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Endowment National for the Arts NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS The National Endowment for the Arts is the largest annual hinder ofthe arts in the United States. An NEA independent federal agency, the is the official arts organization of the United States government, dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Endowment National for the Arts America's Highest Honor in Jazz Digitized by the Internet Archive 2012 with funding from in Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries http://archive.org/details/neajazzmastersamOOnati A Message from the Chairman Since its creation in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts has worked to further one ofthe country's greatest artistic — inventions jazz. The Arts Endowment's first grant in the jazz field went to George Russell (who became an NEA Jazz Master in 1990), one ofthe great jazz composers and theorists who helped to further jazz not only musically but academically. Since that first grant, funding has exploded from an annual budget of$20,000 in 1970 to more than $2.8 million in 2005. Our premier program in jazz is the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships. In 1982, the NEA created this lifetime achievement award to recognize and reward jazz musicians who have had a major impact on the art form. Since then, 87 ofjazz's greatest living artists have been honored as NEA Jazz Masters and during this time, the award has come to be regarded as the nation's highest honor in jazz. To further expand the audiences for jazz, the Arts Endowment expanded the NEA Jazz Masters initiative to include three significant new components: NEA Jazz Masters on Tour, which brings awardees to various venues throughout all 50 states; NEA Jazz in the Schools, a curriculum for high school students that explores jazz as an art form and way to understand American history, developed in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center and with support from the Verizon Foundation; and a broadcasting program to provide greater public access to this great American art form on both television and radio. The National Endowment for the Arts believes these musicians and this music deserve the greatest possible recognition. The musicians who have won this award have not only shared then art with U.S. audiences, but have spread this intrinsically American music all over the world. Jazz may well be considered America's most influential and distinguished musical export, and these NEA Jazz Masters are the eminent ambassadors who promote and practice this vibrant and vital part ofour nation's cultural heritage. H^^ QUAfc Dana Gioia Chairman National Endowmentforthe Arts Table of Contents Introduction 1 A Brief History of the Program 3 Program Overview 5 2006 NEA Jazz Masters 7 NEA Jazz Masters 1982-2005 (Year Fellowship Awarded) David Baker (2000) 16 Danny Barker (1991) 17 Count Basie (1983) 18 Louie Bellson(1994) 19 Art Blakey(1988) 20 Cleo Brown (1987) 21 Ray Brown (1995) 22 Dave Brubeck (1999) 23 Kenny Burrell (2005) 24 Donald Byrd (2000) 25 Benny Carter (1986) 26 Betty Carter (1992) 27 Ron Carter (1998) 28 Kenny Clarke (1983) 29 Buck Clayton (1991) 30 Ornette Coleman (1984) 31 Miles Davis (1984) 32 Dorothy Donegan (1992) 33 Paquito D'Rivera (2005) 34 Sweets Edison (1992) 35 Roy Eldridge (1982) 36 Gil Evans (1985) 37 Art Farmer (1999) 38 Ella Fitzgerald (1985) 39 Tommy Flanagan (1996) 40 Frank Foster (2002) 41 Dizzy Gillespie (1982) 42 Benny Golson (1996) 43 Dexter Gordon (1986) 44 Jim Hall (2004) 45 Chico Hamilton (2004) 46 Lionel Hampton (1988) 47 Slide Hampton (2005) 48 ferbie lancock (2004) 49 I l NEA Jazz Masters Barry Harris (1989) 50 Roy Haynes (1995) 51 Jimmy Heath (2003) 52 Percy Heath (2002) 53 Joe Henderson (1999) 54 Luther Henderson (2004) 55 Jon Hendricks (1993) 56 Nat Hentoff(2004) 57 Billy Higgins (1997) 58 Milt Hinton (1993) 59 Shirley Horn (2005) 60 Milt Jackson (1997) 61 Ahmad Jamal (1994) 62 Johnson (1996) 63 J.J. Elvin Jones (2003) 64 HankJones (1989) 65 Jo Jones (1985) 66 Andy Kirk (1991) 67 John