Italian native Ada Rovatti is a highly accomplished saxophonist, composer, arranger, and producer, celebrated for her authoritative command of modern jazz.

Her foundational classical piano training was swiftly followed by a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where she studied with masters including Joe Viola and George Garzone. Rovatti honed her craft in Europe, working extensively in Big Bands alongside legends like Phil Woods and Lee Konitz.

Since moving to New York City, she has cemented her status as an international performer, appearing at major festivals including the North Sea Jazz Fest and The Jazz Cruise. Her impressive and diverse collaborations list—featuring titans such as Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Heath, John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, and Joe Bonamassa—underscores her versatility and mastery across the music world. She stands as an influential voice in her field.

Ann Hampton Callaway is a towering figure in pop and jazz, renowned as a premier interpreter of the Great American Songbook. Her distinguished career establishes her as an expert singer, composer, and lyricist.

Voted "Celebrity of the Year" and a multi-year "Best Jazz Vocalist," her authority is underscored by a Tony Award nomination for Swing!

Callaway is a multi-platinum award-selling songwriter whose original works feature on seven Barbra Streisand CDs. She famously wrote and sang the theme for The Nanny and has recorded 83 albums. Her latest CD, Finding Beauty, debuted at #1 on iTunes Jazz.

Her formidable contributions earned her The Johnny Mercer Award for Songwriting and induction into The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. She is a true master of her craft.

Arturo Sandoval is solidified as a living legend and musical icon, revered globally as one of the greatest trumpet players in history. His unmatched virtuosity, exceptional technical skill, and profound musicality have made a transformative impact on the jazz genre.

A master of groundbreaking fusion, Sandoval seamlessly blends jazz, classical, and Latin influences, showcasing remarkable range, agility, and control. His authority extends beyond performance; he is also a prolific composer, arranger, and educator, inspiring generations.

His enduring legacy as a trumpeter, pianist, and cultural ambassador, built upon his exceptional talent and remarkable life story—including overcoming political oppression—ensures his place in the annals of jazz history. Sandoval is undeniably among the most respected musicians in his field.

Ashley Henry is an authoritative voice in contemporary music, seamlessly merging his London and Caribbean roots with classical training and the Black radical tradition. His genre-bending sound draws critical inspiration from figures like James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Ahmad Jamal, and Aretha Franklin.

Henry's deep sonic compositions have launched top UK contemporary jazz vocalists. His groundbreaking work includes being the first musician commissioned by the Royal Observatory and curating The Freestyle Fellowship with artists like Shabaka Hutchings to support mental health. His Ronnie Scott’s Live Stream was the most streamed live jazz performance across Europe in 2020.

Further cementing his authority, Henry established his own label, Royal Raw Music (via Believe International), in 2023 to continually push the boundaries of artistic expression.

Benny Benack III is an Emmy-nominated virtuoso, establishing himself as a dual-threat authority in modern jazz.

As a trumpeter, his fiery command of the post-bop vernacular channels masters like Kenny Dorham and Freddie Hubbard. His instrumental prowess is matched by his vocal ability, delivering standards and original compositions with a sly, expressive, post-Sinatra showmanship.

This rare talent was recognized in the 2025 Downbeat Readers Poll where he won Rising Star Male Vocalist and placed #8 as a Rising Star Trumpeter.

Benack III's superb intonation and bracing virtuosity allow him to execute astounding, originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). A highly capable pianist as well, he stands as a leading voice among today's multi-instrumental jazz elite.

The late tenor saxophonist and polymath Benny Golson (1929-2024) left an indelible mark on modern jazz through his prodigious work as a composer, arranger, and player. Golson's smooth, harmonically rich, and swinging sound helped define the hard bop era. His most enduring impact is his essential contribution to the standard jazz repertoire, penning timeless classics.

His compositions—including "I Remember Clifford," "Whisper Not," "Along Came Betty," and "Killer Joe"—have been recorded countless times and remain vital cornerstones of jazz performance worldwide, ensuring his legacy as a titan of the genre.

Benny Green is a preeminent authority and active master of the jazz piano tradition. A prodigy, he debuted at the Monterey Jazz Festival at age 15, steeped in the foundational works of Monk and Parker.

Green's unmatched credentials include crucial tenures in legendary ensembles: he toured with Betty Carter, served in Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1987-’89), and was a core member of the Ray Brown Trio for 4 1/2 years.

He released seven albums as a leader on Blue Note Records over a decade. In 1992, his exceptional standing was cemented when Oscar Peterson named him his protégé and chose him for the prestigious Glenn Gould Award, leading to their renowned 1998 recording, Oscar and Benny.

His extensive discography features Milt Jackson and a duet on Diana Krall's Grammy-winning album. Green continues to showcase his mastery, now focusing on solo performance.

Billy Childs is widely recognized as one of the foremost American composers of his era, successfully merging his musical heritage with Western neoclassical traditions—a powerful symbiosis reminiscent of Aaron Copland.

His authority is underscored by extensive commissions from major ensembles, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Esa-Pekka Salonen) and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (Leonard Slatkin). His works have been performed at premier venues like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Childs is a highly decorated musician, earning six GRAMMY Awards out of seventeen nominations. His wins span diverse categories, validating his command across different genres.

A master of both jazz and classical composition, Childs is an indispensable voice in contemporary American music.

William "Billy" Hart is a towering figure in jazz drumming and education, whose career has defined rhythmic innovation across multiple eras of the music.

A true master, Hart's early work included backing soul greats like Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, and foundational jazz artists Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith.

His elite status was cemented in New York, where he became a key sideman for the genre's most influential voices. Hart was a vital member of Herbie Hancock's Sextet (1969–1973), and performed extensively with McCoy Tyner and Stan Getz. His pedigree includes recording with Miles Davis on On the Corner and collaborating with Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul.

Beyond performing, Hart is a highly respected educator, holding faculty positions at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, New England Conservatory, and Western Michigan University, ensuring the legacy of modern jazz drumming endures.

