Five Marsalis family members among artists to receive NEA 'honors' grants

[Lois Gilbert]

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced that 18 artists, from recognizable headliners to quiet craftsmen, will receive individual prizes in jazz, opera, folk and traditional arts.

The recipients will be awarded a total of $450,000, or $25,000 each, the endowment announced.

For the first time, the NEA bundled the announcements of their individual "honors" grants to underscore the endowment's continued support and acknowledgment of active artists, and to remind the agency's supporters that individual artists remain part of the NEA's broader programs. Most awards to individuals were eliminated by Congress in the 1990s after controversy erupted over a few artists who were criticized for obscene or controversial work. Only the honorary prizes, announced Friday, and literature grants to individuals were left intact.

In the field of jazz, the NEA cited five members of the Marsalis family, all jazz players and arts advocates; Hubert Laws, the versatile flutist; Grammy-award-winning composer and arranger Johnny Mandel; prolific saxophonist David Liebman; and writer and record producer Orrin Keepnews. Like the other artists, each NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships recipient is given $25,000, but the Marsalis configuration has to divvy up the winnings.

The NEA National Heritage Fellowships, another honor, are going to Ezequiel Torres, the Afro-Cuban bata drummer and drum builder; Gladys Kukana Grace, a Lauhala weaver; music and folklore scholar Judith McCulloh; Mike Rafferty, an Irish flute player; Kamala Lakshmi Narayanan, a proponent of Bharatanatyam, a southern Indian classical dance.

Also in the heritage category are: Yacub Addy, a Ghanaian-born drum master and educator; sweetgrass basket weaver Mary Jackson; Delano Floyd McCoury, a bluegrass guitarist and singer; and Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor, the champion fiddler.

The announcement also included four winners of NEA Opera Honors: soprano Martina Arroyo; composer Philip Glass; Eve Queler, music director of the Opera Orchestra of New York; and composer David DiChiera, general director of the Michigan Opera Theatre.

The recipients are chosen from among suggestions received from the public, which are reviewed and selected by panels of former honorees and other officials.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...sec-artsliving

[Lois Gilbert]

I'm kind of surprised at an all encompassing Marsalis family honor being named 2011 NEA Jazz Masters

but this is the official press release:

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced the recipients of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award--the nation's highest honor in this distinctly American music. For the first time in the program's 29-year history, in addition to four individual awards, the NEA will present a group award to the Marsalis family, New Orleans' venerable first family of jazz. All of the 2011 recipients will be publicly honored at the annual awards ceremony and concert on January 11, 2011 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and receive a $25,000 fellowship award.

The 2011 NEA Jazz Masters are:

Hubert Laws Flutist
David Liebman Saxophonist, Flutist, Composer
Johnny Mandel Composer, Arranger, Trumpeter, Trombonist

Marsalis Family:
Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Pianist, Educator
Branford Marsalis Saxophonist, Composer, Bandleader
Wynton Marsalis Trumpeter, Composer, Educator, Bandleader
Delfeayo Marsalis Trombonist, Producer
Jason Marsalis Percussionist, Vibraphonist

Orrin Keepnews, a jazz producer and author from El Cerrito, California, will receive the 2011 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy.

[bigtiny]

You know, a few years ago there was a big hubbub about 'Piss Christ' and Jessie Helms was trying to do away with the NEA. I had a lot of musician buddies send me petitions to sign to save the NEA. I never signed one of them. This sort of thing is the reason why.
The NEA is severely underfunded in my opinion....and what do they do with the resources they DO have....either disperse it to an endless waterfall of 'Arts Organizations', where 'Arts Professionals' siphon off their salaries at every level then pass a few remainders on down the chain, so that they can ultimately bequeath a few thousand to 'First Night' and 'Poco's Clown Exhibition' or disperse a bit of money to individuals they deem 'Jazz Masters' who are either in a position not to need the money, or who (like the Marsalis') are largely irrelevant. They should be dispersing funds to individuals artists, composers, musicians so that they can produce new WORK!!!

bigtiny

[steve(thelil)]

The $25,000 should help Wynton's creativity.

[claude]

Here's one of the Marsalis family explaining some of the problems with modern jazz:

Jason expounds

[CraigP]

Here's one of the Marsalis family explaining some of the problems with modern jazz:

Jason expounds

Well, I tried to get all the way through that, but lost life force...Anyway, I suppose he has a point in that it can be detrimental if musicians only play for themselves and each other and don't consider the audience, but I would argue that most, if not all, of what he dismisses as the province of "Jazz Nerds International" HAS an audience. It may not be a large audience, but it has an audience nonetheless.

