https://www.sfjazz.org/2020-nea-jazz-masters-tribute-concert/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NEA082020OnlineTributeConcertReminder-pub&utm_content=version_A
Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with SFJAZZ, will host a special
online-only concert in honor of the 2020 NEA Jazz Masters—Dorthaan Kirk (A.B. Spellman Jazz Masters
Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy), Bobby McFerrin, Roscoe Mitchell, and Reggie Workman—on Thursday,
August 20, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. 2017 NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater will emcee
this premier event, which will include performances by acclaimed jazz musicians—including honorees
McFerrin, Mitchell, and Workman—recorded from locations around the country. The 2020 NEA Jazz
Masters Tribute Concert is free to watch, and will replace the previously scheduled concert at the SFJAZZ
Center in San Francisco that was postponed due to COVID-19.
“While we were disappointed to have to postpone last April’s events, this virtual concert will be an
opportunity to bring together jazz fans around the world in celebration of the 2020 NEA Jazz Masters,”
said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “We appreciate the creativity
and dedication of all involved, from the staff at SFJAZZ to the many musicians who are performing in
honor of the recipients so that we can continue our agency’s long tradition of honoring great individuals
in jazz.”
The concert will feature remarks by the 2020 NEA Jazz Masters, as well as Chairman Carter and Randall
Kline, founder and executive artistic director of SFJAZZ. In addition to the musician honorees,
performers include Music Director Terri Lyne Carrington, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dee Dee Bridgewater,
James Carter, Gerald Clayton, Vincent Davis, Lisa Fischer, Morgan Guerin, Oliver Lake, Christian McBride,
Jevon McFerrin, Madison McFerrin, Taylor McFerrin, Kanoa Mendenhall, Junius Paul, and Steve Turre, as
well as the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars.
“It was a great honor for SFJAZZ to be selected as the venue for the presentation of the 2020 NEA Jazz
Masters Awards,” said Randall Kline, SFJAZZ founder and executive artistic director. “We are so thankful
for everyone at the Arts Endowment, all of the past and present NEA Jazz Masters, and the SFJAZZ staff
for their improvisational spirit in bringing the virtual version of the concert to life. We are looking
forward to all of our communities coming together to honor these legendary jazz masters.”
The 2020 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert will be broadcast at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT from arts.gov
and sfjazz.org, as well as from the websites for All About Jazz and Jazz Near You, BMI, Inc., JazzTimes,
KQED, the National Endowment for the Humanities, NPR Music, Smithsonian Jazz, Voice of America’s
Khmer, Chinese, and Tibetan services, and WBGO. An archive of the concert will be available following
the event at arts.gov. The concert will also be available via radio broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 67, Real
Jazz; in California on KCSM 91.1FM and KALW 91.7 FM; and in Washington, DC on WPFW 89.3 FM.
You can join in the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NEAJazz2020.
Meet the Jazz Masters
Immediately following the 2020 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert, join an in-depth discussion with
honorees Dorthaan Kirk, Bobby McFerrin, Roscoe Mitchell, and Reggie Workman, hosted by SFJAZZ
Founder & Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline. This live event will include an interactive Q&A
session, in which the online audience, through the broadcast's YouTube stream, will be able to ask
questions to the 2020 NEA Jazz Masters.
About the NEA Jazz Masters
Since 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded 157 fellowships to great figures in jazz,
including Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, Dianne Reeves, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and George Wein. The
NEA’s website features resources and content about them, including video biographies, and tribute
videos, podcasts, and more than 350 NEA Jazz Moments audio clips.
NEA Jazz Masters Fellows are nominated by the public, including the jazz community. Nominations are
judged by an advisory panel of jazz experts, including administrators, performers, producers, and a
knowledgeable layperson. The panel’s recommendations are reviewed by the National Council on the
Arts, which sends its recommendations to the chairman, who makes the final decision. The Arts
Endowment encourages nominations of a broad range of individuals who have been significant to the
field of jazz, through vocals, instrumental performance, creative leadership, and education. NEA Jazz
Masters Fellowships are up to $25,000 and can be received once in a lifetime. Visit the Arts
Endowment’s website for detailed information and to submit nominations by October 30, 2020.
The National Endowment for the Arts has also supported the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, an
effort to document the lives and careers of nearly 100 NEA Jazz Masters. In addition to transcriptions of
the comprehensive interviews, the website also includes audio clips with interview excerpts.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal
agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise
their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies,
local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts
learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to
promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.
About SFJAZZ
Founded in 1983, SFJAZZ is a recognized international leader in jazz creation, presentation, and
education. SFJAZZ explores the full spectrum of jazz—from the music’s origins in the African American
community, to its diverse present-day expressions around the world. SFJAZZ works to develop the
audience for jazz in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. SFJAZZ celebrates jazz as a living art form,
built on a constantly evolving tradition. The West Coast’s biggest jazz presenter serves over 200,000 fans
and students every year and has several award-winning resident jazz ensembles - the world renowned
SFJAZZ Collective and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars. SFJAZZ Center opened in 2013 in the vibrant
performing arts district of San Francisco. The luminous SFJAZZ Center was designed by San Francisco
architect Mark Cavagnero and the LEED-Gold certified center offers the superb acoustics of a great
concert hall and the relaxed intimacy of a jazz club.
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