Bob James is a towering figure defining contemporary jazz, renowned across a six-decade career as a master composer, producer, and virtuoso pianist. Discovered by Quincy Jones, his influence spans over 60 albums and numerous awards.

As an authority, James not only mentored artists like Grover Washington, Jr. but also helmed major hits for Paul Simon and Neil Diamond. He is credited with setting the standard for the smooth jazz sound in the late 1970s.

His work is iconic: he composed all original music for the sitcom Taxi, including the theme "Angela." Grammy Awards cemented his status through collaborations like One On One with Earl Klugh and Double Vision with David Sanborn.

James is a founding member of the supergroup Fourplay and a silent giant in hip-hop; his tracks "Nautilus" and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" are among the most sampled songs in history, demonstrating his profound, genre-spanning mastery.

Boney James is a dominant and authoritative force in contemporary jazz, celebrated as a virtuoso saxophonist, songwriter, and producer.

His success is unparalleled, marked by over four million albums sold and four RIAA Certified Gold Records. A consistently recognized master of his craft, James is a four-time Grammy Award nominee and a Soul Train Award winner. His work has also earned him three NAACP Image Award nominations.

Further solidifying his status as an industry leader, Billboard magazine named him one of the Top 3 Contemporary Jazz Artists of the Decade in 2009.

In 2024, Boney James achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first artist to earn twenty #1 singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Chart, firmly establishing his enduring reign in the genre.

Brett Williams is a commanding figure in contemporary music, a multi-instrumentalist who began playing piano at age four and performing professionally by age nine.

His authority is cemented by a six-year tenure touring with multi-Grammy-winner Marcus Miller, where Williams is featured as a writer and performer on the Grammy-nominated album Laid Black.

Williams is a highly sought-after collaborator whose extensive credits span genre and global stages, including the Montreux and Newport Jazz Festivals. He has shared the stage with an elite roster of artists, including Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Mumford and Sons, Robert Glasper, and David Sanborn.

Known for his dynamic sound blending funk, gospel, and jazz, Williams is establishing a solo career, recently releasing his debut EP S3asons. He is an essential voice shaping the future of contemporary improvisation.

Acclaimed by The Wall Street Journal as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” and hailed as “the shining hope of hot jazz” by The New York Times, Bria Skonberg is a leading authority and educator driving the revival of classic American music.

Hailing from British Columbia, Skonberg honed her skills while balancing extensive global touring, performing in China, Japan, and Europe before establishing her base in New York City in 2010.

A respected bandleader since her teens, she has commanded stages at major international events including the Newport, Monterey, and New Orleans Jazz Festivals.

Skonberg solidified her stature with her 2016 Sony Masterworks debut LP, which earned a Canadian JUNO Award and landed in the Top 5 on Billboard's jazz charts. Her compositions and performances demonstrate her mastery of the genre, achieving over 10 million streams on Spotify.

Brian Culbertson is an undisputed authority in contemporary music, boasting a 29-album catalog and a phenomenal 40 Billboard No. 1 singles as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer.

Since his chart-topping 1994 debut, Long Night Out, Culbertson has masterfully blurred musical lines—shifting seamlessly from funk to acoustic jazz, and R&B to New Age—while maintaining a sophisticated sound. His ability to mount elaborately designed, months-long concert tours further cements his unique status.

His ambitious work showcases his broad stylistic command, ranging from passion to melancholy and finally, uplift.

Beyond the studio, Culbertson applies his savvy business mind to co-found and host the premier Napa Valley, Chicago, and New Orleans Jazz Getaways, attracting global clientele to his highly curated events.

Keyboardist and composer Brian Simpson is a central authority in contemporary jazz and R&B. After his formative years playing alongside Gerald Albright and Norman Brown, his international prominence was cemented by a world tour with Janet Jackson.

His career breakthrough began in 1990 with a decade-long tenure touring and producing alongside jazz legend George Duke. This established him as a premier collaborator, leading to work with artists including Anita Baker, Dave Koz, and Wayman Tisdale.

Simpson's influence extends globally, demonstrated by a demanding touring schedule across five continents. A chart-topping veteran, he has writing and performance credits on R&B and Smooth Jazz Airplay hits, making him the esteemed Music Director for numerous major jazz events. His expertise spans performance, composition, and production across multiple genres.

For over three decades, the phenomenal Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer has been a global authority in contemporary funk and jazz. She rose to fame with the number one smash “Lily was here” (Dave Stewart) and a legendary collaboration with Prince, who famously said, “When I want sax, I call Candy.”

Her impressive list of collaborators includes Beyoncé, Pink Floyd, Aretha Franklin, and Nile Rodgers. Her debut album, Saxuality, earned a Grammy nomination, contributing to her over 2.5 million worldwide album sales. Candy Dulfer maintains a relentless touring schedule and is a consistent headliner on Jazz Cruises, showcasing her passionate stage presence and commitment to making audiences "FUNK HARDER than ever."

The gifted drummer, Carl Allen, is an international powerhouse whose percolations have fueled bands for three decades across over 200 recordings. Cited by Joe Lovano as instrumental to the sounds of Freddie Hubbard and Christian McBride, Allen served as Musical Director for trumpeter Freddie Hubbard for eight years, appearing on albums like Double Take and Life Flight.

His extensive sideman discography also features Michael Brecker, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, and Art Farmer on The Company I Keep. As a bandleader, his work includes Piccadilly Square and the Mack Avenue releases Get Ready and Work to Do. Allen co-founded Big Apple Productions and created Nella Productions, which incorporates The New York Jazz Symposium education component. 

Catherine Russell is a preeminent vocalist, globally recognized as a supreme interpreter of American Popular Song.

Before going solo, Russell was a highly sought-after touring and recording artist, featured on over 200 albums with icons like David Bowie, Steely Dan, and Paul Simon.

