Jan 24, 2023 11:48 AM
Remembering Jeff Beck
One of an iconic triumvirate of ’60s rock guitar gods, along with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck set the…
Matana Roberts is among the recipients of the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Awards for jazz.
(Photo: Paula Court)Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, saxophonist Matana Roberts and pianist Fred Hersch are among the jazz artists recognized as recipients of the fifth annual Doris Duke Artist Awards, presented by The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF).
Appointed in recognition of an artist’s ongoing contribution to the fields of dance, jazz and theater, awardees will each receive $275,000 in flexible, multi-year funding as well as financial and legal counseling, professional development activities and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
This year, a total of eight jazz artists were honored with the prestigious award. Other winners in the jazz category include trumpeter Dave Douglas, pianist-composer Wayne Horvitz, pianist Jason Moran, multi-instrumentalist Jen Shyu and reedist Henry Threadgill, who in April won a Pulitzer Prize for music for his album In For A Penny, In For A Pound (Pi).
With the 2016 class, DDCF will have awarded approximately $27.7 million to 101 noteworthy artists.
According to its website, the mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to support the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well-being through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of philanthropist Doris Duke’s properties.
“In the pantheons of guitar players, Jeff was the chosen one,” said Steve Vai of the late Jeff Beck.
Jan 24, 2023 11:48 AM
One of an iconic triumvirate of ’60s rock guitar gods, along with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck set the…
Dec 13, 2022 3:52 PM
Need some additional gift ideas for the jazz fan on your shopping list? Check out DownBeat’s Best Albums of 2022.
Author Richard Koloda spent two decades researching this addition to the legend of free-jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler.
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Jean-Michel Basquiat’s bold and challenging images have gone from their origins in the streets of New York to…
Gretchen Valade
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EDITOR’S NOTE: As this edition of the DownBeat Enewsletter was about to go out, we learned of the passing of jazz…