Mellon Foundation Launches $35 Million Jazz Initiative Aimed at Championing Celebrated Jazz Luminaries and Bolstering the Broader Jazz Ecosystem

Initiative's $15M Jazz Legacies Fellowship – Created in Partnership with the Jazz Foundation of America – Celebrates the Artistic Achievement of its Inaugural Cohort of 20 Fellows

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mellon Foundation today announced a multifaceted $35 million initiative aimed at supporting the cultural preservation of jazz, championing the legacy of the artists who have played a pivotal role in its formation, and strengthening the broader jazz ecosystem. The initiative, which will provide support for scholarly and storytelling initiatives, and partnerships with the archives, clubs, and other institutions critical to preserving and amplifying jazz's impact on future generations, is anchored by the 'Jazz Legacies Fellowship' - a newly created $15 million fellowship founded in partnership with the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA). The inaugural class of 20 Jazz Legacies Fellows, also announced today, represent the pinnacle of creative achievement, technical mastery and boundary-pushing expression, and are the first of 50 artists to be named fellows over the next four years.

Building on Mellon's commitment to creating a more robust ecosystem that champions care for art and its creators, the foundation's jazz initiative advances preservation, scholarship, and celebration of the art form by providing strategic support for organizations that present, advocate for, and produce jazz music.  As part of the broader jazz initiative, Mellon has granted $4 million to eight organizations critical to the artform including: the 369th Experience, connecting military and jazz history through the legacy of the Harlem Hellfighters Band; Arts for Art, championing avant-garde jazz in New York City; Afro Latin Jazz Alliance/Belongo, advancing Latin jazz traditions through education and performance; DC Jazz Festival, providing a major platform for emerging and established artists; the Ellis Marsalis Center, offering vital jazz education in New Orleans; JazzMobile, bringing free concerts to communities since 1964; the Philadelphia Clef Club, preserving the city's rich jazz heritage; and the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival 'calling home' jazz artists for its 25th anniversary.

"Jazz is a quintessentially American art form, central to our vast and varied American culture, and this initiative rightly and broadly honors the work of those who continue to drive the evolution of jazz while also safeguarding its histories," said Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Mellon Foundation. "We at Mellon are proud to join JFA in recognizing the artists, scholars, and community coalitions that continue to amplify our understanding and appreciation of this dynamic musical form and the deep generational knowledge that will accumulate from it long into the future."

The Jazz Legacies Fellowship was designed for artists, and in close collaboration with a host of celebrated musician advisors, including Terri Lyne Carrington, Christian McBride, Jason Moran, Arturo O'Farrill, Esperanza Spalding, and presenter Sunny Sumter with the aim to foster intergenerational dialogue, honor lifelong artistic contributions, and ensure the integrity of our multivocal historical record.

"My peers and I rely on the artistic bravery of our mentors -- these are the artists that churned a vibrant language with the knowledge that it was useful for not only society, but also for the soul," said celebrated pianist and Jazz Legacies Fellowship artistic advisor, Jason Moran. "This initial cohort of musicians are the gardeners, and the work of Mellon and JFA, the bulbs that – along with water, soil and sun -- allow us to cherish their work from the past and into the future."

"The jazz community is unmatched in its reverence and affection for its heroes," said Joe Petrucelli, Executive Director of the Jazz Foundation of America. "JFA is proud to have launched this fellowship, in partnership with Mellon, and guided by input from over 100 musicians, presenters, educators, and organizers to select 20 inaugural recipients. Our process balanced creativity, generational impact, and the realities of being a working jazz musician in America. With urgency and consensus, we recognize these artists as mentors, trailblazers, and inspirational figures. This fellowship not only celebrates their contributions but also provides much-needed financial security—an all-too-rare resource in the field."

Administered by JFA's Jazz Legacies Fellowship team led by Program Director, Veronika Châtelain, the fellowship will support 50 seasoned jazz artists aged 62 and older. Each recipient will be honored with a lifetime achievement award and receive an unrestricted grant of $100,000. Recipients will also be provided with resources for tailored professional and personal support, including master class and performance opportunities, production assistance, legal and financial counsel and more.

The diverse cohort of fellows comprises artists across a range of instruments, including bass, drums, flugelhorn, saxophone, organ, piano, reeds, trombone, trumpet, and vocals, and spans styles from avant-garde and free jazz to hard bop and fusion. Fellows represent a mix of internationally renowned and locally celebrated talents – all of whom have profoundly shaped the jazz landscape.