Her 2006 solo debut, Cat, launched an acclaimed run. Her subsequent album Inside This Heart of Mine established her authority in the genre. She was awarded the Prix du Jazz Vocal for Strictly Romancin’ and earned a Grammy® Award for her work on the Boardwalk Empire soundtrack.

Russell's command of her craft is undeniable, earning two Grammy® Nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Harlem On My Mind and Alone Together. Hailed by NPR for "a voice that wails like a horn," she is celebrated for her stunning acoustic swing and sophisticated song selections.

Cécile McLorin Salvant is a visionary vocalist and composer, recognized as a supreme authority in modern music. She is both a three-time Grammy Award winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album and a MacArthur "genius" fellow. Known for her critically acclaimed work and profound vocal command, Salvant consistently challenges artistic limits. She actively pushes back against genre constraints, embracing all her influences from jazz to 90s pop. Her philosophy centers on an unsparing honesty, capturing the multi-faceted music "that’s in my head that I’m hearing for real."

Chris Botti is a GRAMMY®-winning trumpeter and one of the world's most popular instrumentalists for nearly three decades, celebrated for his glowing tone and regal melodicism.

His authority is cemented by collaborations with global superstars, resulting in multiple Gold and Platinum records.

His latest release, produced by David Foster, is Vol. 1, a deliberate artistic rebirth focusing on acoustic jazz and classic standards. The album highlights Botti’s masterful trumpet playing—hailed for its ability to "speak directly from the soul of the instrument"—across a collection of exquisite, elegant performances, cementing his standing as an instrumentalist of unparalleled beauty and sophistication.

Chris Brubeck is a GRAMMY®-nominated composer and innovative performer, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as "a composer with a real flair for lyrical melody—a 21st Century Lenny Bernstein.”

As an authority in contemporary music, he has created an impressive body of work, including band and chamber pieces, and multiple concertos for trombone and stringed instruments.

He maintains a demanding touring and recording schedule, performing on bass and trombone with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet and the jazz-funk-blues-Americana trio Triple Play He also tours with Brubecks Play Brubeck and has been an orchestral soloist and Artist in Residence.

For over 20 years, Chris Brubeck was a long-standing member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He co-wrote the orchestral piece Ansel Adams: America with his father, which was a 2013 GRAMMY® finalist for Best Instrumental Composition.

Christian McBride is a six-time GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist and composer who has recorded on over 300 dates as a sideman since the early 1990s, while establishing himself as a bandleader from his 1995 debut.

He is the host of NPR’s Jazz Night in America and of "The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian" on Sirius/XM, where he also DJs as DJ Brother Mister He was recently named the artistic director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, taking over from founder George Wein.

McBride has held key roles as artist-in-residence and artistic director for organizations including Los Angeles Philharmonic, Jazz House Kids, and NJPAC.3 He consistently tours with his quartet, the New Jawn, and fronts the GRAMMY®-winning Christian McBride Big Band. He has also had stints with Sting, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, Freddie Hubbard, and George Duke.

Cuban pianist, composer, and bandleader Chucho Valdés is one of the most influential figures in modern Afro-Cuban jazz, honored as a 2025 NEA Jazz Master. This distinction caps a 60-year career with seven GRAMMY® and six Latin GRAMMY® Awards.

He co-founded and led Irakere (1973-2005), pioneering Latin jazz by fusing Afro-Cuban music, jazz, rock, and classical styles. Irakere's 1979 U.S. debut won a GRAMMY®. He celebrated Irakere 50 in 2024, reuniting with Paquito D’Rivera and Arturo Sandoval.

A prolific solo artist, his albums include the GRAMMY® winners Live at the Village Vanguard and Chucho’s Steps. His 2022 album with D'Rivera, I Missed You Too, won a Latin GRAMMY®.

For Cyrille Aimée, music is a way of life, fueling her multi-award-winning career as a singer and improviser. Her style blends gypsy jazz from France with Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

In New York City, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Stephen Sondheim was impressed by her work, leading to a starring role in an Encores Special Presentation with Bernadette Peters and Wynton Marsalis. Her album Move On earned a 2019 GRAMMY® nomination for "Marry Me a Little."

Known for her fearless style and TEDx Talk on improvisation, her latest GRAMMY®-nominated album, à Fleur de Peau, created in Costa Rica, combines jazz depth, pop immediacy, and Caribbean dance rhythms.

orn in Oakland, drummer Dan Brubeck is a master polyrhythmic stylist, mentored by Joe Morello and Alan Dawson.

He has been central to the Dave Brubeck Quartet and the various Brubeck family bands, including the Darius Brubeck Ensemble and the New Brubeck Quartet, performing and recording widely with siblings Chris and Darius.

A versatile musician, he has toured with acts from The Band to Gerry Mulligan and co-led the Brubeck LaVerne Trio. His drumming is recognized globally for its distinctive use of odd time signatures and complex rhythms. His Dan Brubeck Quartet released Celebrating the Music and Lyrics of Dave and Iola Brubeck in 2015.

Born in Detroit, Don Was is widely recognized as a GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, musician, and band leader. He co-founded the successful 1980s group Was (Not Was) with David Was.

He won multiple GRAMMY® Awards, including Producer of the Year in 1995, for his work with legendary artists such as Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, and Brian Wilson.

Was has served as musical director or consultant on multiple films, including Thelma and Louise and Toy Story. He earned a British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Original Score for the film Backbeat. He also directed and produced the acclaimed documentary I Just Wasn't Made for These Times about Brian Wilson. Since January 2012, Don Was has served as President of the legendary jazz label, Blue Note Records.

Dave Grusin is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, earning him an Academy Award and 10 GRAMMY® Awards.

David Mrakpor is a London-based multi-instrumentalist who performs on keyboards, bass, guitar, drums, and vibraphone. Known as “Mr DM,” David Mrakpor is part of the group Blue Lab Beats. He won a GRAMMY® Award in 2022 for his music production on Angelique Kidjo’s album Mother Nature.