Lewis (2001) 68 Abbey Lincoln (2003) 69 MelbaListon(1987) 70 Jackie McLean (2001) 71 Marian McPartland (2000) 72 Carmen McRae (1994) 73 Jay McShann (1987) 74 James Moody (1998) 75 Anita O'Day (1997) 76 Max Roach (1984) 77 Sonny Rollins (1983) 78 George Russell (1990) 79 Artie Shaw (2005) 80 Wayne Shorter (1998) 81 Horace Silver (1995) 82 Jimmy Smith (2005) 83 Sun Ra (1982) 84 Billy Taylor (1988) 85 Cecil Taylor (1990) 86 Clark Terry (1991) 87 McCoy Tyner (2002) 88 Sarah Vaughan (1989) 89 George Wein (2005) 90 Rand) Weston(20Q1) 91 Joe Williams (1993) 92 Gerald Wilson (1990) 93 Nancy Wilson (2004) 94 fedd) Wilson (1986) 95 NEA Jazz Masters by Year 97 N. ri Introduction THERE IS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT THE These qualities are entirely appropriate for what United States has produced three original art is best about America. The old jazz principle that forms: movies, modern dance, and jazz. All "you've got to make it new" is so American that it speak to the genius ofAmerican culture. Film is could go on the dollar bill. These defining qualities indicative ofour ability to convert new technology have made jazz arguably the United States' most wel- into a medium for mass consumption, frequently comed cultural export. It has taken root wherever it achieving the status ofhigh art. Modern dance, has been planted, moving into and becoming a part an indigenous kinesthetic art capable ofan ofthe cultures of other countries and then becoming unbounded range ofexpression, from treatments an aspect oftheir national expression, in the way ofcontemporary issues to pure abstraction. that Russian jazz is vastly different from Afro-Cuban And then there is jazz. jazz. Some years ago, just after apartheid had fallen, Jazz lives at the very center ofthe American I heard a young South African ensemble that com- vernacular. It is the gift ofthe generations ofnew prised an Indian pianist, a tabla player, a white urban African American people whose capacity female flutist, and a black bassist. Distinct traces of for the synthesis ofdiverse strains ofmusical forms each ofthese musicians' heritages were audible in brought schottisches, quadrilles, habaneras, and their solos, yet they performed with intimate ease. marches into the bases ofthe blues and ragtime to I thought, how marvelous that, as these young peo- create a whole new way of making music. It was ple are at a point in history when they can speak to built on the discipline ofcollective improvisation, each other as equals, jazz provides the vocabulary. a remarkable skill when you think about it, which It is no accident that jazz has been a favored allowed for maximum expression of the individual medium ofcultural diplomacy. For decades, Willis within the context ofthe group. Jazz is democratic Conover's jazz series on the Voice of America kept and virtually without hierarchy: the composer is one ears open to the United States Information Agency more collaborator in the group, and even bandleaders (I JSIA) all over the world. Uncounted numbers do not stand above the soloists. ol jazz musicians have traveled abroad under the NEA Jazz Masters auspices ofthe State Department. Many ofthe opportunitv to become one. NEA Jazz Masters National Endowmenl lor the Arts Jazz Masters, such have demonstrated these qualities and more. The as Dizzy Gillespie, Randy Weston, and Billy Taylor, National Endowment for the Arts is honored to ba\ e toured the globe as our cultural representatives. recognize these great artists for the outstanding The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships program was contributions thev have made to American culture. created to say to jazz musicians that their government values the way that they keep our culture rich by continually producing such fabulous music. A. B. Spellman Mastery is a difficult status to achieve. No creative Poet and Author, FourJazzLives discipline has more than a few true masters, for it Former Deputy Chairman for Guidelines & Panel Operations takes exceptional talent, dedication, hard work, and National Endowmentforthe Arts NKA 2 -\.\jj. rVLifltera