2016 JJA Jazz Awards WINNERS

Congratulations to all the winners of the 20th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards  listed below. Professional Journalist Members of the JJA made open nominations in a first selection round; those who received the most nominations advanced to the final ballot.
2016 Nominees in all categories

Awards shown in photo are for 2014.

2016 JJA Jazz Awards for Musical Achievement

Note: We ask that you  DO NOT cut-and-paste or copy the winners list into your own blog or site, please link to this page instead. We, of course, welcome coverage and commentary on the list that includes some nominee names. If you blog about or report on the nominees we will be happy to link back to you; please send the URL of your blog post or report to admin@jazzjournalists.org

Lifetime Achievement in Jazz:
Henry Threadgill

Musician of the Year:
Maria Schneider

Up and Coming Artist of the Year:
Kamasi Washington





Composer of the Year:
Maria Schneider





Arranger of the Year:
Maria Schneider

 Record of the Year:
The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Maria Schneider Orchestra

Historical Record of the Year:
The Complete Concert By The Sea (Columbia/Legacy)
Erroll Garner

Record Label/Platform of the Year:
Motéma Music




Male Singer of the Year:
Gregory Porter





Female Singer of the Year:
Cecile McLorin Salvant

Large Ensemble of the Year:
Maria Schneider Orchestra

Midsize Ensemble of the Year: 
Myra Melford's Snowy Egret

Trio or Duo of the Year:
Vijay Iyer Trio

Trumpeter of the Year:
Wadada Leo Smith

Trombonist of the Year:
Wycliffe Gordon




Multi-reeds Player of the Year:
Anat Cohen

Alto Saxophonist of the Year:
Rudresh Mahanthappa

Tenor Saxophonist of the Year:
Charles Lloyd



Baritone Saxophonist of the Year:
Gary Smulyan




Soprano Saxophonist of the Year:
Jane Ira Bloom




Flutist of the Year:
Nicole Mitchell




Clarinetist of the Year:
Anat Cohen

Guitarist of the Year:
Mary Halvorson

Pianist of the Year:
Fred Hersch

Keyboards player of the Year:
Craig Taborn




Bassist of the Year:
Christian McBride




Violinist/Violist/Cellist of the Year: 
Regina Carter




Percussionist of the Year:
Pedrito Martinez

Mallets Instrumentalist of the Year:
Joe Locke

Traps Drummer of the Year:
Jack DeJohnette

Player of Instruments Rare 
in Jazz of the Year:
Scott Robinson, various



Electronics Player of the Year:
Jason Lindner



Each of these 2016 JJA Jazz Award winners will receive the Award at one of his or her upcoming performances.

2016 JJA Jazz Awards for Journalism and Media

Winners in the following categories were announced at the JJA Jazz Awards Party on June 15, 2016 at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.

Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism
Ted Panken

Ted receives award from JJA President Howard Mandel at Jun 15 Awards party. Photo: Bonnie Johnson. 

Jazz Periodical of the Year
(new category this year; combines the previous Jazz Publication of the Year and Jazz Website of the year categories)
DownBeat

DownBeat Marketing Director Ritchie Deraney accepts the award. Photo: Bonnie Johnson

Jazz Blog of the Year
Ethan Iverson: Do the Math

Ethan Iverson receives his award. Photo: Bonnie Johnson

Jazz Book of the Year
Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth
 (Viking/Penguin Publishing Company), by John Szwed

Robert Palmer-Helen Oakley Dance Award for Excellence in Writing in 2015
Nate Chinen

 Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting in the Year 2015
Linda Yohn WEMU 

Linda Yohn at Jun 15 Awards partyphoto:  Bonnie Johnson. 

Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award for Photography in the Year 2015
Ken Franckling

Jazz Photo of the Year

Patrick Marek- Lucian Dubuis

Jazz Album Art of the Year (new category this year)

Kamasi Washington - The Epic (Brainfeeder)
Photo by Mike Park

2016 Nominees in all categories 

2016 JJA Jazz Heroes were also named  in twenty-three locales around the U.S. 

 
You can help the Jazz Journalists Association continue to get the word out about jazz through programs like the JJA Jazz Awards. Please make a donation. Contributions of any size, no matter how small, are gratefully accepted. Or become a JJA Member. Membership is open to jazz musicians, educators, presenters, promoters, publishers or anyone who wants to support our work as well as professional jazz journalists. For further information contact President@JazzJournalists.org Thanks.