These are the finalist nominees for Performance and Recordings for the 2024 JJA Jazz Awards.
Finalists are those who get the most nominations from professional journalist members of the Jazz Journalists Association in a process that highlights excellence of hundreds of musicians, worldwide.
The nominations are based on work done in calendar year 2023, with the exception of Lifetime Achievement Awards categories, in which nominations are in recognition of a lifetime of music. These Jazz Awards represent a numerical consensus of personal evaluations of voting members of the JJA.
Nominees
Lifetime Achievement in Jazz
Terri Lyne Carrington
b. 1965, Medford, Massachusetts. Drummer-composer-ensemble leader, collaborations with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock among many others, founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, curator/editor of the lead sheets book New Standards.
George Coleman
b. 1935, Memphis, Tennessee. Tenor saxophonist, international touring and recording artist, exemplifying blues, swing to bop, hard-bop and modernist traditions and directions with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Harold Mabern, many others
Jack DeJohnette
b. 1942, Chicago, Illinois. Drummer, pianist, composer, ensemble leader (DeJohnette Complex, Compost, Directions, Special Edition), with Charles Lloyd, Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Jackie McClean, Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny, many more
John McLaughlin
b. 1942, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Electric guitarist, composer-improviser at start of “fusion” with Miles Davis, Tony Williams, his own Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti introducing “world music”, many collaborations
Charles McPherson
b. 1939, Joplin, Missouri; raised in Detroit. Alto saxophonist, composer, collaborator with Charles Mingus (1960 – ‘74), Barry Harris, Eddie Jefferson among others; contributed to soundtrack of Clint Eastwood’s Bird
Roscoe Mitchell
b. 1940, Chicago, Illinois. Multi-instrumentalist (reeds, winds, percussion, bells) improviser-composer, co-founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Space Ensemble, Note Factory, etc; charter member the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, painter
Jazz Musician of the Year
Kris Davis
Samara Joy
Christian McBride
Myra Melford
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Henry Threadgill
Up & Coming Musician of the Year
Zoh Amba
Isaiah Collier
Champian Fulton
Micah Thomas
Isaiah J. Thompson
Composer of the Year
Darcy James Argue
Billy Childs
Maria Schneider
Henry Threadgill
Arranger of the Year
Darcy James Argue
Billy Childs
Steve Lehman
Maria Schneider
Record of the Year
Dynamic Maximum Tension — Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society (Nonesuch Records)
The Winds of Change — Billy Childs (Mack Avenue Records)
Diatom Ribbons Live at Village Vanguard — Kris Davis (Pyroclastic Records)
The Omnichord Real Book — Meshell Ndegeocello (Blue Note Records)
Where Are We — Joshua Redman (Blue Note Records)
Uncle John’s Band — John Scofield (ECM)
Melusine — Cécile McLorin Salvant (Nonesuch Records)
Historical Record of the Year
Evenings At The Village Gate, John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy (Impulse! Records)
Miles Davis in Concert at the Olympia Paris 1957 (Fresh Sounds Records)
Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1966-1968, Ahmad Jamal (Anagram/Elemental Music)
The Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings, Art Pepper (Omnivore Recordings)
You’ve Got to Learn, Nina Simone (Verve Records)
Record Label of the Year
Blue Note Records
Cellar Music Group
ECM
High Note/Savant Records
Mack Avenue Records
Origin Records
Pi Recordings
Pyroclastic Records
Recordings Producer of the Year
Dave Douglas
Zev Feldman
Don Was
Cory Weeds
Male Vocalist of the Year
Kurt Elling
Allan Harris
José James
Gregory Porter
Female Vocalist of the Year
Samara Joy
Champian Fulton
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Veronica Swift
Nicole Zuraitis
Large Ensemble of the Year
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra
Mingus Big Band
Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band
Angelica Sanchez Nonet
Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra
WDR Big Band
Sun Ra Arkestra
Midsize Ensemble of the Year (Trio to Octet)
Artemis
Billy Childs Quartet
Julian Lage Trio with Bill Frisell
Oded Tzur Quartet
John Scofield Trio
Tyshawn Sorey Trio
Duo of the Year
Geri Allen-Kurt Rosenwinkel
Fred Hersch-Esperanza Spalding
Miguel Zenón-Luis Perdomo
Ivo Perelman-Matt Shipp
Trumpeter of the Year
Ambrose Akinmusire
Dave Douglas
Eddie Henderson
Wynton Marsalis
Jeremy Pelt
Terell Stafford
Trombonist of the Year
Michael Dease
Jacob Garchik
Marshall Gilkes
Trombone Shorty
Jennifer Wharton
Brass Specialist of the Year
Theon Cross (tuba)
Marcus Rojas (tuba)
Bob Stewart (tuba)
Alto Saxophonist of the Year
Lakecia Benjamin
Kenny Garrett
Vincent Herring
Charles McPherson
Immanuel WIlkins
Miguel Zenón
Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
Joe Lovano
Chris Potter
Joshua Redman
Walter Smith III
Baritone Saxophonist of the Year
James Carter
Claire Daly
Scott Robinson
Gary Smulyan
Soprano Saxophonist of the Year
Jane Ira Bloom
Jane Bunnett
Dave Liebman
Branford Marsalis
Sam Newsome
Clarinetist of the Year
Don Byron
Anat Cohen
Ben Goldberg
Ken Peplowski
Flutist of the Year
Jamie Baum
Charles Lloyd
Nicole Mitchell
Elena Pinderhughes
Multi-reeds Player of the Year
James Carter
Jeff Coffin
Roscoe Mitchell
Scott Robinson
Guitarist of the Year
Peter Bernstein
Mary Halvorson
Gilad Hekselman
Julian Lage
Pat Metheny
Kurt Rosenwinkel
John Scofield
Bassist of the Year
Ron Carter
Luques Curtis
Dave Holland
Linda May Han Oh
Christian McBride
Electric Bassist of the Year
Stanley Clarke
Christian McBride
Marcus Miller
Esperanza Spalding
Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello or Harp Player of the Year
Zach Brock
Regina Carter
Mark Feldman
Erik Friedlander
Tomeka Reid
Michiyo Yagi
Brandee Younger
Pianist of the Year
Kenny Barron
Emmet Cohen
Kris Davis
Aaron Diehl
Sullivan Fortner
Jason Moran
Keyboardist of the Year
Pat Bianchi
Brian Charette
Herbie Hancock
John Medeski
Tony Monaco
Percussionist of the Year
Hamid Drake
Kahil El’Zabar
Giovanni Hidalgo
Adam Rudolph
Mallet Instrumentalist of the Year
Jason Adasiewicz
Chris Dingman
Joe Locke
Joel Ross
Cecilia Smith
Drummer of the Year
Brian Blade
Johnathan Blake
Joe Farnsworth
Allison Miller
Nasheet Waits
Player of the Year of Instruments Rare in Jazz
Susan Alcorn, pedal steel guitar
Bela Fleck, banjo
Grégoire Maret, harmonica
Scott Robinson, multiple instruments
If you are a 2024 Nominee, or a 2024 Voter, and would like a “badge” to display on your website, email Admin@jazzjournalists.org.
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 welcome coverage and commentary on the list, of course, 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
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