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Big Awards Day in Gotham

By Dan Morgenstern
August 25, 2009
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It's been a while since we last met in my Den, so I thought I'd share a very special summer doubleheader with you.

June 16 was a big jazz day in New York. It began in mid-afternoon at the Jazz Standard, with the 13th Annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards. Arriving not long after starting time, I found the joint already jumping with jazz scribes, nominees and acolytes, most of them on line for the club's very good food, doled out buffet style or at the adjacent bar, where Brother Theo's Ale was part of the deal, anything stronger strictly cash.

Conversation was not an option with

Charles Tolliver

trumpet
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Tolliver's big band going full blast. But once their brief set ended, an almost equal level of babble arose, and remained fairly constant throughout, even as awards were presented and softer music performed. To put it bluntly (and I was not alone in this opinion), it was a mighty rude crowd, musicians excepted.

Since there were almost 50 awards, I can't name them all, but among winners present to accept were pianist

Hank Jones

piano
1918 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Jones—also the subject of the winning photo, by John Abbott—trumpeter

Terence Blanchard

trumpet
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Terence Blanchard, trombonist

Roswell Rudd

trombone
1935 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Roswell Rudd, clarinetist

Anat Cohen

clarinet
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Anat Cohen, flutist

Frank Wess

saxophone, tenor
1922 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Wess, altoist

Rudresh Mahanthappa

saxophone, alto
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Rudresh Mahanthappa, baritonist

Gary Smulyan

saxophone, baritone
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Gary Smulyan, violinist

Billy Bang

violin
1947 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Bang, organist

Dr. Lonnie Smith

organ, Hammond B3
1942 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Dr. Lonnie Smith, and bandleader-pianist

Arturo O'Farrill

piano
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Arturo O'Farrill, who won for Best Latin Album; composer-trombonist

George Lewis

trombone
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">George Lewis, whose monumental history of the AACM, A Power Stronger Than Itself, was named Best Book About Jazz, and

George Wein

piano
1925 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">George Wein, Events Producer of the Year.

A bevy of singers gathered around

Mark Murphy

vocals
1932 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Murphy, cited by the JJA and the Jazz Foundation of America for "Special Career Honors for Words with Music," among them Male Singer of the Year

Kurt Elling

vocals
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Kurt Elling, old friend

Sheila Jordan

vocals
1928 - 2025

" data-original-title="" title="">Sheila Jordan,

Roberta Gambarini

vocals
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Roberta Gambarini,

Giacomo Gates

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Giacomo Gates and

Venissa Santi

vocals
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Venissa Santi. Scott Robinson accepted for triple winner

Maria Schneider

composer / conductor

" data-original-title="" title="">Maria Schneider (Composer, Arranger, Large Ensemble), and managed to juggle the three trophies, and son Josh Konitz accepted the Lifetime Achievement award for his father, Lee, while nephew-trombonist

Clifton Anderson

trombone
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Clifton Anderson did the honors for uncle

Sonny Rollins

saxophone
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Rollins, Musician and Tenor saxophonist of the year.

The A Team awardees included Record Man Bruce Lundvall, for whom I was the presenter, an honor and a pleasure—Bruce is one of the best things ever to happen in the record business, soon to become history---and two friends no longer with us, Peter Levinson, author and publicist, and Richard Sudhalter, author and musician. Dick's sister Carol, playing flute and tenor sax, joined Daryl Sherman, piano and vocal, in a musical tribute to her brother that included a fine rendition of "Skylark" that dampened the babble.

Also heard from were Rumanian pianist

Resonance Big Band

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Resonance Big Band, in tandem with guitarist

Andreas Oberg

guitar
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Andreas Oberg. Petrescu sounds like

Oscar Peterson

piano
1925 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Oscar Peterson on steroids. And it was great to see old friend Doug Ramsey, now residing in the state of Washington, and former winner of JJA's Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism, on a rare visit East.

Doug, Ira Gitler, expert blogger Marc Myers and I made our exit to share a car to the next awards happening, starting at 6:00 at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Allen Room—the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame induction ceremony. This is always a class event. It was fun to meet new ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams, and it was a special kick for me to be a presenter again, for

Anat Cohen

clarinet
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Anat Cohen, recipient of the very first Jazz Wall of Fame Prize for composer-performers of special talent. Anat responded with a beautiful clarinet piece, backed by her regulars,

Jason Lindner

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Jason Lindner,

Joe Martin

bass
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Martin and Daniel Freedman on piano, bass and drums. Regina Carter got the ASCAP Foundation Vanguard Award and joined her fiddle with accordion and kora, a long—necked harp lute of the Malinke people of western Africa.

Then came the Wall of Fame inductions. First,

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane, eloquently presented by

John Clayton

bass
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">John Clayton, the evening's emcee, and musically saluted by

Joe Lovano

drums
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Lovano and

Steve Kuhn

piano
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Kuhn.

Tito Puente

drums
1923 - 2000

" data-original-title="" title="">Tito Puente was next, with

Eddie Palmieri

piano
1936 - 2025

" data-original-title="" title="">Eddie Palmieri,

Brian Lynch

trumpet
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Lynch, Carlos Henriques and Vincent Riveria serving up a caloric tribute, and our favorite weather girl, Audrey Puente, among the relatives accepting the trophy. Randy Weston, very much alive, performed in a unique setting for his piano—three horns:

Benny Powell

trombone
1930 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Powell, trombone;

T.K. Blue

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">T.K. Blue, alto sax, and

Billy Harper

saxophone
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Harper, tenor sax, and no rhythm section—and spoke movingly; composer Johnny Mandel, a native New Yorker, was honored by

Karrin Allyson

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Karrin Allyson and accepted in warm and gentle fashion.

Now it was the turn of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Dave, of course, could not be there (his daughter, Deede, accepted), but Jon and Annie, backed by a quartet including pianist

Tardo Hammer

piano
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Tardo Hammer and drummer Jimmy Wormworth, reunited for the first time in years. They opened with "Every Day," then a favorite of mine, "Cloudburst," featured Annie on her famous "Twisted," and finished off with a marvelously swinging "Jumping at the Woodside."

Everyone left in high spirits, and my spies tell me that Annie and Jon repaired to the Metropolitan Room, where she holds forth on Tuesdays, and proceeded to regale another lucky audience. Let's hope they favor us with more reunions.

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