| WINNERS | |
|---|---|
| Jazz Journalists Awards | |
| Stanley Dance | Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism |
| Gary Giddins | Excellence in Print |
| Dr. Billy Taylor | Excellence in Broadcast |
| William Gottlieb | Excellence in Photography |
| Visions In Jazz (Gary Giddins) | Book of the Year |
| Mingus - Triumph of the Underdog | Film/Video of the Year |
| Jazz Times | Periodical/Website of the Year |
| Bell Atlantic 1999 Jazz Awards (ballots to 450 jazz journalists, 100 member industry coalition, 150 musicians nominated last year and this year) | |
| Sonny Rollins | Lifetime Achievement |
| Dave Douglas | Musician of the Year |
| Gershwin's World, Herbie Hancock | Album of the Year |
| Dave Douglas | Composer of the Year |
| Cloud of Red Dust, Stefon Harris | Recording Debut of the Year |
| Dave Holland Quintet | Combo of the Year |
| Mingus Big Band | Big Band of the Year |
| 1965-68 Miles Davis Quintet | Reissue of the Year |
| Olu Dara | Stylistic Fusion Artist/Band of the Year |
| Pat Metheny | Radio Friendly Jazz Artist of the Year |
| Dave Douglas | Innovator/Explorer of the Year |
| Dave Douglas | Trumpeter of the Year |
| Kenny Garrett | Alto Saxophonist of the Year |
| Joe Lovano | Tenor Saxophonist of the Year |
| Steve Lacy | Other Reed Instrumentalist of the Year |
| Steve Turre | Trombonist of the Year |
| Kenny Barron | Pianist of the Year |
| Bill Frisell | Guitarist of the Year |
| Dave Holland | Bassist of the Year |
| Billy Higgins | Drummer of the Year |
| Milt Jackson | Vibraphonist/Percussionist of the Year |
| Regina Carter | Performer on Unusual Instrument (for Jazz) of the Year |
| Andy Bey | Male Singer of the Year |
| Cassandra Wilson | Female Singer of the Year |
| Mingus Big Band | Band on Tour of the Year |
| A letter from Stanley Dance's son, Fran | |
| Dear Jazz Journalists Association members, Howard and
Royal,
On behalf of my mother, Helen Oakley Dance, and my sisters and brother, the Dance family is honored to accept the first Jazz Journalist Association Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of my father's accomplishments and contributions. Not only does this award honor him, but also the musicians that he admired and tirelessly advocated. In this centenary of Edward "Duke" Ellington's birth, Dad is surely pleased by the recent outpouring of appreciation and recognition for the legacy that Duke and his band members gave us all. As I reviewed Dad's correspondence after his death on the 23rd of February at the young age of 88, I encountered a note he had written in appreciation to Mr. Walter Allen, author of Hendersonia, the landmark tome on Fletcher Henderson. He wrote, ". . . the older I get, the more I value truth over criticism." To me, this expression reflects my father's unwavering dedication to those musicians and performances that he held to be the very essence of jazz. Dad never tried to be politically correct; he spoke and wrote his mind, occasionally enduring harsh criticism, to which he usually gleefully responded. He held his head high, always believing in himself. Another observation from my father's life is his stalwart dedication to jazz over seven decades. In 1959, the inseparable team of Stanley and Helen Oakley Dance moved their four young children from Stanley's home in Braintree, Essex in England, leaving his conventional career and beloved natural family behind. For the next 40 years, he followed his heart, dedicating himself to his extended family -- that is, the music and musicians he loved. He never got rich with cash, stocks, and bonds, but he was rewarded with much greater treasures: the deep personal relationships he developed with the most creative individuals in jazz and the pleasures of live and recorded performances that brought him deep joy and satisfaction. His message to me and you is clear: follow your heart and be true to yourself. Life is too short to follow others' dreams, even if it ends after just 88 years. Thanks to you and all the members of the Jazz Journalists for honoring my father, Stanley Dance, with this award. Sincerely, his son, | |
June 15, New York - The 1999 Jazz Awards came off splendedly last night, celebrating all jazz musicians and jazz music, as well as some worthy jazz journalists with special awards. It was a loose event, hot and humid in the draperied mall hall where about 500 members of the jazz corps convened on folding chairs; the show, which was being videotaped for broadcast on BET, and including video monitors strewn about, suffered some slight tech glitches and a fair amount of excited chaos. But it was, like last year, a highly gratifying event, too, with great musical numbers (Roy Haynes & Kenny Garrett duet, Equal Interest of Joseph Jarman, Leroy Jenkins and Myra Melford, Terence Blanchard' Quintet, Roy Hargrove's band), a well-paced host (Paul Shaffer), spontaneous presenters (Dewey Redman, Joe Zawinul), humbled winners (Dave Douglas, who took home 4! awards), tasty refreshments (Thai chicken salad, curried rice, fresh-made crepes), a wine and champagne bar that was closed through the show, lots of schmoozing amongs friends and associates, stars beaming through an overcast night.
