Berklee 

School of Music and Central State University in Ohio. Wilson also 

hosted NPR’s Jazz Profiles, a weekly documentary series, from 1986 

to 2005.

Nancy Wilson first found her 

voice singing in church choirs, 

but found her love of jazz in 

her father’s record collection. It included 

albums by Jimmy Scott, Nat “King” Cole, Billy 

Eckstine, Dinah Washington, and Ruth Brown; 

this generation of vocalists had a profound influence 

on Wilson’s singing style. She began performing on the 

Columbus, Ohio, club circuit while still in high school, 

and in 1956 she became a member of Rusty Bryant’s Carolyn 

Club Band. 

She also sat in with various performers, such as Cannonball 

Adderley, who suggested that she come to New York. When Wilson 

took his advice, her distinctive voice enchanted a representative 

from Capitol Records and she was signed in 1959. In the years that 

followed, Wilson recorded 37 original albums for the label. Her first 

hit, “Guess Who I Saw Today,” came in 1961. One year later, a 

collaborative album with Adderley solidified her standing in the jazz 

community and provided the foundation for her growing fame and 

career. During her years with Capitol, she was second in sales only 

Photo by Tom Pich

NANCY

WILSON

Vocalist BROADCASTER

Born February 20, 1937 in Chillicothe, OH

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

2004

Nancy Wilson and 

Cannonball Adderley

Capitol, 1962

Yesterday’s Love Songs—Today’s Blues 

Capitol, 1963

But Beautiful

Blue Note, 1969

Ramsey Lew is & Nancy Wilson, Meant To Be

Narada, 2002

R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, 

Very Personal)

MCG Jazz, 2004
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 123

recordings as a leader. These records featured 

such greats as Lester Young, Billie Holiday, 

Lena Horne, and Ella Fitzgerald. Wilson’s 

arrangements with Holiday in particular 

constitute some of the singer’s finest work, 

mostly due to Wilson’s ability to find the right 

sound to complement Holiday’s voice and singing 

style. 

Following his Goodman days, Wilson led his own big 

band for a short time, but most of his work came with his own 

small groups, particularly a sextet that played regularly at the famous 

Cafe Society in New York. In 1946, he was a staff musician at CBS 

Radio, and also conducted his own music school. During the early 

1950s, he taught at the Juilliard School, one of the first jazz musicians 

to do so. Wilson’s relationship with Goodman was his most noted, and

was an ongoing factor in his work. He was part of Goodman’s storied 

Soviet tour in 1962, and continued to work occasional festival gigs with 

the clarinetist.

Teddy Wilson was one of the swing 

era’s finest pianists, a follower of 

Earl Hines’ distinctive “trumpetstyle” piano playing. Wilson forged his own 

unique approach from Hines’ influence, as well 

as from the styles of Art Tatum and Fats Waller. 

He was a truly orchestral pianist who engaged the 

complete range of his instrument, and he did it all in a 

controlled and refined manner at the keyboard.

Raised in Tuskegee, Alabama, Wilson studied piano at 

nearby Talladega College for a short time. Among his first professional 

experiences were Chicago stints in the bands of Jimmie Noone and 

Louis Armstrong. In 1933, he moved to New York to join Benny 

Carter’s band known as the Chocolate Dandies, and made records 

with the Willie Bryant band during 1934-35. In 1936, he became a 

member of Benny Goodman’s regular trio, which included drummer 

Gene Krupa, and remained until 1939, participating on a number 

of Goodman’s small group recordings. Wilson was the first AfricanAmerican musician to work with Goodman, one of the first bandleaders 

to integrate a jazz band. Wilson later appeared as himself in the 

cinematic treatment of The Benny Goodman Story.