Saxophonist David Sanborn is a defining artist blending instrumental pop, R&B, and jazz. He was introduced to the saxophone as therapy for polio. By age 14, he played with blues legends like Albert King.

He toured with the Butterfield Blues Band (playing Woodstock), Stevie Wonder (Talking Book), and The Rolling Stones. He recorded the famous solo on David Bowie's "Young Americans" while also touring with Gil Evans.

Sanborn won his first of six GRAMMY® Awards for the single "All I Need Is You" from his 1981 album Voyeur. He hosted the acclaimed TV show Night Music (1988–1990), featuring jazz legends like Miles Davis. David Sanborn released 25 albums, earning eight Gold and one Platinum record.

GRAMMY® and Tony Award-winning jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater is a three-time GRAMMY® winner, most recently for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee.

Her career has bridged genres, starting with the Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band and performing with Max Roach and Dizzy Gillespie. She produces all her CDs; all but one of her post-1993 releases, including the double GRAMMY®-winner Dear Ella, have earned GRAMMY® nominations.

Bridgewater also won a Tony Award for her role as “Glinda” in The Wiz. She received an NEA Jazz Masters Fellows Award and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Derrick Hodge is a two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning composer, producer, and bassist, recognized as one of his generation’s most complete musicians.

He is celebrated for breaking new ground, being the first Black composer to write strings for Hip Hop at Carnegie Hall (for Mos Def) and the first to write symphonic Hip Hop for the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center (for Nas' Illmatic 20th anniversary).

Hodge was the bassist/Musical Director for pioneers like Jill Scott, Common, and Maxwell. He has played in influential groups like R+R=Now and the Robert Glasper Experiment. As a Blue Note Recording Artist, his solo projects include Live Today, The Second, and Color Of Noize. He is also a Sundance Composer Fellow and a leading advocate for emerging young musicians.

Dianne Reeves is a pre-eminent, four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz vocalist. Her latest soul-jazz classic, Beautiful Life, features collaborations with Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, Gregory Porter, and producer Terri Lyne Carrington.

Her career highlights include singing every song on the GRAMMY®-winning soundtrack for Good Night, and Good Luck and performing with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis. Reeves was the first singer to perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her GRAMMY®-winning albums include Beautiful Life and A Little Moonlight.

Dick Golden is a renowned jazz radio host with over 45 years of experience, currently hosting American Jazz on SiriusXM's Real Jazz channel, following his work on shows like Nightlights on Cape Cod.

A celebrated authority on jazz and the American Songbook, Golden is known for his ability to blend his vast, encyclopedic knowledge with an improvisational style that deeply connects with his audience. He is also a collaborator and friend of Tony Bennett, with whom he co-wrote a book.

Emmet Cohen is a prodigious American jazz pianist and composer, lauded by All About Jazz as "an impassioned artist of the highest order."

His status as an authority is cemented by winning the 2019 American Piano Awards and being named the 2023 Jazz Journalists Association Pianist of the Year. Legendary saxophonist Benny Golson affirmed his command, noting Cohen "has a lot to say."

During 2020, Cohen created "Live From Emmet's Place," a globally standard live-streamed series that garnered tens of millions of views.

He is committed to intergenerational knowledge transfer through his landmark Masters Legacy Series, collaborating with giants like Ron Carter and Jimmy Cobb. A Mack Avenue artist, his releases like Future Stride showcase his command of the Harlem stride style. Cohen is a central figure in modern jazz's past, present, and future.

GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal is a distinguished alumnus of the Berklee College of Music.

He gained prominence in the Chick Corea Elektric Band, winning two GRAMMY® Awards. He also recorded two GRAMMY®-nominated albums with the Jeff Lorber Fusion. His latest solo album, Double Dealin' with Randy Brecker, was GRAMMY®-nominated.

Marienthal has performed with artists including Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Dave Grusin, and George Duke. He is the Music Director for all programs produced by Signature Cruise Experiences (formerly Jazz Cruises, LLC), and has raised over $2,000,000 for the High Hopes charity.

Eulis Cathey Jr. was a renowned jazz radio host and GRAMMY®-nominated producer, known as one of the "greatest jazz radio voices in Buffalo history."

He served as Director of A&R at Verve Records in 1990 and earned a GRAMMY® nomination in 1994 as co-producer on Jimmy Heath’s Little Man, Big Band. He later became Vice President for Promotion at N2K Encoded Music.

Cathey hosted Jazz in the Nighttime on WEBR and the Sunday Night Music Mix on WBGO-FM until 2017, alongside hosting programs on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Saxophonist Everette Harp is a major smooth jazz figure known for blending hip-hop, funk, and classic R&B grooves, influenced by his Houston gospel and soul roots.

His early Blue Note albums established this style, and his 1997 tribute to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On was highly popular. His album For the Love marked a conscious shift to a simpler, more lyrical, and emotionally direct style, focusing on communicating honestly.

Harp has toured as a sideman with Anita Baker and Kenny Loggins, and performed with George Duke and Marcus Miller. He appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and his sax was heard on the theme songs for Entertainment Tonight and Soul Train. He is also known for raising over $2,000,000 for the High Hopes charity.

GRAMMY®-winning pianist, composer, and producer Geoffrey Keezer was the last pianist with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

He has toured and recorded with Ray Brown, Diana Krall, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, Chris Botti, and Sting.

Keezer won a GRAMMY® in 2023 for Best Instrumental Composition ("Refuge") and his 2009 album Áurea was GRAMMY®-nominated. He has also produced three GRAMMY®-nominated recordings for Denise Donatelli and serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School. His compositions appear in numerous films and TV shows.

Gerald Clayton is a four-time GRAMMY®-nominated pianist and composer, celebrated for his honest expression and harmonic curiosity. He studied with piano icons Billy Childs and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, and won second place in the 2006 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition.

The son of bassist John Clayton, he quickly established his own artistic identity. He has toured and recorded with a diverse group of artists, including Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Ambrose Akinmusire, John Scofield, Terri Lyne Carrington, and saxophone legend Charles Lloyd.

