LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
JACK DEJOHNETTE
Drummer

In a career that spans five decades and includes collaborations with some of the most iconic figures in modern jazz, NEA Jazz Master and Grammy winner Jack DeJohnette has established an unchallenged reputation as one of the greatest drummers in the history of the genre. The list of creative associations throughout his career is lengthy and diverse: John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Keith Jarrett, Chet Baker, George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Joe Henderson, Freddy Hubbard, Betty Carter and so many more. Along the way, he has developed a versatility that allows room for hard bop, R&B, world music, avant-garde, and just about every other style to emerge in the past half-century.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MANFRED EICHER
Founder, ECM Records

Producer Manfred Eicher founded the label ECM Records in 1969, and remains its visionary leader five decades later. Groundbreaking recordings by Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Chick Corea, Paul Bley, Pat Metheny, Egberto Gismonti, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette and many others established an early reputation for ECM whose catalog – expanded in the mid-80s to include classical music – now encompasses over 1,500 recordings and continues to set new directions in music and sound.

In addition to the many accolades the ECM label has received over the years, Manfred Eicher has received many personal awards and distinctions, including an Honorary Prize from the German Record Critics (1986), the Music Prize of the City of Munich (1998), Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London (2018), a Grammy for ‘Classical Producer of the Year’ (2002 as well as multiple nominations) and ‘Producer of the Year’ in Downbeat (2008-2010, 2012-2018, adding a Lifetime Achievement award in 2010).

CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS AWARD
WENDY OXENHORN
Founding Director, Jazz Foundation of America

After serving 18 years as the Executive Director of the Jazz Foundation of America, Wendy Oxenhorn now is officially known as the Founding Director of the JFA. Her work on behalf of the JFA and the jazz and blues musicians it assists is the stuff of legends. In 2000, when she assumed the position, JFA had a tiny bank account, one full time employee, was assisting about 35 musicians a year and had a tiny public profile. For many years now the Jazz Foundation assists over 8000 emergency cases a year and has changed the lives of over 10,000 Legends of blues, jazz, Soul and R & B since she first took the job. And now with a staff of 11, the Jazz Foundation is an institution run by a family that has been built with Love with Joe Petrucelli as Executive Director and Steve Jordan/Director of Events as the future guardians of the JFA. Wendy’s creation, the annual A Great Night In Harlem at the Apollo Theater has raised millions of dollars over the years to benefit musicians in need. For her efforts on behalf of thousands of musicians and their families, Wendy has been honored by Jazz At Lincoln center, countless organizations in Harlem and in 2016 was selected as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.

TRAILBLAZER AWARD
SAVION GLOVER
Hoofer

Tony Award-winning, Tap Dancer, Choreographer, and Producer, Savion Glover is celebrating his 35th year as a Performing Artist in show business. Broadway and Film credits include The Tap Dance Kid, Black & Blue, Jelly’s Last Jam, Bring in ‘da Noise Bring in ‘da Funk, the movie Tap with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr., Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, and the acclaimed Academy Award Winning 2006 Warner Brothers release of Happy Feet and Happy Feet 2, both choreographed by Savion Glover. Most recently recognized for his award winning choreography in the acclaimed Broadway musical, Shuffle Along, Mr. Glover continues to focus on bringing attention to the art form of Tap Dance as an instrumental component as well as maintaining a highly entertaining visual. Mr. Glover enjoys dancing on concert stages throughout the world with legendary jazz musicians such as Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes, and McCoy Tyner.