During his time with Goodman, Wilson made some of his first 

0000

Photo by Rolf Ambor/CTSIMAGES

TEDDY

WILSON

pianIST arranger educator

Born November 24, 1912 in Austin, TX

Died July 31, 1986 

1986

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

1934-35

Classics, 1934-35

Benny Goodman, The Complete Small 

Group Recordings

RCA, 1935-39

Masters of Jazz, Vol. 11

Storyville, 1968-80

With Billie in Mind

Chiaroscuro, 1972

Runnin’ Wild

Black Lion, 1973
124	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

Photo by Michael Wilderman

PHIL

WOODS

saxophonist composer arranger 

bandleader EDUCATOR

Born November 2, 1931 in Springfield, MA

In 1968, Woods moved to France and 

formed the European Rhythm Machine

quartet, with George Gruntz on keyboards, 

Henri Texier on bass, and Daniel Humair on 

drums. His talent as a composer blossomed 

during this period, when he wrote music for 

Danish and Belgian radio and composed a ballet 

for French television. After disbanding the quartet 

in 1972, Woods returned to the United States, settled 

in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, and formed a jazz 

group with Mike Melillo, Steve Gilmore, and Bill Goodwin. With this 

ensemble, he staked his claim to being the finest alto saxophonist in 

mainstream jazz, a reputation confirmed by his performances on

Images (1975, with Michel Legrand), Live from the Showboat (1976), 

and Billy Joel’s 1977 hit recording, “Just the Way You Are,” all of 

which received Grammy Awards. 

In 1975, he received an NEA Music grant that he used to compose 

the work “The Sun Suite,” one of more than 200 songs Woods has 

composed. He has recorded several albums with new arrangements of 

famous composers—such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Tadd Dameron, 

Quincy Jones, and Henry Mancini—and in 2006 released a wellreceived album of standards, American Songbook. He remains active 

internationally as a bandleader, composer-arranger, and soloist.

Bornin Springfield, Massachusetts, 

Philip Wells Woods has devoted 

himself to the alto saxophone since 

the age of 12. As a teenager, he briefly took 

private lessons in improvisation from Lennie 

Tristano and also studied for a summer at the 

Manhattan School of Music. In 1948, he enrolled in 

the Juilliard School, where he remained through 1952, 

majoring in clarinet performance. While at Juilliard, he 

played for a brief period in Charlie Barnet’s dance band. 

Subsequently, he worked with leaders including George Wallington 

(replacing Jackie McLean), Kenny Dorham, and Friedrich Gulda 

and then, joining with one of his musical idols, traveled to the Near 

East and South America with Dizzy Gillespie. 

By now established as one of the most brilliant alto saxophonists 

in jazz, Woods went on to perform in Buddy Rich’s quintet and

toured Europe with Quincy Jones (1959-60) and the U.S.S.R. with 

Benny Goodman (1962). From 1964 to 1967, Woods took a summer 

break from the bandstand, teaching at the Ramblerny performing 

arts camp in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, still much in 

demand, he performed in New York in 1967 both as the leader of 

his own quartet (featuring Hal Galper, Richard Davis, and Dottie 

Dodgion) and as a member of Clark Terry’s big band. 

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Rights of Swing

Candid, 1960

Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival

MGM/Verve, 1969

I Remember

Gryphon, 1978

Blues for New Orleans

Philology, 2005

The Children’s Suite 

Jazzed Media, 2007

2007
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 125	

Young continued to work on other projects 

as well. He was a founding member of the 

Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966, 

and throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, he 

played with a variety of big bands, including on 

recordings by such jazz greats as Louis Bellson, 

Gil Evans, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, and

Jimmy Smith. Young has worked outside of jazz as 

well, playing with the rock group the Band on New Year’s 

Eve in 1971 and on the classic 1976 blues recording Bobby 

Bland and B.B. King Together Again...Live.

Young has worked since with several Los Angeles big bands, and 

has issued three albums under his own name, including Horn of Plenty, 

which demonstrated his solo gifts as a strong lead trumpeter. Young 

has appeared as a soloist at jazz festivals in Montreux, Switzerland; 

The Hague, Holland; Antibes, France; and Concord, California. His 

work has appeared on numerous soundtracks as well, including The 

Color Purple. He continues to perform and tour with the ClaytonHamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Gerald Wilson Orchestra.

Known for his prowess with the 

plunger mute, Eugene Edward 

“Snooky” Young’s trumpet 

playing is most often heard in the context of 

the big band. For 30 years, he was heard every 

weeknight as a member of the Tonight Show

orchestra. 

Young began playing the trumpet at five and by 

his early teens was working in various regional bands. 

From 1939-1942 he made a name for himself as lead trumpeter 

and soloist in the Jimmie Lunceford band. From 1942 to 1947 Young 

worked with Les Hite, Benny Carter, and Gerald Wilson, as well 

as with the Count Basie band, where he replaced trumpet player 

Ed Lewis. Young led his own band in his hometown of Dayton from 

1947 to 1957 and continued to perform periodically with both Lionel 

Hampton and Basie through the early 1960s.