Clayton’s debut album, Two Shade, earned a 2010 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo. He received subsequent GRAMMY® nominations for his albums Bond: The Paris Sessions and Life Forum, and for his composition "Battle Circle." He has also served as Musical Director for the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour.

The "Revolutionary Soul Artist" Honey Larochelle has built an international career spanning jazz, soul, and funk.

She began touring as a vocalist for N’Dea Davenport and later became the lead singer for The Brand New Heavies. She has collaborated with icons including Roberta Flack, Omar, and Jonathan Butler, touring and recording worldwide. Her musical style is a seamless blend of classic soul, grown-folk funk, smooth jazz, and contemporary R&B.

A recent highlight includes her duet "Research" on Omar's 2025 album, Brighter the Days. Her forthcoming album, Growing Pains, is anticipated as a soulful journey through resilience and healing, confirming her importance in modern soul music.

Ivan Peroti is a versatile and established vocalist and writer whose career began as the lead singer of the boy band Sat-R-Day. He is the singer and writer of the hit song "Speed ​​up" by Funkerman, and he has penned songs for artists including Ben Saunders.

After collaborating as a guest vocalist, Peroti became a permanent member of Sven Hammond Soul for seven years, releasing three albums. In 2012, he placed third in the National Song Festival with the track "Take me as I am." After reaching The Voice of Holland quarterfinals in 2015, Peroti joined Candy Dulfer's band in 2018. His powerful voice is also featured in a popular commercial recording of "True Colors."

James Francies is a visionary pianist, keyboardist, and composer whose meteoric rise is shaping the sound of modern music. A Houston native and Blue Note Records artist, he has quickly become an authority, renowned for melding jazz mastery with pop experience.
At just 28, he has played with jazz headliners like Pat Metheny and Chris Potter, while also racking up impressive hip-hop and R&B credits, including studio work for Chance the Rapper, Drake, and appearances with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside his mentor, Questlove. Called "a pianist with liquid dynamism in his touch" by the New York Times, his acclaimed Blue Note debut, Flight, embodies the label's ultramodern ethos, infusing jazz with pop and hip-hop.

James Morrison is a multi-instrumentalist virtuoso from Australia, playing trumpet, trombone, piano, saxophone, and double bass. He began playing professionally in nightclubs at age 13 and made his U.S. debut at the Monterey Jazz Festival at age 16.
His international career includes performances at major festivals and collaborations with jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, and Quincy Jones.
Beyond jazz, Morrison has recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, performed at the BBC Proms, and written the fanfare for the Olympic Games. He is a member of The Order of Australia and has been inducted into the Australian Jazz Hall of Fame. He currently leads his own music Academy and has also been a TV presenter on Top Gear Australia, a pilot, and an author.

Jazzmeia Horn is a GRAMMY®-nominated jazz vocalist whose name was chosen by her jazz-loving grandmother.
Born in Dallas, she attended the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Arts and The New School. She won both the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition.
Her debut album, A Social Call, earned her first GRAMMY® nomination. Her second album, Love and Liberation, also received a GRAMMY® nomination, featuring songs of "daring musicality, emotional power, and messages of immediate relevancy." Horn views the title as a mantra, stating that "An act of love is an act of liberation, and choosing to liberate... is an act of love."

Jeff Hamilton is a highly influential drummer and bandleader who rose to prominence with the New Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Lionel Hampton’s Band. He fulfilled a lifelong goal by joining Woody Herman and the Thundering Herd and solidified his reputation as an authority on the instrument during his tenure with the L.A.4.
Hamilton was a long-time member of the Ray Brown Trio and the Oscar Peterson Quartet. The co-leader of the GRAMMY®-nominated Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, he has appeared on over 300 recordings with artists including Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, and Paul McCartney. He is a four-time winner of the Modern Drummer Readers' Poll, was inducted into The Jazz Cruise Hall of Fame in 2014, and remains active touring with his trio, the CHJO, and the Akiko Tsuruga Organ Trio.

Jeff Lorber is a renowned pianist, keyboardist, and composer whose storied career has shaped modern jazz. Drawing inspiration from Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and the history of jazz piano, he expertly combined this lineage with his love for funk and R&B to forge his signature sound.
He began recording in 1977 with The Jeff Lorber Fusion, and his 1985 solo album Step By Step earned his first GRAMMY® nomination. He has produced a string of successful projects and won his first GRAMMY® for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Prototype (2017). Lorber’s latest album, his 32nd, is the solo passion project Elevate, featuring many notable players and showcasing his commitment to making music that "elevates your mood." He is also an accomplished producer for artists like Richard Elliot and Gerald Albright.

Jeffrey Osborne is a preeminent American singer-songwriter and lyricist who began his career in 1970 as the drummer and later the primary lead vocalist for the R&B/soul group L.T.D. He sang lead on L.T.D.'s three No. 1 songs, including "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again."
After launching his solo career in 1982, his self-titled debut featured the hit "On the Wings of Love." He had two more gold albums, Don't Stop and Emotional, which featured his highest-charting solo hit, "You Should Be Mine." In 1987, he had his highest-charting hit with Dionne Warwick, "Love Power." Osborne’s composition skills were recognized when he wrote the lyrics for Whitney Houston’s hit "All at Once." He has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame (2024).

Joey Alexander is an acclaimed pianist and composer who has emerged as a commanding voice in modern jazz. Widely regarded as a highly skilled improviser since a young age, the Bali-born artist is now a composer-pianist of fertile imagination and emotional depth.
His seventh album, Continuance, is a "continuation" of his commitment to composing, showcasing haunting chamber jazz and featuring his regular touring trio. The album, which includes five new originals and memorable covers like Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," demonstrates his deepening artistry. Alexander’s albums have netted three GRAMMY® Award nominations, with My Favorite Things and Countdown securing the No. 1 spot on the Billboard jazz charts.

