Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Next Jazz Legacy is a national apprenticeship and mentorship program designed to elevate emerging jazz improvisers.
(Photo: NJL)New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice have announced the opening of applications for the 2026 cohort of Next Jazz Legacy. Applications for the fifth cycle of Next Jazz Legacy will be accepted through Oct. 31.
Next Jazz Legacy is a national apprenticeship and mentorship program designed to elevate emerging jazz improvisers. The program’s mission is to increase opportunities for musicians who will contribute to a vibrant and inclusive jazz future, and to create waves of lasting change that benefit the whole jazz community.
The program invests in its awardees through a comprehensive support package that includes intergenerational apprenticeships and mentorship, showcases, cohort learning and an unrestricted grant that contributes to awardees’ creative and professional development.
Next Jazz Legacy is a partnership between New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, supported by $1.25 million in funding from the Mellon Foundation. Next Jazz Legacy welcomes applications from musicians of all gender and sexual identities to achieve the goal of true gender diversity in the field.
Terri Lyne Carrington is the program’s artistic director. It was launched in 2021 and continues under Carrington’s leadership as founder and artistic director of the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. NJL’s network of mentors has included Bobby McFerrin, Nicole Mitchell, Chris Potter, Esperanza Spalding, Brandee Younger, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Marcus Miller, among others.
“As Next Jazz Legacy moves into its fifth year, I look forward to building upon the program’s momentum by continuing to provide incredible emerging musicians with on-stage apprenticeship and mentorship opportunities,” Carrington said. “This focus on mentorship both on and off stage helps the growing community of Next Jazz Legacy awardees propel their careers forward and ensure a more inclusive jazz future, which will benefit all.”
In addition to mentorship, NJL awardees receive a $10,000 unrestricted grant, a one-year performance apprenticeship, access to peer-learning cohorts led by Carrington and other jazz innovators, and networking opportunities through partnerships with major cultural institutions such as New York’s Winter Jazzfest and the DC Jazz Festival. They also participate in a 12-week Berklee Online course and gain promotional opportunities, including artist profile films and showcase performances.
Next Jazz Legacy has impacted the careers of 30 artists, engaged 87 bandleaders and mentors, and continues to grow its footprint in the jazz community. To date, the program has allocated $808,000 directly to artists, convened 358 creative and business mentorship sessions, facilitated 174 apprenticeship sessions and organized 24 cohort learning sessions. The program also provides additional visibility through NJL Artist Profile Films, panel discussions at Jazz Congress and BRIC Festival, and showcase performances at renowned festivals such as the Winter Jazzfest, the Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center, the Angel City Jazz Festival and the DC Jazz Festival.
Interested artists can CLICK HERE to visit the program’s website and apply. DB
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
Feb 19, 2026 10:39 AM
Jazz camps have exploded around the globe as a summertime tradition for working on your chops and making new friends.…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
Mar 2, 2026 9:48 PM
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
