Jazz Journalists Association

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The Jazz Journalists Association is a non-profit that supports creation & dissemination of accurate & ethical journalism on all jazz genres.

The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. VALUES: We believe that jazz is an important cultural resource and means of individual and community expression. While jazz has its roots in African-American music and history, it has developed to include participants of all races and backgrounds.

● We believe that the legacy of jazz must be preserved while the music continues to evolve; jazz must also remain visible and available to diverse populations and all ages. To these ends, the JJA stresses that community network building and effective media use go together; we work to build networks and media skills not only among professional journalists but also among musicians, educators, local presenters and listeners themselves, and we encourage the use of these networks and skills to tell local jazz stories.

10/05/2026

The Jazz Journalists Association’s own Ted Panken presented the 2026 JJA Multi-Reeds Player of the Year Award to Scott Robinson.

The awardee reflected, “Yesterday was a dream come true for me in every way. First a short but beautiful set with my dear friends in "aRT," Pheeroan akLaff and Julian Thayer, at the Jazz Museum in Harlem, courtesy of the Jazz Foundation of America.

Then an award for "Multi-Reeds Player of the Year" presented to me at Hunter College by Ted Panken of the Jazz Journalists Association... followed by a presentation of movement #1 of my 7 1/2 year solo symphony project, "Reach for Tomorrow," to a hall filled with enthusiastic listeners, fans, colleagues, friends, and peers.

I was stunned by the attendance, the attentiveness, the overwhelming response and love I felt in that room. Wow.
I was nervous. What if it's a big flop, an anticlimax? After 7 1/2 years of daily work, slowly piecing together 218 instruments by myself, with no written music, I was way too immersed in the thing to have any idea how it would sound to anybody else.

But after speaking at length about the intent, process and methodology of the piece, and feeling that everyone was still with me, I swallowed my fear and played the recording. They listened in rapt attention for the full 13 minutes; I didn't hear a single distraction... then there was a moment of silence... then suddenly, as one, the room leapt to its collective feet for a REALLY long and loud ovation, of a kind I've really never experienced before. I was stunned. Was not expecting that.
Once things settled down, the great composer Maria Schneider kicked off the Q&A that followed by standing up and asking, "Why haven't you been given a MacArthur Genius Award by now?", which kicked off yet another big round of applause!
Honestly, last night was just stunning for me. At a time when I can't seem to land a gig for my quartet in NYC anymore, this came as a much-needed boost, let me tell you. It was the most gratifying reception I think I've ever received in Music.
From the depths of my heart I thank everyone involved: Ryan Keberle, Ted Panken, the JJA, the JFA, Will Glass, the Jazz Museum in Harlem, Pheeroan, Jules (who came in from CA), my wife Sharon, my brother David and wife Judy (who came in from MD), Maria Schneider, and all the many respected colleagues and friends too numerous to name. I don't know if I'll ever top an experience like that. I can only say thank you.”

09/30/2026

The Jazz Journalists Association’s own Bradley Stone checks in from Monterey Jazz Festival:
“With 'Davis Royalty' backstage. Pianist, composer, band leader, label head Kris Davis, and author, academic, political activist Angela Davis!”

09/27/2026

From the best selling author Amy Tan: “My life has been filled with unexpected turns. An example: I took 15 years of classical piano from 5-20 years old and a year of improvisational jazz at age 33.

I could never play classical without grievous mistakes, and thus was unable to fulfill my parents’ expectations that I would become a doctor and a concert pianist.

With jazz piano, I could never break free of fixed chord charts in a fake book.
I became a writer instead.
And now, miracle of miracles, here I am at the Monterey Jazz Festival
where I will perform a newly created collaboration of spoken word and jazz with jazz pianist Joey Alexander, who has been a phenom since age 10.

Our show is entitled Birds, Words and Jazz. Neither of us has ever done anything like this. We have developed our ideas, rehearsed our structure and chosen passages, but the bulk of what Joey will play will be improvised based on what I read from The Backyard Bird Chronicles. I will be as surprised as you by what he plays in the moment.

Our show includes typical avian dramas —murder, sibling rivalry, showdowns, motherly love, and parental criticism, theft, bullying, ingenuity and a lot of humor. If you’re curious to know what inspires improvisational jazz, this is the show for you.

Come join us on Sunday at the Monterey Jazz Festival at the Pacific Jazz Cafe at 5:15 pm.”

https://montereyjazz.org/festival/schedule/

09/26/2026

From the Jazz Journalists Association’s Willard Jenkins: “Images: Day 1 2026 Monterey Jazz Festival - longest continuous run of any jazz festival. #7 drum royalty late nite hang @ The Hyatt: Obed Calvaire, Greg Hutchinson, Kendrick Scott. Elsewhere the incomparable Cecile McLorin Salvant hittin' w/Wynton & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the inimitable Maestro Ron Carter's superbly swinging & elegantly bluesing quartet w/Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene & Payton Crossley.

And while Ron had thousands enrapt in his elegance, the Eddie Palmieri tribute reportedly brought clave essence to the Arena.

Alas... one simply can't catch all the goodness at Monterey, but @ whichever Stage one lands there's treats guaranteed 👍🏿👏🏿🤙🏿

09/25/2026

Inspiring words from Jamaaladeen Tacuma! “I am feeling blessed today. Looking at The Wire Magazine from 1985 and Downbeat from 1982 with my name mention on the cover.