It began just before sunset on the veranda of the South Street Seaport Atrium, overlooking the East River. With the Manhattan. Williamsburg and 59th St. bridges as a backdrop, I announced winners of the Jazz Journalists Association's awards for excellence, and presented them with their engraved crystal pyramid awards:
- Gary Giddins, receiving the Helen Oakley Dance/Robert Palmer Award for excellence in print
- William Gottlieb, receiving the Lona Foote/Bob Parent Award for excellence in photography,
- Dr. Billy Taylor, receiving the Marian McPartland/Willis Conover Award for excellence in broadcasting.
- Sue Mingus accepted the award for Best Jazz Film/Video of the Year for the documentary: "Mingus -- Triumph of the Underdog"
- Lee Mergener accepted the award for Best Publications/Website for monthly JazzTimes magazine.
- Visions of Jazz (Oxford University Press) by Gary Giddins won the award for Jazz Book of the Year.
- Stanley Dance was honored, posthumously, with a Lifetime Achievement Award; it was accepted by his son, Francis Dance.
The Knitting Factory also came through with physical awards to deliver to our winners of last year: Whitney Balliet for excellence in print, William Claxton for excellence in photography, and Marian McPartland for excellence in broadcast. I handled this as expeditiously as possible, but took time to mention that the deaths of Stanley Dance, Euguene Kalbacher (editor-publisher of Hot House, a NY/NJ-based publication) and Jamil "J.B." Figi, noted Chicago jazz historian and poet, have been a loss to everyone in our field, among others beyond it.
Then we entered the atrium and settled in for the 2-plus hour presentations, which were like much of the family, one by one but each thinking "At last!", climbing onstage, grabbing a mike and televising their smiles. All the winners are listed below -- but not all the nominees (they're listed still on the www.jazzhouse.org bulletin board), and not all the musicians, devoted listeners and serious jazz business people who seemed pleased to be involved. The presenters and awardees were sometimes interchangeable -- Andy Bey got his award from Cassandra Wilson, Cassandra Wilson got her award from Andy Bey. But to see Brecker brothers Michael and Randy together, or Herbie Hancock receiving a well-deserved honor for Gershwin's World, Milt Hinton, Lou Donaldson, Milt Jackson and Stefon Harris, Steve Lacy, Diane Hubka and Steve Slagle and Bob Belden and Bob Porter, Dan Morgenstern, Ira Gitler, Lee Jeske, Nat Hentoff, Willard Jenkins and Suzan Jenkins, Drew Wheeler, Bill Milkowski, Bruce Lundvall, Larry Blumenfeld, Bob Blumenthal, Sharony Andrews Green, Mary Fiance Fuss from Jazz@Lincoln Center, Al Pryor, Don Lucoff, George Wein -- dozens of other folks -- Zawinul hugging Wayne Shorter, and repeating in wonder, "I haven't seen this guy for four years, to see him again makes it one of the best nights of my life!" -- this was a blast.
It took some work: besides chairing the phone committee that designed the Awards ballot (which could yet be tweaked, and will be) and supervising the nominations process (including tabulating the votes of JJA members), I also contributed to the final balloting process (we created labels for jazz journalists including all JJA members and another 200 more), and, in collaboration with James Hale (and sans financial compensation) wrote the script Paul Shaffer used to introduce the presenters. But a lot of us worked on it -- Neil Tesser, Karen Bennett, Art Lange, Dan Ouellette, Thierry Permarti, James Hale, Ron Sweetman, among many others with ideas for the ballot; Arnold Jay Smith and Don Lucoff at laborious public relations duties; Whit Blauvelt on the JJA website, Michelle Mercer posting fest reports and helping give the awards away; Jimmy Katz and his wife Dini photographing the congregation of nominees, Mary Noelle (Mano) and her staff at the Knitting Factory, including Dan Binderman, Jennifer, everyone there.
Incidently: A giant-sized check made out from Knit Media to the Jazz Foundation of America in the amount of $10,000 was presented onstage by Knitting Factory principal Michael Dorf to JFA chairman Herb Stouffer. They'll use it to create a program named in honor of Thomas Chapin that will provide funds for emergency and supplimental health care to younger musicians.
I'm sure there were problems, but I didn't pay much attention to them. And yes, if the JJA wants to continue to this collaboration with the Knitting Factory, I'm willing to represent us in the effort again next year, for sure.
C o m m e n t s
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