[jja-announce] bar mitzvah of the Jazz Awards

[howard Mandel]

Dear JJA members and colleagues --

Ballot chairman Chris Kelsey and I have just corrected the 2009  
nominations ballot, which you can download from

http://jazzhouse.org/JazzAwardBallot.rtf

If you are a full professional (as distinct from student or support  
member) of the JJA, please fill it out with as many as five nominees  
in each category. The "year" of jazz excellence celbrated by the  
awards began March 1, 2008 and ends March 1, 2009 -- keep that in mind  
regarding record releases dates in "best album" categories.

We added a new category: Best Jazz Blog, which will recognize a  
specific blog whether composed by one or more people, as distinct from  
"best jazz website," which is a more broadly encompassing platform or  
umbrella or aggregator.

We've also held back on "Jazz Photo of the Year." A committee is  
discussing how to revise the nomination and voting process on this  
category; more information on this will be forthcoming.

DO NOT SEND THESE BALLOTS TO ME. Send them to: CHKelsey at live.com.

If you have nominations for the "A Team" -- non-musicians or musicians  
who make especially significant marks as "activists, advocates,  
altruists, aiders and abbetors of jazz," send them to me directly at Jazzmandel at jazzhouse.org 
, with "A Team" in the subject line.

Wednesday, June 17 is is set  for the JJA's annual party-fundraiser  
celebrating the 2009 Jazz Awards -- our 13th annual recognition of  
excellence in jazz music creation, presentation and documentation.   
I'm saying its the Awards' bar mitzvah, in the spirit of jazz  
ecumenity being held at the Jazz Standard, which serves the best  
barbeque in town (116 E. 27th St., NYC).  Nominees, presenters and  
sponsors will be invited to the event as well as JJA members, who as  
always are offered specially-priced tickets. Info on how to make  
reservations, who's performing etc. will also follow.

If you want to volunteer to do something regarding the Jazz Awards,  
please let me know. Fred Jung, JJA board member (OCUndrgrnd at aol.com)  
is contemplating a West Coast Jazz Party, and should be contacted with  
your offers of volunteer work to help in that endeavor.

This year the JJA has to be especially creative in discovering  
sponsors who believe in the value of the Jazz Awards and want to be  
associated with it. In past years Jazz Awards sponsors have included  
ASCAP, Arthur Barnes, BETJazz, BMI, Boosey and Hawkes, Blue Note  
Records, Concord Records, Hot House magazine, Iceberg Vodka, J&R Music  
World, the Litchfield Jazz Festival, North Coast Brewing Company  
(Brother Thelonious ale), NYC & Company, Verve Records, WBGO-FM,  
George Wein and Zenph RePerformance. We seek individuals and companies  
whose aims are compatible with the values of the JJA in promoting jazz  
of all forms through journalism in all media. Levels of sponsorship  
available for the Jazz Awards, and sponsor benefits, will be posted  
shortly at Jazzhouse.org. If you think of a firm that would like to  
demonstrate its support for jazz and the JJA by becoming a sponsor of  
the Jazz Awards, please send me contact information and I'll follow up  
with a letter of inquiry.

As JJA members, you can be proud: The Jazz Awards are the ONLY awards  
for jazz excellence by journalists who are on reporting on the music  
as it occurs, independent of any one publication, commercial or  
educational institution. Over the past decade the Jazz Awards have  
championed the most accomplished jazz artists, established and  
emergent, of our time, raised the public and industry profiles of  
writers, broadcasters, photographers, publications, books and  
websites. Jazz Awards events have been held in New York  at Lincoln  
Center's Alice Tully Hall, South Street Seaport, the Knitting Factory,  
Birdland, B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill and the Jazz Standard --  
there have also been Jazz Awards events in Los Angeles, the Monterey  
Peninsula, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Jerusalem.

Music for Jazz Awards parties has been provided by artists including  
Dewey Redman, Jack DeJohnette, Roswell Rudd, Joe Lovano, Hank Jones,  
Chano Domingues, Doug Wamble, Richard Boukas with Jovino Santos Neto,  
Roy Haynes and Kenny Garrett, Roseanna Vitro with Mark Soskin, the  
trio Equal Interest, bands led by Cassandra Wilson, Dave Douglas,  
Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove,  Sy Johnson, Roberta Picket, Ben  
Allison, Ezra Weiss, Nnenna Freelon, Judy Bady, TC III, Igmar Thomas  
and the Cipher, Maurice Brown, Bob Reynolds, Quamon Fowle, Sean Jones,  
the Kate and Matt Miller Quartet, Bobby Bradford Septet, Freddie  
Redd,  the Rodriguez Brothers and Dwight Trible, among others. The  
Jazz Awards have been attended by Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Marian  
McPartland, Ornette Coleman,  Cecil Taylor, Frank Wess, Elvin Jones,  
Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Buddy DeFranco, Phil Woods, Ronnie Cuber,  
Henry Grimes, Ron Carter, Andrew Hill, Kahil El'Zabar, Bobby Sanabria,  
Dr. Lonnie Smith, Bobby Watson, Tierney Sutton, Judi Silvano, Olu  
Dara, Maria Schneider, Jon Faddis, Joe Locke, Ravi Coltrane, Perry  
Robinson, Robin Eubanks, Gary Smulyan, Jimmy and Tootie Heath, Matt  
Wilson, Miguel Zenon, and many other musicians. Comedians Soupy Sales,  
Al Lewis and Dick Gregory, actors Keith David, Avery Brooks and Robert  
Wisdom, authors Rupert Holmes, Jayne Cortez and Edgardo Vega Yunqué  
have been hosts and presenters. Year-by-year histories of the Jazz  
Award and photos from Jazz Awards events, go to Jazzhouse.org and  
search "jazz awards."

Spread news of the Jazz Awards to colleagues not currently affiliated  
with the JJA who may want to join in order to vote (they must do so by  
March 12), to those sponsors you think of, and to everybody else,  
because jazz is best promoted by word of mouth. For further  
information, contact Howard Mandel, jazzmandel at jazzhouse.org.

thanks -- HM

Howard Mandel
jazzmandel at earthlink.net
phone 212 533 9495
mobile 212 533 4952

see my blog:
www.HowardMandel.com
www.ArtsJournal.com/jazzbeyondjazz