The 2024 class of NEA Jazz Masters will be celebrated through free events in D.C. April 11-14 in recognition of Jazz Appreciation Month.
Gary Bartz, Terence Blanchard, Amina Claudine Myers, and D.C.-area resident Willard Jenkins are honored as the National Endowment for the Arts continues a tradition of more than 40 years of celebrating the best in jazz. Bartz, Blanchard, and Myers will receive the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. Jenkins will receive the 2024 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy.
“Jazz is one of our nation’s most significant artistic contributions to the world, and the NEA is proud to recognize individuals whose creativity and dedication ensure that the art form continues to evolve and inspire new audiences and practitioners,” said NEA Chair Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson.
Jenkins is currently the artistic director of the DC Jazz Festival and host of the “Ancient/Future” program on DC’s WPFW Radio. He was also the editor of “Ain’t But a Few of Us: Black Music Writers Tell Their Story,” a compilation of his interviews with Black music critics. Jenkins is an authority on the D.C. and national jazz scenes. On April 11, Jenkins will lead a free discussion titled “Music Careers, Beyond the Bandstand” at Howard University.
Since the 1960s, Bartz, an alto saxophonist and two-time Grammy winner, has worked with luminaries such as Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis. He has released more than 45 solo albums and appeared on more than 200 as a guest artist.
Blanchard is a seven-time Grammy winner who has been a consistent artistic force for over 40 years. His creative vision is boundless, from Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers to writing scores for Spike Lee to conceiving grand operas and collaborating with dance companies.
Myers is a skilled composer of voice and instruments, often rooted in her gospel influences. In the 1970s, she shifted her compositional work to take on theatrical production projects.
The main event for the 2024 NEA Jazz Masters is a free concert on April 13 at the Kennedy Center featuring the honorees performing with special guests. A live webcast and radio broadcast will also be available for this event.
Other free events include an “NPR Listening Party” with the 2024 NEA Jazz Masters on the morning of April 13, hosted by DC Jazz Festival President and CEO Sunny Sumter, who will use music from honoree’s careers to tell their stories. On April 14, there will be a screening of a documentary about artist Frederick J. Brown’s Soho loft studio in New York in the 1960s and 1970s, followed by a panel with Blanchard and artist Bentley Brown.
Though free, tickets must be obtained for these events. Complete details are on the NEA website.