Sonny Rollins Honored At Jazz Awards
Saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins took the top honors at the 10th annual Jazz Awards, notching a double victory as musician and tenor saxophonist of the year.
The 75-year-old Rollins re-established himself at the top of the jazz scene during the past year with his Grammy-winning CD "Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert," his first live recording in nearly 20 years.
Rollins might have won a third award for album of the year at Monday's ceremony at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill were it not for two departed jazz legends. "Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall" (Blue Note), released after tapes of a 1957 concert by the short-lived but historically significant group were discovered in the Library of Congress vaults, was chosen the year's top album.
Several generations of drummers figured prominently at this year's awards, which were based on votes cast by more than 400 members of the Jazz Journalists Association worldwide. The 81-year-old Roy Haynes received the award for lifetime achievement in jazz, while Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto was named up-and-coming musician of the year. Paul Motian was chosen the year's top drummer.
Conga player Ray Barretto, who died in February at age 76, was chosen percussionist of the year, with his wife and son accepting the award on his behalf. Barretto's last album, "Standards Rican-ditioned," also the final recording by pianist Hilton Ruiz who died earlier this month after leaving a New Orleans club, is due out in August featuring an all-Puerto Rican lineup of musicians playing straight-ahead jazz standards.
He wanted "to show how his people have also touched and affected this music ... because he always believed that jazz is something that comes from all people, not necessarily white, not black," Barretto's son Chris, a saxophonist, told the audience of more than 500 musicians, journalists and industry executives.
Three octogenarians also were recognized for their contributions. The 87-year-old Cuban pianist Bebo Valdes, now based in Sweden after serving as musical director of Havana's pre-Castro Tropicana nightclub, garnered the award for Latin jazz album of the year for "Bebo de Cuba" (Calle 54). Gerald Wilson, also 87, whose career as a big band leader and sideman goes back nearly 70 years, received the award for top large ensemble.
Belgian-born Toots Thielemans, 84, who pioneered the harmonica as a jazz instrument, was voted the top player of an instrument "rare in jazz."
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter's quartet, which earlier this year won the Grammy for jazz instrumental album for "Beyond the Sound Barrier" (Verve), was chosen the top small ensemble.
Other individual winners included: Andrew Hill (composer), Maria Schneider (arranger), Kurt Elling (male singer), Dianne Reeves (female singer), Dave Douglas (trumpeter), Phil Woods (alto saxophonist), Jane Ira Bloom (soprano saxophonist), Paquito D'Rivera (clarinetist), Bill Charlap (pianist), Jim Hall (guitarist), Ron Carter (acoustic bassist), Christian McBride (electric bassist) and Regina Carter (strings player).