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National Endowment for the Arts Taps Jazz Celebrities for its
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The perennially popular Ramsey Lewis, host of the radio series Legends of Jazz, will serve as master of ceremonies at an all-star concert on Friday, January 7, honoring the 2005 recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award.
Held at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, the ceremony and concert will also feature Nancy Wilson (NEA Jazz Master 2004) and Dr. Billy Taylor (NEA Jazz Master 1988) as award presenters. Performers will include Gerald Wilson (NEA Jazz Master 1990) with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra; the Geri Allen Trio with special guests James Moody (NEA Jazz Master 1998) and Chico Hamilton (NEA Jazz Master 2004); and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Welcoming the 2005 NEA Jazz Masters will be Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia.
Instituted in 1982, the NEA Jazz Masters Award is the nation’s highest honor in this distinctively American art form. Winners of the award receive a one-time fellowship of $25,000 and participate in a range of outreach initiatives, including broadcasts, educational events, and the national NEA Jazz Masters on Tour program.
The 2005 NEA Jazz Masters are guitarist Kenny Burrell, saxophonist-clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, composer-arranger Slide Hampton, vocalist Shirley Horn, big-band leader Artie Shaw, organist Jimmy Smith, and impresario George Wein.
The 2005 NEA Jazz Masters award ceremony is presented as part of the annual conference of the International Association for Jazz Education.
Please see additional materials on the NEA Jazz Masters, including nomination information, in the Lifetime Honors section of the web site.
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National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
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Washington, DC 20506