Joey DeFrancesco was a four-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated organist, widely credited with igniting the resurgence of organ jazz in the 1980s. Raised in Philadelphia, his music blended traditional jazz and blues roots with a distinct modern approach, making it "unmistakably his own."
He learned trumpet rapidly after being recruited by Miles Davis in one of Davis's youngest-ever ensembles. He has recorded and toured with an extensive list of renowned artists, including Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Diana Krall, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, and David Sanborn.
With more than 30 recordings as a leader, he has consistently dominated the instrument, winning the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll eleven times over 15 years and the Readers Poll every year since 2005. He was inducted into the inaugural Hammond Organ Hall of Fame (2014) and the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame (2016). 

John Clayton is a GRAMMY®-winning bassist, composer, arranger, and producer with nine additional nominations.
He served as the principal bassist in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (1980–1984) and co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and The Clayton Brothers Quintet.
Clayton has written and/or recorded with a vast array of artists, including Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo Ma, and McCoy Tyner. Notably, his arrangement of the "Star Spangled Banner" propelled Whitney Houston's iconic 1990 Super Bowl performance (which went platinum). He also directs educational components for several major jazz workshops and festivals.

Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli is hailed for "reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz."
He is a prime contemporary interpreter of the Songbook, expanding the repertoire to include music by Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and The Beatles. Pizzarelli won a GRAMMY® Award in 2021 as co-producer of James Taylor's American Standard.
As a bandleader, he has also been a special guest on recordings for major artists like Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown, and his father, Bucky Pizzarelli. He is the co-host of the radio show Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli and has appeared on many popular national television shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Great Performances.

Jonathan Butler is a celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose from poverty and the shadow of apartheid in South Africa to become an internationally recognized artist. He made history as the first non-white artist to be played on South African radio, an achievement that earned him the South African equivalent of a GRAMMY®.
Nelson Mandela credited Butler’s music with inspiring him during his imprisonment, making Butler a symbol of his homeland’s resilience. His self-titled debut album received a GRAMMY® nomination for the pop hit “Lies,” and an instrumental “Going Home” earned him another GRAMMY® nomination. In 2025, Butler received an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, recognizing his impact.

José James is an authoritative American composer, baritone singer, and guitarist who skillfully merges contemporary jazz and hip hop. A graduate of The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, he debuted with The Dreamer (2008), achieving success after being signed to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings.

His album, For All We Know (2010), was a critical triumph, winning both the Edison Award and the Académie du Jazz Grand Prix for best Vocal Jazz Album. James has presented his work at prestigious venues like The Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl and has performed as a guest artist with McCoy Tyner and the Jazz at Lincoln Center. His latest project is On & On - José James sings Badu, which he premiered at The Kennedy Center.

Composer, bandleader, and saxophonist Kamasi Washington is an authority whose music functions as an intervention across generations and genres. His fifth studio album, Fearless Movement, explores dance as a metaphor for the necessary practice of elasticity and movement, marking a progression in his study of music as connection.

Washington’s earlier albums, The Epic and Heaven and Earth, featured choir and strings, while Fearless Movement is more rhythmic and integrates rappers into his world. His collaborative process is key, notably in the "supergroup" DINNER PARTY (with Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin) and his GRAMMY®- and Primetime Emmy-nominated score for the Michelle Obama documentary Becoming. His new album features Andre 3000, George Clinton, and D Smoke, underscoring his deep connection to Black music in L.A. across time.

Kandace Springs is a premier jazz pianist and singer, recognized as one of the top female artists in the Jazz/Soul genre. Hailing from Nashville, she transitioned from a hotel parking attendant and lounge pianist to a featured international performer whose "natural gifts for lyricism and soulfulness" have captivated audiences worldwide.

Her talent was nurtured by her father, a singer known as Scat, and recognized by hitmaking producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, and later by Blue Note Records' Don Was, who called her cover of "I Can’t Make You Love Me" the best he had ever heard. Prince personally propelled her career after seeing her cover his song, leading to her performance with him at Paisley Park. Springs' album, Soul Eyes, produced by GRAMMY® winner Larry Klein, garnered 5-star reviews globally. 

Kathy Kosins is a singular vocalist who masterfully exemplifies the intersection of jazz and soul. Her latest single, Auroras Light, earned her the title of Most Played Vocalist on SiriusXM Watercolors, cementing her status as a leading voice in the genre.

With six acclaimed studio albums, Kosins delivers flawless phrasing and passion-filled storytelling through genre-crossing collaborations with icons like Frank McComb and Bob Baldwin. Her single "From A 2 B" won Jazz Vocal Single of the Year from the Independent Broadcasters Alliance. Her album Uncovered Soul, produced by Kamau Kenyatta, topped the Official Indie Soul Chart and was hailed internationally as a "consummate work of art." Kosins also integrates her accomplished cubist-inspired abstract paintings into her live performances.

Keb’ Mo’ is a five-time GRAMMY® Award winner, 14-time Blues Foundation Award winner, and an enduring voice in music, celebrated for his genre-bending blend of blues, folk, country, and soul. Born in Compton, his groundbreaking career spans more than 50 years, starting with his first significant gig playing with Jefferson Airplane violinist Papa John Creach.

Keb’ Mo’s introduction to the world was his widely acclaimed 1994 self-titled debut, quickly garnering his first GRAMMY® Award for Just Like You. He has collaborated with artists like Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, and Bonnie Raitt, and has had compositions recorded and sampled by B.B. King and BTS. An accomplished onscreen presence, he has appeared in Martin Scorcese’s The Blues, The West Wing, and Sesame Street, and won the Americana Music Association’s 2021 award for Lifetime Achievement in Performance.

Kelly Peterson is a dedicated force in preserving and promoting her late husband, Oscar Peterson’s musical legacy. She actively works to keep his life and work vibrant through reissues and by finding lost recordings.

