Congratulations to the 2021 Winners for Jazz Performance and Recordings, of the 25th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards. Professional journalist members of the JJA made open nominations in a first-selection round; those who received the most nominations advanced to the finalists’ ballot, and JJA’s professional members voted on them to arrive at these honorees.
Our congratulations, of course, to all the 2021 Nominees for Performance Performance & Recording in all categories. And please click the photos to expand them — some wonderful images here reward much larger presentation.
The 2021 JJA Jazz Awards was made possible with support from Joyce & George Wein Foundation, Jazz Foundation of America, Century Media Partners LLC, Festival International du Jazz de Montréal, HighNote Records, Inc./Savant Records, Inc., Carolyn McClair Public Relations, Jazz Promo Services, and Braithwaite & Katz Communications.
Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz
RON CARTER
NEA Jazz Master, bassist
Photo by Betti Niemeyer
Nominees: Roscoe Mitchell, Charles Lloyd, Pharoah Sanders
Musician of the Year
TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON
Drummer, composer, producer, educator
Photo by Lauren Deutsch
Nominees: Maria Schneider, Charles Lloyd, William Parker
Up & Coming Musician of the Year
EMMET COHEN
Jazz pianist, composer
Photo by John Abbott
Nominees: Nubya Garcia, Immanuel Wilkins, Lakecia Benjamin
Composer of the Year
MARIA SCHNEIDER
NEA Jazz Master, composer, orchestra leader
Nominees: Carla Bley, Ingrid Laubrock, Rob Mazurek, Ambrose Akinmusire
Arranger of the Year
MARIA SCHNEIDER
NEA Jazz Master, composer, orchestra leader
Nominees: John Beasley, Jacob Garchik
Record of the Year
DATA LORDS
Maria Schneider (ArtistShare)
Nominees: On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment, by Ambrose Akinmusire  (Blue Note Records); Hero Trio, by Rudresh Mahanthappa (Whirlwind Recordings); 8: Kindred Spirits (Live From the Lobero), by Charles Lloyd (Blue Note Records); Swallow Tales, by John Scofield (ECM Records)
Historical Record of the Year
PALO ALTO
Thelonious Monk (Impulse! Records)
Nominees: Rollins in Holland, by Sonny Rollins (Resonance Records); Just Coolin’, by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (Blue Note Records); @ Bremen 1964 & 1975 , by Charles Mingus (Sunnyside Records); The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings, by Paul Desmond (Mosaic Records); The Lost Berlin Tapes, by Ella Fitzgerald (Verve Records)
Record Label of the Year
RESONANCE RECORDS
Nominees: Blue Note Records, Mack Avenue Records, Pi Recordings, ECM Records, Sunnyside Records
Male Vocalist of the Year
KURT ELLING
Jazz vocalist, songwriter
Photo by Michael Jackson
Nominees: Dwight Trible, Theo Bleckmann, Gregory Porter
Female Vocalist of the Year
CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT
Vocalist, composer, visual artist
Photo by Michael Jackson
Nominees: Veronica Swift, Jazzmeia Horn, Sara Serpa, Thana Alexa
Vocal Group of the Year
DUCHESS
Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Nominees: The Royal Bopsters, säje, Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices
Large Ensemble of the Year
MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA
Photo by Dina Regine
Nominees: Sun Ra Arkestra, Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra, John Beasley MONK’estra, Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Mid-Size Ensemble of the Year
ARTEMIS
From left: Allison Miller, Noriko Ueda, Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Nicole Glover (not pictured Melissa Aldana & Cecile McLorin Salvant)
Photo by Keith Major
Nominees: Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl, Shabaka and the Ancestors, Thumbscrew, Carla Bley Trio
Duo/Trio of the Year