Upon leaving Basie in 1962, Young began his longest engagement 

with a band as a trumpeter for the Doc Severinsen band on the Tonight 

Show. In 1972, he moved to Los Angeles when the show relocated, and 

remained until Johnny Carson left in 1992.

0000

Photo by Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

SNOOKY

YOUNG

TRUMPETER

Born February 3, 1919 in Dayton, OH

2009

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Jimmie Lu nceford, 1939-1940

Classics, 1939-40

Count Basie, Kansas City Suite

Roulette, 1960

Thad Jones-Mel Lew is Or chestra, 

Live at the Village Vanguard

Solid State, 1967

Horn of Plenty

Concord Jazz, 1979

Gerald Wilson, State Street Suite

MAMA Foundation, 1994
NEA Jazz Masters 

Award Ceremony

NEA Jazz Masters events include a luncheon for all 

attending NEA Jazz Masters (and a group photo), 

portraits of the new class of honorees, and a special 

concert and awards ceremony. Here are a few candid 

moments from the last few years.

David Baker, Freddie Hubbard, James Moody 

Photo by Tom Pich

Ornette Coleman

Photo by Katja von Schuttenbach

Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Slide Hampton, Paquito D’Rivera

Photo by Vance Jacobs

Chick Corea, Roy Haynes, Ron Carter

Photo by Tom Pich

Frank Wess, Gerald Wilson, Jon Hendricks 

Photo by Tom Pich

	126	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

George Wein, Louie Bellson

Photo by Tom Pich
Hank Jones, 

Barry Harris, 

Billy Taylor 

Photo by Tom Pich

Annie Ross, George Avakian

Photo by Tom Pich

Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath 

Photo by Tom Pich

Nancy Wilson, John Levy, Ahmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis

Photo by Tom Pich

Quincy Jones, Tom McIntosh, Joe Wilder

Photo by Tom Pich

Frank Foster, Dan Morgenstern

Photo by Tom Pich

Chico Hamilton 

Photo by Tom Pich

 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 127	
128	 	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