Peterson conceived and executive produced the celebrated "Oscar, With Love" album, which features 16 top jazz pianists performing her husband's compositions, including previously unreleased pieces found in his personal library. Her efforts also include supporting major initiatives like the Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival and the petition to rename a Metro station in Montreal in his honor.

Ken Peplowski is an acclaimed clarinetist and tenor saxophonist known for his versatility, having grown up playing in a Polish polka band in Cleveland, which he credits for teaching him to "think fast on your feet."

His career launched with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, followed by a pivotal move to New York City where he was hired by Benny Goodman in 1984. As a leader, he has recorded nearly 20 albums with Concord Records, including The Natural Touch, which won Best Jazz Record of the Year by the Prises Deutschen Schallplatten Kritiken. A master interpreter, Peplowski has collaborated with diverse icons from Mel Torme and Peggy Lee to Madonna and Woody Allen. He is currently the Artistic Director of the Sarasota Jazz Festival and a recipient of the Creative Arts Prize from the Polish American Historical Association.

Kenny Barron is one of the undisputed masters of jazz piano, honored by The National Endowment for the Arts as a 2010 Jazz Master. Lauded for his "elegant playing, sensitive melodies, and infectious rhythms," he is widely considered one of the top jazz pianists in the world.

Born in Philadelphia, Barron moved to New York City at age 19 and was hired by Dizzy Gillespie in 1962, where he developed an appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. He later played with Stan Getz, co-founded the group "Sphere" to celebrate the music of Thelonious Monk, and was a distinguished professor of music at Rutgers University for 27 years. Barron has released over 40 recordings as a leader and earned nine GRAMMY® nominations. He is a six-time recipient of Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2009.

Kevin Whalum is a celebrated jazz and R&B vocalist, recording artist, and licensed preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, currently residing in Nashville. A proud native of Memphis’s Orange Mound neighborhood, Whalum’s journey of growth and broadened perspective began when he left his hometown to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, followed by a move to Chicago.

His music and ministry are deeply informed by the lessons he learned both in Memphis and through extensive world travels to places like Stockholm, Tokyo, and Cape Town, South Africa. A champion of accepting new perspectives and loving mankind "ferociously," Whalum’s art and faith reflect his core belief in living authentically and eschewing hate.

Kurt Elling is one of the most inventive and decorated male jazz vocalists of our time, renowned for his signature rich sound, contemporary Beat lyricism, and vocalese ingenuity. The New York Times called him "the standout male jazz vocalist of our time," and The Guardian (UK) dubbed him "a kind of Sinatra with superpowers."

A two-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Elling has earned 17 GRAMMY nominations and has spent two decades leading the DownBeat Critics and Readers polls. He has performed in over 70 countries and frequently appears as a soloist with premier orchestras globally, including the New York Philharmonic. His recent work includes making his Broadway debut as "Hermes" in Hadestown. His new duo EP with Christian Sands, Wildflowers, Vol. 3, will be released in August 2025.

Lalah Hathaway is a five-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter and music producer, widely credited as the "First Daughter of Soul" as the daughter of the legendary Donny Hathaway. After the release of her 1990 debut, she has cultivated a career that spans and blends contemporary R&B, neo-soul, funk, jazz, and gospel.

A true authority in vocal technique, her voice is classified as a contralto, and she is famed for her multiphonic singing, which allows her to sing several notes simultaneously. Her song "Forever, for Always, for Love" and her cover of Anita Baker's "Angel" both topped the US Adult R&B Songs chart. Her GRAMMY® wins include Best R&B Album for Lalah Hathaway Live (2015) and multiple awards for collaborations with Snarky Puppy and Robert Glasper. She received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2022 and released her eighth album, Vantablack, in 2024 on her independent label, Hathaway Entertainment.

Lawrence Fields is a jazz pianist at the forefront of his generation, celebrated for his dynamic blend of vintage ideals and a contemporary mindset. Born in St. Louis, he has been consistently ranked near the top of the "Rising Stars" critics poll for keyboardists by Downbeat Magazine.

Fields is a highly sought-after collaborator and is a key member of several bands led by veteran saxophone icon Joe Lovano, including his Classic Quartet and the Sound Prints quintet with Dave Douglas. His playing in Sound Prints was praised by The Wall Street Journal as "elegant, probing," and the band's album Scandal was named the #1 jazz album of 2018 by The Guardian. Fields is also integral to the Christian Scott Group, contributing as a pianist, keyboardist, co-writer, and co-producer on multiple GRAMMY®-nominated albums. He released his debut album, To the Surface, in 2024 to critical acclaim.

Lee Ritenour is a legendary, GRAMMY® Award-winning guitarist whose dazzling five-decade career has seen him traverse and master nearly every genre, from '70s fusion to '80s pop crossover and Brazilian jazz. With 45 albums, 16 GRAMMY nominations, and an Alumnus of the Year award from USC, his accolades are immense.

Known for thousands of sessions with legends like Frank Sinatra, Pink Floyd, B.B. King, and Tony Bennett, Ritenour was also the fingers behind the '90s supergroup Fourplay. His 2010 album, Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory, featured an all-star lineup including George Benson and B.B. King. His latest album, Dreamcatcher, is his first-ever solo guitar record, born from the personal challenge of losing his house, studio, and nearly 100 guitars in the 2018 Malibu fire, and the global tragedy of the pandemic. The album, which he calls a "life-saver," showcases his eclectic, melodic, and purposeful instrumental guitar work.

LeRoy Downs, widely known as "The Jazzcat," is an iconic figure in the jazz industry, serving as a Los Angeles radio program and festival host, journalist, curator, and concert series producer for over two decades. He currently hosts the popular "Just Jazz" show on 89.9 FM KCRW Los Angeles.

Downs is dedicated to bridging generations, cultures, and politics through music, a vision he brings to life by curating the weekly Just Jazz Concert Series. He is a long-time host of premier events and festivals, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, and the Playboy Jazz Cruise. Downs has also translated his decades of jazz and television knowledge into producing content, including programs like "Hangin’ with the Jazzcats" and "Musicians Talk Race in America," all available via The Just Jazz App.

