In this troubling time, as the world fights a pandemic, the Jazz Journalists Association is proud to celebrate the hearts, souls and efforts of 27 "activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz" in 23 U.S. cities as the organization's 2020 Jazz Heroes. Heroes this year hail from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama, Boston to Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, Charlotte to South Florida, and points in between. Public presentations to the Heroes of their engraved statuettes will be delayed until such gatherings are safe.
These Jazz Heroes are united by their devotions to put jazz into the public sphere, for all to enjoy. They are presenters, educators, journalists, broadcasters, non-profit administrators, public faces of grassroots organizations and in several cases active players who have developed, sustained and helped document America's native-born music in their local communities and beyond. View the complete list of honorees, with photo portraits and biographies, here.
The Jazz Journalists Association, a nonprofit professional organization of writers, photographers, videographers and broadcasters covering jazz, established its Jazz Heroes campaign in 2010, having since 2001 called the honorees members of the JJA "A Team." The JJA presents annual Jazz Awards for excellence in music and music journalism; nominees for 2020 Jazz Awards will be announced mid-April, with winners of those Awards revealed on or about May 1.
Entities collaborating on the 2020 Heroes campaign include Ars Nova (Philadelphia), the Birmingham Jazz Hall of Fame, B Sharps Jazz Club, Braithwaite and Katz Communications, the California Jazz Foundation, and Jazziz magazine. The JJA thanks them for their participation and support.
Entities collaborating on the 2020 Heroes campaign include Ars Nova (Philadelphia), the Birmingham Jazz Hall of Fame, B Sharps Jazz Club, Braithwaite and Katz Communications, the California Jazz Foundation, and Jazziz magazine. The JJA thanks them for their participation and support.
