Jazz musicians frequently don’t get the props they deserve. So programs like the Jazz Journalists Association’s annual JJA Awards are more valuable than ever in bringing attention to the significant voices in the genre (particularly with one of America’s three long-running, mass circulation jazz periodicals having overnight turned into an irrelevant, amateurish fanzine, consequently destroying a valuable resource).
Honors this year go to veterans like saxophonist, flutist and composer Charles Lloyd, left, along with such newcomers as fast-rising singer Samar Joy — all are making laudatory contributions to the jazz genre. Awards will be presented June 10 during a unique interactive online gala.
Without further ado, here are the winners in the performance and recording category of this year’s JJA Awards, as determined by the group’s professional voting members:
Charles Lloyd — Lifetime Achievement Award & Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
Terri Lyne Carrington, drummer and composer — Musician of the Year & Record of the Year (“New Standards, Vol. 1”)
Samara Joy, below — Upcoming Musician of the Year & Female Vocalist of the Year
Miguel Zenon, saxophonist and composer — Composer of the Year
Maria Schneider, composer, arranger and orchestra leader — Arranger of the Year
Ahmad Jamal, pianist and composer — Historical Record of the Year for “Emerald City Nights” (Elemental Music)
Smoke Sessions Records — Record Label of the Year
Zev Feldman — Recording Producer of the Year
Kurt Elling — Male vocalist
The Manhattan Transfer — Vocal group
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra — Large ensemble
Christian McBride’s New Jawn — Mid-sized ensemble
Fred Hersch/Esperanza Spalding — Duo of the Year
Jeremy Pelt – trumpeter
Steve Turre — trombonist
Steven Bernstein – brass specialist
Immanuel Wilkins — alto saxophonist
James Carter — baritone saxophonist
Dave Liebman — soprano saxophonist
Roscoe Mitchell — multiple reeds player
Anat Cohen — clarinetist
Nicole Mitchell — flutist
Bill Frisell, left — guitarist
Tomeka Reid — strings player
Emmet Cohen — pianist
Robert Glasper — keyboardist
Linda May Han Oh — bassist
John Patitucci — bass guitarist
Brian Blade – drummer
Zakir Hussain — percussionist
Joel Ross — mallet percussionist
Brandee Younger, harpist — player of instruments rare in jazz
Val Jeanty, turntablist, electronic music composer — electronics specialist
Here’s the completist list of winners and nominees in all performance and recording categories. Look for my separate post on the 2023 winners in jazz journalism.
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Jazzlands 