The Jazz Journalists Association, of which I'm a member, announced its awards yesterday. Here are the winners in the major categories (a full list of the nominees and the winners can be found here and here), followed by my own choices (which, as you will see, differ from the consensus more than usual).
(It's worth noting up top that Sonny Rollins was declared "Emeritus Jazz Artist / Beyond Voting," which, though a bit of a cop-out, is sort of fitting.)
Now the winners and my choices:
Lifetime Achievement
Winner: Wayne Shorter
My choice: Of the nominees, I too went with Shorter, but in the initial balloting, I voted for Charlie Haden, who didn't make it to the finals.
Musician Of The Year
Winner: Wadada Leo Smith
My choice: Ravi Coltrane Composer-Arranged Of The Year
Winner: Maria Schneider
My choice: Maria Schneider Up And Coming Artist Of The Year
Winner: Aaron Diehl
My choice: Ryan Truesdell, though in my initial vote, I picked Darcy James Argue (who, inexplicably, did not make it into the finals). Record Of The Year
Winner: Ryan Truesdell, Centennial: Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans (ArtistShare)
My choice: Among those nominated, Vijay Iyer, Accelerando (ACT); as my initial choice, Ravi Coltrane, Spirit Fiction (Blue Note) Large Ensemble Of The Year
Winner: Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project
My choice: Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
Small Ensemble Of The Year
Winner: Wayne Shorter Quartet
My choice: Jason Moran's Bandwagon Trio Trumpeter Of The Year
Winner: Wadada Leo Smith
My choice: Dave Douglas Multi-Reed Player Of The Year
Winner: Anat Cohen
My choice: Ted Nash Alto Saxophonist Of The Year
Winner: Rudresh Mahanthappa
My choice: Rudresh Mahanthappa Tenor Saxophonist Of The Year
Winner: Chris Potter
My choice: Ravi Coltrane Clarinetist Of The Year
Winner: Anat Cohen
My choice: Ben Goldberg Guitarist Of The Year
Winner: Bill Frisell
My choice: Bill Frisell Pianist Of The Year
Winner: Vijay Iyer
My choice: Jason Moran Bassist Of The Year
Winner: Christian McBride
My choice: Christian McBride Violinist Of The Year
Winner: Regina Carter
My choice: Jenny Scheinman Drummer Of The Year
Winner: Billy Hart
My choice: Billy Hart
Winner: Wayne Shorter
My choice: Of the nominees, I too went with Shorter, but in the initial balloting, I voted for Charlie Haden, who didn't make it to the finals.
Winner: Wadada Leo Smith
My choice: Ravi Coltrane Composer-Arranged Of The Year
Winner: Maria Schneider
My choice: Maria Schneider Up And Coming Artist Of The Year
Winner: Aaron Diehl
My choice: Ryan Truesdell, though in my initial vote, I picked Darcy James Argue (who, inexplicably, did not make it into the finals). Record Of The Year
Winner: Ryan Truesdell, Centennial: Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans (ArtistShare)
My choice: Among those nominated, Vijay Iyer, Accelerando (ACT); as my initial choice, Ravi Coltrane, Spirit Fiction (Blue Note) Large Ensemble Of The Year
Winner: Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project
My choice: Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
Winner: Wayne Shorter Quartet
My choice: Jason Moran's Bandwagon Trio Trumpeter Of The Year
Winner: Wadada Leo Smith
My choice: Dave Douglas Multi-Reed Player Of The Year
Winner: Anat Cohen
My choice: Ted Nash Alto Saxophonist Of The Year
Winner: Rudresh Mahanthappa
My choice: Rudresh Mahanthappa Tenor Saxophonist Of The Year
Winner: Chris Potter
My choice: Ravi Coltrane Clarinetist Of The Year
Winner: Anat Cohen
My choice: Ben Goldberg Guitarist Of The Year
Winner: Bill Frisell
My choice: Bill Frisell Pianist Of The Year
Winner: Vijay Iyer
My choice: Jason Moran Bassist Of The Year
Winner: Christian McBride
My choice: Christian McBride Violinist Of The Year
Winner: Regina Carter
My choice: Jenny Scheinman Drummer Of The Year
Winner: Billy Hart
My choice: Billy Hart