I have been working in a creative field for 50 years that can be relentlessly challenging (from an economic standpoint), I still feel inspired and passionate about what I do, and I continue to be grateful that my work is still being covered and acknowledged by the media, especially since I work in a business where true talent does not always receive the accolades and acknowledgement that is rightfully deserved.

Music media is so vital to independent artists and when our work is acknowledged as “newsworthy” it is a blessing especially when coverage is organic and you did not hire a publicist.

I want to express my gratitude to The Wire, DownBeat, JazzTimes, Bandcamp, and all the music journalists, both long standing and new on the scene, who have consistantly featured my work in their coverage of creative music in my 50 year career.

Special shout out to George Grella, who mentioned my album Hotel Le Prince in his Bandcamp Daily entitled “David Murray is history” and also mentioned one of my early albums a weeks ago and A.D. Amorosi, David Adler, Shaun Brady ,Howard Mandel, J Michael Harrison and others who have always been interested in what I was doing next.

Most recently I was honored to have my name along side Marshall Allen featured on the cover of Downbeat’s September 2026 issue, titled “COLTRANE at 100,” during this special month in Philadelphia when we are celebrating Coltranes legacy.

To all you young folks at the start of your creative music career who are getting showered with media attention just like I did very early on. My best advice to you is : stay true to your vision and your spiritually informed ethics, do not let the business of music and the attention get you twisted and maintain a strong creative life outside of music as a human being , strive to be the best human not just a great musician” .

This is a long game and consistency and your humanity are what see you through .”

09/20/2026

📣📣The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) and the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) recently announced a new five-year partnership to create the Arnold Jay Smith Jazz Journalism Seminars, an intergenerational professional development program.

The seminars honor the memory of Arnold Jay Smith (1934–2022), the Brooklyn-based jazz writer, publicist and educator who was both a co-founder of the Jazz Journalists Association and a benefactor of the Jazz Foundation of America.

Funded through a bequest by Smith’s estate, the JFA will provide the JJA with $25,000 annually for five years, a total commitment of $125,000, to help establish and sustain the program.

The Arnold Jay Smith Jazz Journalism Seminars will foster best journalistic practices and explore leading-edge technologies for news dissemination, while encouraging an emerging cohort of media activists to value and build upon the history and legacy of jazz journalism.

See: https://news.jazzjournalists.org/jfa-jja-know-how-ajs-x-5-for-intergenerational-pro-development/

09/14/2026

📣📣 Looking forward to this! We are joining the National Endowment for the Arts to celebrate the 2026 Jazz Masters with a special live stream of the 2026 Jazz Masters Tribute Concert on Tuesday, September 15 at 8pm PT.

The 2026 Jazz Masters recipients are: Carmen Lundy, Airto Moreira, Patrice Rushen, and A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy recipient Rhonda Hamilton.

Join in on the celebration at arts.gov
Or:
https://youtube.com/live/kMyhSgJX-j4

09/11/2026

Jazz Journalists Association on the scene at Chicago Jazz Festival! ❤️

From JJA President Emeritus Howard Mandel: “JJA's Chicago Jazz Fest Dim Sum brunch on Sunday Sept. 6.

From left, back row: JJA members are starred (*). Jack Siegel,* Neil Tesser,* photographer Kent Richmond, John McDonough,* Julia Miller of Delmark Records, Donna Montgomery of Golden Lady Writing Solutions, Howard Mandel!

Around table from left: Gail Dee of We Want Music Without Borders, Virginia Saavedra, Alain Druout,* Marc PoKempner,* Jeff Cebulski,* Corey Hall,* cellist Tomeka Reid, architect David Brown, Kelly Korzun.*

📸 by Juan Montenegro.
Also in attendance: singer Maggie Brown, Dan Bindert ànd Leslie Keros of WDCB, Ayana Contreras of Rocky Mountain Public Radio (who just returned to Chicago), saxophonist-composer Mark Nagy, and Elbio Barilari, Delmark Records.

09/09/2026

Last night the Jazz Journalists Association’s own Neil Tesser presented the 2026 JJA Mallet Instrument Player of the Year Award to Patricia Brennan on stage during the Chicago Jazz Festival!

Brennan performed with her septet on the Pritzker Pavilion stage in
Millennium Park.
Patricia Brennan, vibes Kali Rodriguez-Pena, trumpet Jon Irabagon, alto and sopranino saxophone
Mark Shim, tenor saxophone
Kim Cass, bass
Mauricio Herrera, percussion
Dan Weiss, drums
Check out upcoming performances here!:
shows
https://www.patriciabrennanvibes.com/

📸 Kelly Korzun

09/05/2026

TONIGHT! If you’re at the Detroit Jazz Festival, please attend the presentation of our 2026 JJA Mid-Sized Ensemble of the Year Award to Artemis.

Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Heroes Linda Yohn, W. Kim Heron, and Ellen Rowe will be on stage to present the Awards.

Show starts at 9:00 P.M. Hart Plaza (Waterfront Stage /
Detroit Jazz Hall)
Event details here:
https://www.detroitjazzfest.org/artist/
artemis/

See all 2026 JJA Winners for Performance and Recordings:
https://jjajazzawards.org/2026-winners-for-jazz-performance-and-recordings

📸: John Abbott

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New York, NY

Website

http://jjanews.org/

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