1982

Roy Eldridge*

Dizzy Gillespie*

Sun Ra*

1983

Count Basie*

Kenny Clarke*

Sonny Rollins

1984

Ornette Coleman

Miles Davis*

Max Roach*

1985

Gil Evans*

Ella Fitzgerald*

Jo Jones*

1986

Benny Carter*

Dexter Gordon*

Teddy Wilson*

1987

Cleo Brown*

Melba Liston*

Jay McShann*

1988

Art Blakey*

Lionel Hampton*

Billy Taylor

1989

Barry Harris

Hank Jones*

Sarah Vaughan*

* Deceased

1990

George Russell*

Cecil Taylor

Gerald Wilson

1991

Danny Barker*

Buck Clayton*

Andy Kirk*

Clark Terry

1992

Betty Carter*

Dorothy Donegan*

Sweets Edison*

1993

Jon Hendricks

Milt Hinton*

Joe Williams*

1994

Louie Bellson*

Ahmad Jamal

Carmen McRae*

1995

Ray Brown*

Roy Haynes

Horace Silver

1996

Tommy Flanagan*

Benny Golson

J.J. Johnson*

1997

Billy Higgins*

Milt Jackson*

Anita O’Day*

1998

Ron Carter

James Moody*

Wayne Shorter

1999

Dave Brubeck

Art Farmer*

Joe Henderson*

2000

David Baker

Donald Byrd

Marian McPartland

2001

John Lewis*

Jackie McLean*

Randy Weston

2002

Frank Foster

Percy Heath*

McCoy Tyner

2003

Jimmy Heath

Elvin Jones*

Abbey Lincoln*

2004

Jim Hall

Chico Hamilton

Herbie Hancock

Luther Henderson*

Nat Hentoff

Nancy Wilson

2005

Kenny Burrell

Paquito D’Rivera

Slide Hampton

Shirley Horn*

Jimmy Smith*

Artie Shaw*

George Wein

2006

Ray Barretto*

Tony Bennett

Bob Brookmeyer

Chick Corea

Buddy DeFranco

Freddie Hubbard*

John Levy

2007

Toshiko Akiyoshi

Curtis Fuller

Ramsey Lewis

Dan Morgenstern

Jimmy Scott

Frank Wess

Phil Woods

2008

Candido Camero

Andrew Hill*

Quincy Jones

Tom McIntosh

Gunther Schuller

Joe Wilder

2009

George Benson

Jimmy Cobb

Lee Konitz

Toots Thielemans

Rudy Van Gelder

Snooky Young

2010

Muhal Richard Abrams

George Avakian

Kenny Barron

Bill Holman

Bobby Hutcherson

Yusef Lateef

Annie Ross

Cedar Walton

2011

Orrin Keepnews 

Hubert Laws

David Liebman

Johnny Mandel

The Marsalis Family

1982–2011
 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011 129	

Jazz Moments 

with NEA Jazz Masters 

Audio CD 

With an eye—or ear—toward sharing the enriching power of jazz with the 

public, the NEA is producing a series of Jazz Moments for radio broadcast. The 

short radio segments (running from 30 seconds to three minutes) are interviews 

with legendary and contemporary jazz artists about their own work and that of other artists. They include 

musical samples, historical information, and first-person anecdotes designed to give listeners added insight 

into NEA Jazz Masters and their art. From the more than 175 segments that were created, a compilation of 

48 NEA Jazz Masters is included on the accompanying audio CD, produced by Molly Murphy exclusively for 

the NEA. The CD practically travels the entire history of jazz, from George Avakian discovering the joy of 

Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong on the radio to Ron Carter and Jimmy Cobb sharing their 

different experiences with Miles Davis to Phil Woods talking about how he composes his current works. All 

the Jazz Moments can be found on, and downloaded from, the NEA website at arts.gov. 

 Noted jazz bassist, composer, arranger, educator Christian McBride narrates the segments for 

the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters. McBride is one of the most widely requested session musicians around, 

having worked with everyone from Sonny Rollins and Roy Haynes to D’Angelo and James 

Brown to Sting and Don Henley. In addition he has been leading his own band since 2000. 

He has been named artistic director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions 

and the co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, as well as the second creative chair for jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. 

Newly minted NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis narrates all 

the Jazz Moments with previous NEA Jazz Masters. 
Track Artist

JAZZ MOMENTS

with NEA JAZZ MASTERS

	130	 NEA Jazz Masters, 1982–2011

1. Intro by 

Christian McBride

2011 NEA

Jazz Masters:

2. Hubert Laws

...on the freedom of 

improvisation

3. David Liebman

...on jazz education

4. Johnny Mandel

...harmonizing standards

5. The Marsalis Family

...on Ellis’ teaching style

6. Orrin Keepnews

...on his first recording session 

with Thelonious Monk

Previous NEA

Jazz Masters:

7. Muhal Richard Abrams 

(2010)

...on the influence of blues in 

Chicago

8. Toshiko Akiyoshi (2007)

...forming a big band

9. George Avakian (2010)

...discovering jazz on the radio

10. Kenny Barron (2010)

...working with Yusef Lateef

11. George Benson (2009)

...on why he loves jazz

12. *Dave Brubeck (1999)

...behind the Iron Curtain

13. Ron Carter (1998)

...working with Miles Davis

14. Jimmy Cobb (2009)

...on his first gig with the Miles 

Davis Sextet

15. Buddy DeFranco (2006)

...on the challenge of the clarinet

16. Frank Foster (2002)

...writing “Shining Stockings” 

for Count Basie’s band

17. Curtis Fuller (2007)

...on first seeing J.J. Johnson

18. Jim Hall (2004)

...on technique versus ideas

19. Chico Hamilton (2004)

...on his first gig with 

Duke Ellington

20. Slide Hampton (2005)

...on improvisation

21. Herbie Hancock (2004)

...becoming interested in jazz

22. Roy Haynes (1995)

...on first becoming a drummer

23. Jimmy Heath (2003)

...on music and personality 

and John Coltrane

24. Jon Hendricks (1993)

...on the writing process

25. Nat Hentoff (2004)

...on Billie Holiday’s The 

Sound of Jazz performance

26. Bill Holman (2010)

...starting his own big band

27. *Shirley Horn (2005)

...on Miles Davis

28. Bobby Hutcherson (2010)

...on a special performance with 

Milt Jackson

29. Ahmad Jamal (1994)

...recording “Poinciana”

30. Quincy Jones (2008)

...on early musical mentors

31. Lee Konitz (2009)

...choosing the alto saxophone

32. Yusef Lateef (2010)

...on the process of learning

33. John Levy (2006)

...on his pioneering jazz 

manager experience

34. Ramsey Lewis (2007)

...recording “The ‘In’ Crowd”

