{"id":3074,"date":"2023-04-06T21:25:21","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T01:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=3074"},"modified":"2023-04-06T21:25:41","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T01:25:41","slug":"36-jazz-heroes-in-32-us-cities-and-there-are-many-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2023\/04\/36-jazz-heroes-in-32-us-cities-and-there-are-many-more.html","title":{"rendered":"36 Jazz Heroes in 32 US cities – and there are many more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Jazz Journalists Association announces the 2023 Jazz Heroes<\/a> — “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz,” formerly the A Team — emphasizing as it has annually since 2001 that jazz <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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is culture that comes from the ground up, by individuals crossing all demographic categories, working frequently with others and beyond basic job definitions or profit motives to sustain and spread the vital music born in America. This year the JJA (a non-profit professional organization for journalists covering jazz) is honoring 36 such Heroes in 32 US cities. If we had the capacity, we could do twice that number. Indeed, here’s the Honor Roll of all “A Team” members and Jazz Heroes since the initiative began<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personality profiles and portraits of each Hero, written by members of their communities, are posted at JJAJazzAwards.org<\/a>. Besides being hailed online, which the JJA hopes will interest local media in advancing the human interest elements of stories about neighbors putting themselves out for the sake of creative music, Heroes receive engraved statuettes at events in their localities during the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Heroes, by city: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albuquerque \u00e2\u20ac\u201c <\/strong>Mark Weber<\/a>,<\/strong> radio-show host, writer-photographer, record producer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atlanta \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Dr. Gordon Vernick<\/a>, trumpeter and educator at George State University<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austin \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Pedro Moreno<\/a>, founder of Epistrophy Arts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baltimore \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Eric Kennedy<\/a>, drummer and pre-K-to-college teacher\/mentor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston – Carolyn J. Kelley<\/a>, Jazz All Ways\/Jazz Boston <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronx \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Judith Insell<\/a>, Bronx Arts Ensemble director\/programmer, violist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brooklyn – Andrew Drury<\/a>, drummer, Continuum Arts & Culture <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicago — Carlos Flores<\/a>, Chicago Latin Jazz Festival curator<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleveland – Gabriel Pollack<\/a>, Bop Stop, Cleveland Museum of Art<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dallas \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Freddie Jones<\/a>, trumpeter, founder of Trumpets4Kids<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denver – Tenia Nelson<\/a>, keyboardist-educator, A Gift of Jazz board member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detroit \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Rodney Whitaker<\/a>, bassist and educator<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hartford \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Joe Morris<\/a>, guitarist\/mentor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indianapolis \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Herman \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Butch\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Slaughter and Kyle Long<\/a>, preservationists on radio<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles \u00e2\u20ac\u201c LeRoy Downs and Frederick Smith, Jr.<\/a>, Just Jazz media partners<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minneapolis-St. Paul \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Janis Lane-Ewart<\/a>, public radio stalwart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missoula \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Naomi Moon Siegel<\/a>, trombonist, Lakebottom Sounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Hampshire-Vermont Upper Valley \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Fred Haas and Sabrina Brown<\/a>, Interplay Jazz & Arts Camp<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morristown \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Gwen Kelley<\/a>, HotHouse magazine publisher<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Orleans \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Luther S. Gray<\/a>, percussion and parade culture preservationist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York City \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Brice Rosenbloom<\/a>, Boom Collective producer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philadelphia \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Homer Jackson<\/a>, Executive Director, Philadelphia Jazz Project<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pittsburgh  Gail Austin and Mensah Wali<\/a>, founders of the Kente Arts Alliance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portland OR \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Yugen Rashad<\/a>, host at KBOO community radio<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco Bay Area \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Jesse \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chuy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Valera<\/a>, Latin jazz maven, KSCM host<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Juan \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Ramon V\u00c3\u00a1zquez<\/a>, bassist and community organizer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Jose \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Brendan Rawson<\/a>, Executive Director San Jose Jazz, producer of Ukraine exchange project<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarasota \u00e2\u20ac\u201c <\/strong>Ed Linehan<\/a>, Sarasota Jazz Club president<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seattle \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Eugenie Jones<\/a>, singer-songwriter, Music for a Cause<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Fredrick J. Berry<\/a>, trumpeter-educator, College of San Mateo + Stanford Jazz Orchestra<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C. \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Charlie Young III<\/a>, coordinator Instrumental Jazz Studies, Howard Univ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilmington NC \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Sandy Evans<\/a>, North Carolina Jazz Festival, Jazz Lovers newsletter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information about the campaign, part of the JJA’s programs aligning with Jazz Appreciation Month and International Jazz Day, is reported at JJANews.org<\/a>. One exciting tidbit is that the JJA’s 2023 Jazz Heroes were announced on April 6 — 100 years to the day after King Joe Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band with Louis Armstrong recorded an early high of jazz development, the classic “Dipper Mouth Blues.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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