These are the finalist nominees for the 2016 JJA Jazz Awards. Nominees in most categories were chosen by the votes of the Professional Journalist Members of the Jazz Journalists Association. Nominations were made on the basis of work done in calendar year 2015, with the exception of Lifetime Achievement Awards categories, in which nominations are for a lifetime body of work. Members and others were able to submit their own work for consideration in the Photo of the Year category; a committee of JJA Members chose the nominees in that category from among the submissions. Awards will not be made this year in several categories in which insufficient nominations were submitted. Best Cover Art of the Year is a new category this year.
Winners of the 2016 JJA Jazz Awards in all categories will be determined by the votes of JJA Professional Journalist Members; winners in musical categories will be announced here on jjajazzawards.org on May 15. Winners in media categories will be announced at the JJA Media Awards party, a ticketed event, on June 15 in New York City at the Blue Note Jazz Club. For further information about the Awards or becoming an Awards sponsor email jazzawards@jazzjournalists.org'
2016 NOMINEES FOR JAZZ MUSIC/RECORDING AWARDS
Note: We ask that you DO NOT cut-and-paste or copy the nominee 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
1) Lifetime Achievement in Jazz
Bucky Pizzarelli
Charles Lloyd
Chick Corea
Bobby Hutcherson
Henry Threadgill
2) Musician of the Year
Charles Lloyd
Maria Schneider
Vijay Iyer
3) Up and Coming Artist of the Year
Joey Alexander
Kamasi Washington
Tomeka Reid
4) Composer of the Year
Henry Threadgill
Maria Schneider
Rudresh Mahanthappa
5) Arranger of the Year
Arturo O'Farrill
Maria Schneider
Ryan Truesdell
6) Record of the Year
Bird Calls (ACT Music) - Rudresh Mahanthappa
Break Stuff (ECM) - Vijay Iyer Trio
The Epic (Brainfeeder) -- Kamasi Washington
The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare) - Maria Schneider Orchestra
7) Historical Record of the Year
A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters (Impulse-Verve) - John Coltrane
Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol.4 (Sony Legacy) - Miles Davis
Swingin' On The Korner: Live At Keystone Korner (Elemental Music) - Red Garland Trio
The Complete Concert by the Sea ( Sony Legacy) -- Erroll Garner
8) Record Label/Platform of the Year
ECM
Mack Avenue
Motema
Pi
9) Male Vocalist of the Year
Gregory Porter
Jose James
Kurt Elling
10) Female Vocalist of the Year
Cassandra Wilson
Cecile McLorin Salvant
Cyrille Aimée
11) Large Ensemble of the Year
Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra
Maria Schneider Orchestra
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
12) Midsize Ensemble
Charles Lloyd New Quartet
Henry Threadgill Zooid
Kamasi Washington band
Myra Melford Snowy Egret
Rudresh Mahanthappa Bird Calls quintet
13) Trio or Duo
Christian McBride Trio
Fred Hersch Trio
Kenny Barron Trio
Matthew Shipp Trio
Vijay Iyer Trio
14) Trumpeter of the Year
Dave Douglas
Terell Stafford
Terence Blanchard
Tom Harrell
Wadada Leo Smith
15) Trombonist of the Year
Conrad Herwig
Marshall Gilke
Robin Eubanks
Steve Turre
Wycliffe Gordon
16) Multi-reeds Player of the Year
Anat Cohen
Charles Lloyd
Scott Robinson
17) Alto Saxophonist of the Year
Miguel Zenon
Rudresh Mahanthappa
Steve Coleman
18) Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
(Sonny Rollins named Emeritus, Beyond Voting in 2013)
Ted Gioia is a writer, educator and musician. He's published ten nonfiction books, including histories of West Coast jazz, the Delta blues, love songs, work songs, jazz standards, and most recently How To Listen To Jazz. From 2007 to 2010 he was editor of jazz.com; in the 1980s he worked to establish the jazz studies program at Stanford University. He writes for many newspapers and magazines, and blogs frequently on literary as well as musical topics. He is also a columnist for The Daily Beast.
Ted Panken writes for Down Beat, Jazziz, and Jazz Times, among other publications. From 1985 to 2008 he broadcast jazz and creative music on WKCR. He has written more than 600 liner notes, has contributed to the New York Daily News and the now-defunct jazz.com e-zine, has conducted dozens of public interviews for the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and oral histories for the NEA Jazz Masters program. He has posted a large selection of his articles, uncut interviews, and unedited DownBeat Blindfold Tests on his blog, Today Is The Question
Will Friedwald writes about music and popular culture for The Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair. He also is the author of eight books including the award-winning A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, Sinatra: The Song is You, Stardust Melodies, Tony Bennett: The Good Life, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, and Jazz Singing. He has written over 600 liner notes for compact discs, received ten Grammy nominations, and appears frequently on television and other documentaries.
34) Jazz Periodical of the Year
(this new category combines two former categories, Jazz Publication of the Year and Jazz Website of the Year, to reflect recent changes in jazz media.)