35. *Abbey Lincoln (2003)

...on the importance of music

36. Marian McPartland 

(2000)

...getting advice from Duke 

Ellington and Thelonious Monk

37. Dan Morgenstern (2007)

...listening to Symphony Sid

38. Annie Ross (2010)

...writing “Twisted”

39. Jimmy Scott (2007)

...on what makes a great vocalist

40. *Artie Shaw (2005)

...hitting the top C

41. Billy Taylor (1988)

...playing ballads

42. Toots Thielemans (2009)

...on the portability of the 

harmonica

43. McCoy Tyner (2002)

...sharing a piano with Bud 

Powell

44. Rudy Van Gelder (2009)

...being hired by Alfred Lion

45. Cedar Walton (2010)

...joining Art Blakey’s Jazz 

Messenger

46. Frank Wess (2007)

...on Count Basie’s style 

as a bandleader

47. Gerald Wilson (1990)

...on the inspiration for 

“Viva Tirado”

48. Phil Woods (2007)

...on composing

49. *Snooky Young (2009)

...finding his own style

50. Closing Credit by

Christian McBride

* NEA Jazz Master interview from archival tapes, including material from the

Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program; all others from NEA-recorded interviews.
The National Endowment for the Arts was established 

by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the 

federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded 

more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, 

creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals 

and communities. The NEA extends its work through 

partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, 

other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector.
T 

here is general agreement that the United States has 

produced three original art forms: movies, modern dance, and 

jazz. All speak to the genius of American culture. Film is indicative of

our ability to convert new technology into a medium for mass consumption, frequently achieving the status of high art. Modern dance, an indigenous kinesthetic art capable of an unbounded range of expression, 

from treatments of contemporary issues to pure abstraction. And then

there is jazz. 

Jazz lives at the very center of the American vernacular. It is the gift

of the generations of new urban African-American people whose capacity for the synthesis of diverse strains of musical forms brought schottisches, quadrilles, habaneras, and marches into the bases of the blues 

and ragtime to create a whole new way of making music. It was built on

the discipline of collective improvisation, a remarkable skill when you 

think about it, which allowed for maximum expression of the individual 

within the context of the group. Jazz is democratic and virtually without 

hierarchy: the composer is one more collaborator in the group, and even 

bandleaders do not stand above the soloists. 

These qualities are entirely appropriate for what is best about America. The old jazz principle that “you’ve got to make it new” is so American that it could go on the dollar bill. These defining qualities have made 

jazz arguably the United States’ most welcomed cultural export. It has

taken root wherever it has been planted, moving into and becoming a 

part of the cultures of other countries and then becoming an aspect of 

their national expression, in the way that Russian jazz is vastly different

from Afro-Cuban jazz. Some years ago, just after apartheid had fallen,

I heard a young South African ensemble that comprised an Indian pianist, a tabla player, a white female flutist, and a black bassist. Distinct 

traces of each of these musicians’ heritages were audible in their solos, 

yet they performed with intimate ease. I thought, how marvelous that, as

these young people are at a point in history when they can speak to each 

other as equals, jazz provides the vocabulary. 

It is no accident that jazz has been a favored medium of cultural

diplomacy. For decades, Willis Conover’s jazz series on the Voice of 

America kept ears open to the United States Information Agency (USIA)

all over the world. Uncounted numbers of jazz musicians have traveled 

abroad under the auspices of the State Department. Many of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters, such as Dizzy Gillespie,

Randy Weston, and Billy Taylor, have toured the globe as our cultural 

representatives. 

The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships program was created to say to jazz

musicians that their government values the way that they keep our culture 

rich by continually producing such fabulous music. Mastery is a difficult

status to achieve. No creative discipline has more than a few true masters,

for it takes exceptional talent, dedication, hard work, and opportunity 

to become one. NEA Jazz Masters have demonstrated these qualities and 

more. The National Endoment for the Arts is honored to recognize these

great artists for the outstanding contributions they have made to American culture.

––A.B. Spellman

National Endowment for the Arts • 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Washington, DC 20506-0001 • 202.682.5400 • www.arts.gov

not for sale

The Nation’s Highest Honor in Jazz

Cecil Taylor (left) with A.B. Spellman.

Photo by Tom Pich