1.4.14

2014 Jazz Heroes Named in 22 Locales

HAPPY JAZZAPRIL! To kick off this month-long celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, the Jazz Journalists Association has announced its 2014 Jazz Heroes.





These twenty-four outstanding individuals are "advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have had significant impact in their local communities. 


The 'Jazz Hero' awards, made annually on the basis of nominations from community members, are presented in conjunction with the JJA's annual Jazz Awards honoring significant achievements in jazz music and journalism. The Heroes will be presented with their awards at public events in their communities. Many of these events will occur during April and we'll be posting details soon.



 1. Atlanta: Joseph Jennings
 2. Baltimore: Dr. John R. Lamkin II
 3. Bloomington IN: Janis Stockhouse
 4. Boston: Emilio Lyons
 5. Chicago: Jennifer Johnson Washington
 6. Columbia MO: Jon W. Poses
 7. Detroit: Bill Foster
 8. Durham NC: Larry Reni Thomas
 9. Kingston NY: Peggy Stern
10. Kingston NY: John Bilotti
11. Litchfield CT: Vita West Muir
12. New Orleans: Harold Battiste
13. New York: Meghan Stabile
14. Newark: Cephas Bowles
15. Pittsburgh: Bill Strickland
16. Portland OR: Thara Memory
17. Portland OR: Wayne Thompson
18. SF Bay Area: Faye Carol
19. Santa Cruz CA: Raymond Brown
20. Schenectady NY: Thomas Pierce
21. Seattle: Jim Wilke
22. Tallahassee: Geraldine Seay
23. Toronto: Patrick Taylor
24: Washington DC: Bobby Hill

Thanks to all of the Heroes for their many contributions to jazz in their locales, and thanks to all of the jazz community members who are working together to honor these Heroes in the spirit of JazzApril.