So, does this mean that we here at Freakeasy are charter members of JNI? If so, I pronounce myself Lord Nerd Master and order everyone to play your nearest Joe Maneri CD posthaste!

[Pete C]

Art, however "difficult," that's worthwhile will attract an audience, even if it's small and "select." Art that I might not consider as worthwhile will also attract an audience, often a larger one.

Artists don't owe anybody anything, except themselves. If they choose to make money with their skill, it's nobody's business to call them a sellout. If they choose to pursue art that's difficult and not remunerative, that's their choice. If foundations and private funding mechanisms see fit to support art that's not commercially viable, that's a choice and a mission.

Musicians shouldn't tell other musicians how to run their careers. Listeners shouldn't tell musicians how to run their careers.

btw, I haven't seen the video--youtube is blocked at work.

[bigtiny]

Art, however "difficult," that's worthwhile will attract an audience, even if it's small and "select." Art that I might not consider as worthwhile will also attract an audience, often a larger one.

Artists don't owe anybody anything, except themselves. If they choose to make money with their skill, it's nobody's business to call them a sellout. If they choose to pursue art that's difficult and not remunerative, that's their choice. If foundations and private funding mechanisms see fit to support art that's not commercially viable, that's a choice and a mission.

Musicians shouldn't tell other musicians how to run their careers. Listeners shouldn't tell musicians how to run their careers.

btw, I haven't seen the video--youtube is blocked at work.

Pete...you work???? =:-)

bigtiny

[Mike Schwartz]

Of the five Marsalis' the first three have undoubtlably individually each have had a 'career worth' of contributions to this point in time.


But these twoNEA Jazz Masters????
Did they get the group rate of 10G's each to save the NEA a few bucks?
Delfeayo Marsalis Trombonist, Producer
Jason Marsalis Percussionist, Vibraphonist

[graypencil]

I have no idea of anything I could add to this discussion that wouldn't by
construed as sour grapes.

Johnny Mandel and Dave Liebman have a lifetime of excellent work to warrant
their achieving the award.

However, speaking for myself ( and probably at least another hundred or so
composer / arrangers ) $25K would really go along way in helping to fund my next project.

What creative efforts have Jason and Delfeayo Marsalis exhibited that warrant
$25 K ?

[Mike Schwartz]

I have no idea of anything I could add to this discussion that wouldn't by
construed as sour grapes.

Johnny Mandel and Dave Liebman have a lifetime of excellent work to warrant
their achieving the award.

However, speaking for myself ( and probably at least another hundred or so
composer / arrangers ) $25K would really go along way in helping to fund my next project.

What creative efforts have Jason and Delfeayo Marsalis exhibited that warrant
$25 K ?

Phil,

No sour grapes...
By what possible criteria could Jason, born in 1977 with 3 recordings as a leader even be considered for this once prestigious lifetime acheivment award.

How about Delph with his 3 albums?
So he's produced a bunch of other (mostly not memorable)CD's

Wynton & Branford have had careers to this point; huge careers in jazz.
Ellis the patriarch has lead the way with both his playing, mentoring, and teaching. The other 2 that make up this *package deal* tarnish the others, quite frankly.

[hornplayer]

Of the five Marsalis' the first three have undoubtlably individually each have had a 'career worth' of contributions to this point in time.


But these twoNEA Jazz Masters????
Did they get the group rate of 10G's each to save the NEA a few bucks?
Delfeayo Marsalis Trombonist, Producer
Jason Marsalis Percussionist, Vibraphonist

I thought there was a minimum age for Jazz Masters..... like 60?

Just because their name is Marsalis does not automatically make them a master of anything. Only Ellis is ready to be a Jazz Master, imho.

[Lois Gilbert]

I talked to a lot of musicians today and everyone I spoke with is kind of sickened by this honor going to the Marsalis family. There is no age criteria obviously. Who will be next Grace Kelly (16)? I used to be thrilled going to the ceremony and seeing past NEA Jazz Masters on stage from Randy Weston and Jimmy Heath and Gerald Wilson, Clark Terry and our dear Hank Jones and Snooky Young and on and on. I was so proud to be in the audience. The induction of the Marsalis family just puts a complete blemish on the whole honors IMO

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

btw, I haven't seen the video--youtube is blocked at work.

You've missed nothing.