Dan Morgenstern honored

[brownie]

A well-deserved honour!

From the Newark Star-Ledger today.

NEW NAMES RUTGERS' MORGENSTERN A 2007 JAZZ MASTER

Saturday, October 07, 2006

BY PEGGY McGLONE

Star-Ledger Staff

Dan Morgenstern, long-time director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers-Newark and a renowned jazz scholar, has been named one of seven 2007 NEA Jazz Masters.

Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, was scheduled to make the announcement during a concert last night at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C. The concert was to include performances by previous Jazz Masters Paquito D'Rivera, a multi-instrumentalist and resident of North Bergen, and drummer Roy Haynes, a 1995 recipient.

In addition to Morgenstern, the other 2007 honorees are pianist-bandleader Toshiko Akiyoshi, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Ramsey Lewis, singer Jimmy Scott, multi-instrumentalist Frank Wess and alto saxophonist and composer-arranger Phil Woods.

"I was surprised, but of course delighted," said Jersey City resident Morgenstern, who will receive the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy. "I'm really happy to be defined as a jazz advocate."

Morgenstern, 76, has spent 30 years at the Newark institute, the largest repository of jazz material in the world. The institute houses performance tapes, 100,000 recordings, oral histories, photographs, musical charts and books about jazz. It is used by jazz fans and scholars alike.

The Jazz Advocate honor was first introduced in 2004. Previous winners are critic Nat Hentoff, producer George Wein and manager John Levy.

"And now it's me. I feel I'm in very good company," said Morgenstern from his Newark office. "What I'm pleased about is that whatever publicity comes to me will be publicity for the Institute of Jazz Studies."

Though known as a scholar and historian, Morgenstern is a former critic and magazine editor, advisor to Ken Burns' documentary series "Jazz," and winner of six Grammy Awards for liner notes. He is also the author of "Dan Morgenstern: Living With Jazz" (Pantheon, 2004).

Morgenstern is the only non-performer among this year's recipients. First discovered by Oscar Peterson, Toshiko Akiyoshi has recorded 22 records with her jazz orchestra during a career that has taken her around the world. Trombonist Curtis Fuller was an important figure on the Blue Note label and the only trombonist to have recorded with John Coltrane, Bud Powell, and Jimmy Smith.

Ramsey Lewis was a chart-topping jazz pianist and popular live performer before turning his energies to teaching and advocacy. Singer Jimmy Scott had early success in the 1950s for then Newark-based Savoy Records. Instrumentalist Frank Wess performed with Count Basie, Clark Terry, Akiyoshi and a host of other jazz greats. Composer-arranger Phil Woods is a respected alto saxophonist who has composed some 200 pieces of music.

Not surprisingly, Morgenstern is pleased to be sharing the honor with friends.

"I'm very happy about Frank, who has been around for so long and is rarely fully recognized as the great musician he is," he said. "And Toshiko? I've known her since she was a little girl straight from Manchuria. And Phil, who is an absolute master. He's been deserving for a long time."

The 2007 recipients join 87 musicians and advocates previously honored, including Tony Bennett, Chick Corea, Benny Golson and Nancy Wilson. One of the first honored was trumpeter Roy Eldridge, a friend of Morgenstern.

"I'm delighted to be linked to him in this way," he said.

Only living musicians or jazz advocates may be honored with the title of Jazz Master. They receive a one-time fellowship of $25,000.

The seven NEA Jazz Masters will officially receive their awards at a ceremony and concert held in New York on Jan. 12, 2007.

[Stereojack]

Ramsey Lewis????

[brownie]

Ramsey Lewis????

OK, would have left him out. But other winners are Phil Woods, Toshiko Akyoshi, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Scott. A pretty decent gathering!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

This is a good bunch of awards.

Ramsey Lewis was an important innovator in Soul Jazz. He easily deserves this recognition (and for the same reason, so does Sweet Poppa Lou).

MG

[Stereojack]

Ramsey Lewis was an important innovator in Soul Jazz. He easily deserves this recognition (and for the same reason, so does Sweet Poppa Lou).

Ramsey Lewis has been amply "recognized" ($$$$) for his efforts over the years. -_-

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Ramsey Lewis was an important innovator in Soul Jazz. He easily deserves this recognition (and for the same reason, so does Sweet Poppa Lou).

Ramsey Lewis has been amply "recognized" ($$$$) for his efforts over the years. -_-

Not by the critical establishment, which is why I particularly welcome this. The critical establishment seems to believe that kinds of music that are supposed to be commercial - such as Soul Jazz - are intrinsically worthless. I think this is a bad mistake.

MG

[Jazzmoose]

Ramsey Lewis was an important innovator in Soul Jazz. He easily deserves this recognition (and for the same reason, so does Sweet Poppa Lou).

Ramsey Lewis has been amply "recognized" ($$$$) for his efforts over the years. -_-

Not by the critical establishment, which is why I particularly welcome this. The critical establishment seems to believe that kinds of music that are supposed to be commercial - such as Soul Jazz - are intrinsically worthless. I think this is a bad mistake.

MG

I would bet that Ramsey's output after The In Crowd may have helped shape this perception...

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Ramsey Lewis was an important innovator in Soul Jazz. He easily deserves this recognition (and for the same reason, so does Sweet Poppa Lou).

Ramsey Lewis has been amply "recognized" ($$$$) for his efforts over the years. -_-

Not by the critical establishment, which is why I particularly welcome this. The critical establishment seems to believe that kinds of music that are supposed to be commercial - such as Soul Jazz - are intrinsically worthless. I think this is a bad mistake.

MG

I would bet that Ramsey's output after The In Crowd may have helped shape this perception...

Certainly, but from "In crowd" on was the stuff that was important and innovative, particularly as the music got funkier and funkier.

MG