BILL FRISELL & THOMAS MORGAN
Photo by John Rogers/ECM
Nominees: Angelica Sanchez & Marilyn Crispell, Brandee Younger & Dezron Douglas, Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey, Michael Musillami & Peter Madsen
Trumpeter of the Year
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE
Trumpeter, composer
Photo by Michael Jackson
Nominees: Christian Scott aTundé Adjuah, Ron Miles, Jeremy Pelt
Trombonist of the Year
WYCLIFFE GORDON
Jazz trombonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, educator
Nominees: Michael Dease, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes
Brass Specialist of the Year
HOWARD JOHNSON
(d. 1/11/2021) Tuba player, cornetist, flugelhorn, player baritone saxophonist, bass clarinetist
Nominees: Theon Cross, Bob Stewart, Steven Bernstein
Alto Saxophonist of the Year
GARY BARTZ
Saxophonist, composer, bandleader, producer, educator
Photo by Melanie Nañez
Nominees: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Immanuel Wilkins, Lakecia Benjamin, Miguel Zenón, Tim Berne
Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
CHARLES LLOYD
NEA Jazz Master, saxophonist, composer, multi-instrumentalist
Photo by Mark Sheldon
Nominees: JD Allen, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman
Baritone Saxophonist of the Year
SCOTT ROBINSON
Jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist
Nominees: Brian Landrus, Lauren Sevian, Claire Daly, Gary Smulyan
Soprano Saxophonist of the Year
BRANFORD MARSALIS
Saxophonist, composer, bandleader
Photo by Mark Sheldon
Nominees: Jane Ira Bloom, Sam Newsome
Clarinetist of the Year
ANAT COHEN
Jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, bandleader
Photo by Lauren Deutsch
Nominees: Evan Christopher, Ken Peplowski, Ben Goldberg
Multiple Reeds Player of the Year
SCOTT ROBINSON
Jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist
Photo by Bud Glick
Nominees: Anna Webber, Ted Nash
Flutist of the Year
NICOLE MITCHELL
Jazz flutiest, composer, educator
Nominees: Jamie Baum, Charles Lloyd
Guitarist of the Year
BILL FRISELL
Guitarist, composer, arranger
Nominees: Mary Halvorson, Pat Metheny, Peter Bernstein, Jeff Parker
Bassist of the Year
LINDA MAY HAN OH
Bassist, composer
Nominees: Christian McBride, Dave Holland, William Parker, Eric Revis
Electric Bassist of the Year
STEVE SWALLOW
Bassist, composer
Nominees: Derrick Hodge, John Patitucci, Thundercat, Trevor Dunn, Luke Stewart
Strings Player of the Year
BRANDEE YOUNGER
Harpist
Photo by Melanie Nañez
Nominees: Tomeka Reid, Regina Carter, Mark Feldman
Pianist of the Year
KRIS DAVIS
Pianist, composer
Nominees: Brad Mehldau, Carla Bley, Matthew Shipp
Keyboardist of the Year
CHICK COREA
(d. 2/9/2021) Keyboardist, bandleader, composer, percussionist
Photo by Yamaha
Nominees: Craig Taborn, Joey DeFrancesco, Gary Versace, Dr. Lonnie Smith
Percussionist of the Year
PEDRITO MARTINEZ
Percussionist, drummer, singer, dancer, bandleader, songwriter, composer, educator
Photo by Michael Weintrob
Nominees: Cyro Baptista, Zakir Hussain, Adam Rudolph, Roman Diáz
Mallet Percussionist
JOEL ROSS
Vibraphonist, composer
Photo by Melanie Nañez
Nominees: Joe Locke, Patricia Brennan, Warren Wolf, Chris Dingman
Drummer of the Year
TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON
Drummer, composer, producer, educator
Photo by Lauren Deutsch
Nominees: Brian Blade, Johnathan Blake, Eric Harland, Tyshawn Sorey
Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz
SUSAN ALCORN
Pedal steel guitarist, composer
Nominees: Grégoire Maret (harmonica), Brandee Younger (harp)
Electronics Specialist of the Year
KASSA OVERALL
Emcee, singer, producer, drummer
Photo by Spencer Ostrander
Nominees: Ikue Mori, Rob Mazurek, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Jim Baker, Val Jeanty
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2021 SPONSORS