Celebrated vocalist, Carmen Lundy notes, "I am deeply touched by this important recognition and also inspired to continually contribute to the art form as it is one of America's greatest gifts to the world. I am grateful to the Jazz Foundation of America and to Mellon for their commitment to the preservation of the jazz artist and their legacies."

The 2025 Jazz Legacies Fellows are:

• George Cables, 80, pianist, Queens, NY
  Humble keyboard genius with impeccable technique and distinctive songbook
  
  
• Valerie Capers, 89, pianist, Bronx, NY
  Groundbreaking artist-educator melding classical and jazz
  
  
• George Coleman, 89, saxophonist, New York, NY
  Peerless soloist from fabled '50s Memphis scene and bridge between jazz eras
  
  
• Akua Dixon, 76, cellist, Westchester, NY
  String specialist who blazed new trails in all styles of music
  
  
• Manty Ellis, 92, guitarist, Milwaukee, WI
  Local icon known as the Godfather of Milwaukee Jazz
  
  
• Tom Harrell, 78, trumpeter, New York, NY
  Beloved bandleader-soloist with a deep emotional resonance
  
  
• Billy Hart, 84, drummer, Montclair, NJ
  Hero of jazz rhythm and esteemed mentor known to fans worldwide as "Jabali"
  
  
• Bertha Hope, 88, pianist, New York, NY
  Bebop torchbearer and pioneering advocate for women in jazz
  
  
• Roger Humphries, 81, drummer, Pittsburgh, PA
  Jazz phenom who committed career to nurturing his hometown scene
  
  
• Carmen Lundy, 70, vocalist, Los Angeles, CA
  Multi-instrumentalist and composer who sets a standard for artistic independence
  
  
• Amina Claudine-Myers 82, pianist, New York, NY
  Avant-garde legend firmly grounded in gospel and blues traditions
  
  
• Roscoe Mitchell, 84, multireedist, Fitchburg, WI
  Illustrious experimental composer and educator; Art Ensemble of Chicago mainstay
  
  
• Johnny O'Neal, 68, pianist, New York, NY
  A musicians' musician with a "million-dollar touch"
  
  
• Shannon Powell, 62, drummer, New Orleans, LA
  New Orleans jazz ambassador known as the King of Tremé
  
  
• Julian Priester, 89, trombonist, Seattle, WA
  Multifaceted jazz virtuoso and invaluable educator
  
  
• Dizzy Reece, 94, trumpeter, Bronx, NY
  Enigmatic musical metaphysician whose influence spans generations
  
  
• Herlin Riley, 68, drummer, New Orleans, LA
  Irrepressible bandleader bringing the rhythm of New Orleans to the world
  
  
• Michele Rosewoman, 71, pianist, New York, NY
  Singular composer, bandleader and teacher fusing jazz, Cuban folkloric sounds
  
  
• Dom Salvador, 87, pianist, Long Island, NY
  Brazilian visionary who fuses samba, jazz and funk
  
  
• Reggie Workman, 87, bassist, New York, NY
  Master artist-educator; jazz luminary for nearly 70 years

The inaugural cohort of the Jazz Legacies Fellowship was selected by a distinguished panel of artists, scholars, and jazz professionals including Aja Burrell Wood, Brian Blade, Helen Sung, Jackie Harris, Jerome Jennings, Joe Farnsworth, Melanie Charles, Nicole Glover, Nicole Mitchell, Regina Carter, Robert Hurst, Suraya Mohamed, Theo Croker, Willard Jenkins, and Yosvany Terry.

To learn more about the Jazz Legacies Fellows and their work please visit: jazzfoundation.org/jazz-legacies-fellowship/. To stay informed of additional funding for Mellon's jazz initiative, subscribe to the Mellon Foundation newsletter at mellon.org/newsletter.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.

About The Jazz Foundation of America

The Jazz Foundation of America is a national nonprofit that provides financial assistance, social services, and employment opportunities to jazz, blues, and roots musicians affected by circumstances such as financial crises, health problems, natural disasters, and lack of work. It is our belief that in offering aid that enhances the wellbeing of artists, we contribute intrinsically to the legacy of the artform. With a licensed clinical social work team, JFA strives to find creative solutions for the struggles that musicians face anywhere in their lives. Our methodology is rooted in fostering long-term, personal relationships to empower clients and restore hope and dignity in their most trying times. Our performance programs create meaningful gigs for hundreds of musicians every month and bring free concerts to thousands of listeners at public schools, nursing homes, parks, and other community venues across the country. The organization was founded in 1989 and now assists artists and their families in 7,000 cases a year.

SOURCE The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation