National Endowment for the Arts Announces
2013 NEA Jazz Masters, Nation’s Highest Honor in Jazz
Washington, DC – Dizzy Gillespie. Count Basie. Ella Fitzgerald. Herbie Hancock. Names of the greatest purveyors of America’s homegrown art form, jazz—and all NEA Jazz Masters. Today, the National Endowment for the Arts adds four new names to the list with the announcement of the 2013 NEA Jazz Masters. Like the 124 honorees who came before them, these four individuals are recognized for their lifetime achievements and significant contributions to the development and performance of jazz. They will each receive a one-time award of $25,000.
The 2013 NEA Jazz Masters are:
MOSE ALLISON
Pianist, vocalist, composer
Born in Tippo, Mississippi, currently lives
in Long Island, New York
LOU DONALDSON
Saxophonist
Born in Badin, North Carolina, currently
lives in New York, New York
*LORRAINE GORDON
Jazz club owner Born in Newark, New Jersey, currently
lives in New York, New York
EDDIE PALMIERI
Pianist, bandleader, arranger, composer
Born in New York, New York, currently
lives in Las Vegas, Nevada
* Lorraine Gordon is the recipient of the 2013 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, which is bestowed upon an individual who has contributed significantly to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the art form of jazz.
Full profiles of the 2013 NEA Jazz Masters are located on the NEA’s website.
NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman said, “Each of the 2013 NEA Jazz Masters has made an indelible mark on jazz as we know it today. Mose Allison’s fusion of jazz and blues has created a new sound uniquely his own, influencing scores of musicians and songwriters after him. Lou Donaldson has been a major force not just as a musician but also as a scout for new talent for the Blue Note label. Eddie Palmieri successfully combines the sounds of his Puerto Rican heritage with the jazz music he grew up with as a first-generation American. And Lorraine Gordon continues to provide a haven for jazz musicians to present their art at the Village Vanguard. I look forward to celebrating their achievements and contributions to this important American art form.”
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