SFJazz to honor 4 contemporary masters
Four giants of contemporary jazz — drummers Terri Lyne Carrington and Albert “Tootie” Heath, composer and saxophonist Henry Threadgill, and historian Phil Schaap — will be honored as part of the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Tribute Concert, scheduled to be presented online by SFJazz and the NEA next month.
The free webcast is slated to be presented at 5 p.m. April 22, via the SFJazz website at www.sfjazz.org. The virtual event will be hosted by Dee Dee Bridgewater, herself a 2017 winner of the award, and “Da 5 Bloods” actor Delroy Lindo, an Oakland resident.
Performers include Wynton and Jason Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Joe
Lovano, Linda May Han Oh, Danilo Pérez, and the SFJazz High School AllStars, with Music Director Miguel Zenón conducting.
The celebration will also include video testimonials from NEA Jazz Masters Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd and Wayne Shorter.
“It is an honor to again partner with the NEA to celebrate these Jazz Masters,” SFJazz founder and Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline said in a press statement. “We are looking forward to all of these artists and our global communities coming together to honor these legendary jazz masters for their profound contributions to our world.”
The concert, which will be archived on NEA’s website, arts.gov, can also be heard via radio broadcast in California on KCSM 91.1 FM.
This is the second year that the annual event is being presented virtually because of the pandemic shutdown. The 2020 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert, honoring vocalist Bobby McFerrin, saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, double bassist Reggie Workman and Dorthaan Kirk was rescheduled to August for an online showcase after the initial COVID19 breakout.