NEA Announces 2003 Jazz Masters

  I  

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced that saxophonist Jimmy Heath, percussionist Elvin Jones and vocalist Abbey Lincoln will receive the 2003 American Jazz Masters Fellowships. The awards recognize significant contributions to jazz, artistic excellence and impact on the music field. Every year, a panel of experts selects up to three artists from a pool of nominations submitted by the national jazz community and the public. Each artist receives a one-time fellowship of $20,000.

A.B. Spellman, a Deputy Chairman at the Arts Endowment and author of Four Lives in the Bebop Business, made the announcement at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. “The National Endowment for the Arts is honored to recognize these great artists not only for their exceptional talent, dedication and hard work but also for the outstanding contributions they have made to the uniquely American art form that is jazz,” Spellman said.

The American Jazz Masters Fellowship awards will be presented at an Arts Endowment-supported concert on January 10, 2003, in Toronto, Canada during the 30th annual conference of the International Association for Jazz Education. To date, 67 artists have been named American Jazz Masters, among the nation’s most prestigious honors in the jazz field. These jazz masters form an unofficial jazz hall of fame and include Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie.



  • Al_Foster_Marketing.jpg

    Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.

  • kZYVcIag_copy.jpg

    Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.

  • Theo_Croker_by_Bruno_Baretto.jpg

    To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.

  • Kandace_Springs_by_Eli_Sethna_copy.jpg

    “There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”

  • James_Brandon_Lewis_by_Julien_Vonier_lo-res.jpeg

    James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.


On Sale Now
August 2025
Anthony Braxton
Look Inside
Subscribe
Print | Digital | iPad