Jazz Journalists Association 2013 Musician Awards Winners
The Jazz Journalists Association has announced its Musician Awards for 2013. Among the highlights, Wayne Shorter was recipient of an award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz, and Wadada Leo Smith (pictured above) was named Musician of the Year. See the complete lineup of JJA Musician Award winners. Congratulations, all.
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Wadada Leo Smith to Perform Epic emTen Freedom Summers/em in New York
Composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is readying his epic work, Ten Freedom Summers, named one of the three Pulitzer Prize finalists this year, for live performance in New York in the coming week. The entire work will be performed over three consecutive evenings, starting May 1, at Roulette in Brooklyn. (For info on the performances, go here.) In this article in the Chicago Tribune, Howard Reich ponders the significance of the work, both for the Pulitzer Prize process and for American music.
-Nick Moy
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Long-Form Jazz: Out of the Harlem Renaissance
The long-form jazz composition \u2014 spanning the jazz suite and symphonic works - is said to have blossomed during the Harlem Renaissance, as early as James P. Johnson. Duke Ellington grappled with the form for a good part of his career. Composers in the jazz realm often coupled long-form compositions with grand themes in black history. This NPR survey samples five examples of long-form jazz composition, including excerpts from Ellington’s Black Brown and Beige, Oliver Nelson and a haunting piece by Wadada Leo Smith, honoring Rosa Parks.
-Nick Moy
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Vijay Iyer: Five Great Ways to Listen to Wadada Leo Smith
We’re gratified to see the name of Wadada Leo Smith crop up in recent conversation, whether to acknowledge his contributions to long-form composition or to point to his tribute to Rosa Parks. In this post on NPR’s A Blog Supreme, pianist Vijay Iyer recommends five recordings of Wadada Leo Smith \u2014 including “Rosa Parks” \u2014 that you should check out. NPR provides the click buttons.
-Nick Moy
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