Lindsey Webster is a celebrated American jazz, R&B, and pop singer known for bringing a vocal focus back to the smooth jazz genre. Her debut single, "Fool Me Once," made history in 2016 by reaching number one on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart, making her the first vocalist since Sade to have a #1 vocally-driven song in the primarily instrumental format.

A New York native, she began her musical journey playing the cello before studying voice at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Since her breakthrough, Webster has continued her success with a string of hits, scoring six Top 5 songs, including the chart-topper "Where Do You Want To Go."

Luques Curtis is a globally respected bassist, composer, and educator, known for his authority across modern jazz and Afro-Caribbean traditions. A Hartford, CT native, he received training at the Greater Hartford Academy of Performing Arts and the Artist Collective, later studying at Berklee College of Music.

Based in NYC, Curtis maintains an active international performance schedule, collaborating with icons like Eddie Palmieri and Stefon Harris. He co-leads the Curtis Brothers, whose five recordings include Algorithm.

Curtis's discography boasts over 100 commercial recordings and significant GRAMMY® recognition: He earned the 2025 GRAMMY® for Best Latin Jazz Recording for Cubop Lives, and contributed to Brian Lynch’s GRAMMY®-winning Simpatico. He also has contributions on two other GRAMMY®-nominated albums and produced another GRAMMY®-nominated project, underscoring his influence as one of the leading bassists of his generation.

Mark Ruffin is a renowned broadcaster, author, and GRAMMY®-nominated producer, specializing in jazz, art, and culture. With two Emmy awards, he has been celebrated for over 40 years in broadcasting, including a 25-year legacy on Chicago radio (WBEZ, WDCB, WNUA). Since 2007, he has served as Program Director for Sirius/XM's Real Jazz channel.

As a prominent writer, Mark was the Jazz Editor at Chicago Magazine for 25 years. His 2021 book, Bebop Fairy Tales: An Historical Fiction Trilogy on Jazz, Intolerance and Baseball, won two Feather Quill Book Awards.

Mark has produced 13 albums, including the GRAMMY®-nominated I Wanna Be Evil: Love to Eartha Kitt by Rene Marie. He won Producer of the Year at the Chicago Music Awards and has helmed projects for George Freeman, Giacomo Gates, and others, solidifying his status as an authority in jazz culture and production.

Marquis Hill is an internationally renowned trumpeter, composer, and bandleader celebrated for breaking down genre barriers, masterfully blending contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and neo-soul. The Chicago native trained at Kenwood Academy and earned degrees from Northern Illinois and DePaul Universities.

Hill became a global presence after winning the 2014 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz competition. His discography includes five acclaimed self-released discs, such as Modern Flows Vol. II, and his Concord Jazz debut, The Way We Play.

Leading his longtime working group, the Blacktet, Hill’s distinctive tone evokes Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, and Lee Morgan. DownBeat recognized his stature, granting him first place in the “Rising Star–Trumpet” category of the 2016 Critics Poll, confirming his authority as a leading voice in modern music.

Mary Stallings is an American jazz vocalist whose career has spanned over 65 years, earning her a unique and revered place in modern jazz. The New York Times has called her "perhaps the best jazz singer alive today."

A San Francisco native, Stallings began singing in a gospel choir before performing in local nightclubs by her teens, sharing the stage with legends like Ben Webster, Cal Tjader, and Wes Montgomery. She came of age in the big band era, touring with Dizzy Gillespie's band and spending three years as the featured singer for the Count Basie Orchestra from 1969 to 1972.

After a hiatus in the 1970s and '80s to raise her daughter (R&B singer Adriana Evans), Stallings returned to the scene in the late 1980s. Since then, she has been celebrated for her sophisticated, blues-inflected phrasing and deep connection to the Great American Songbook, releasing over a dozen acclaimed albums.

Melody Gardot is a GRAMMY®-nominated singer, songwriter, and musician known for her delicate, expressive voice and seamless blend of jazz, blues, R&B, and global styles.

Her career was launched after a cycling accident at age 19, where music therapy became her primary form of recovery. Her 2009 breakthrough album, My One and Only Thrill, sold 1.5 million copies worldwide and earned three GRAMMY® nominations.

She has continued to evolve stylistically, releasing the socially conscious Currency of Man, the orchestral Sunset in the Blue with Sting, and the intimate duo album Entre eux deux with pianist Philippe Powell. In 2024, she celebrated her 20th anniversary with The Essential Melody Gardot. Gardot holds the French cultural honor, the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Michael Cuscuna (1948–2024) was a singular figure in jazz, renowned as the leading reissue producer, a Grammy-winning historian, journalist, and co-founder of a major reissue label. He was also a producer of new jazz, R&B, and rock recordings. His impact is measured by over 2,600 albums bearing his credit, including three GRAMMY® Awards—two for Best Historical Album and one for Best Album Notes.

Cuscuna was fiercely devoted to musicians and their music, possessing a wealth of information from arduous research. He singlehandedly kept the Blue Note label on life support and was critical in balancing artistic and commercial priorities in recorded music. Though steeped in jazz tradition, he was not a purist, citing the Mizell Brothers and Ronnie Laws’ "Always There" among his favorites. His legacy is defined by his tireless work to keep great jazz music available for audiences.

Michael Lazaroff, based in St. Louis, is a highly successful entrepreneur and the Director of Entertainment Cruise Productions. A former attorney, Lazaroff entered the business in 2000 after Norwegian Cruise Lines discontinued its jazz cruise, inspiring his mother, Anita Berry, to start her own venture.

Michael McDonald is an American singer, keyboardist, and songwriter renowned for his distinctive, soulful baritone voice. Starting in the 1970s, he was a prominent backing vocalist for Steely Dan before becoming the lead vocalist and a defining songwriter for The Doobie Brothers (1975–1982, 2019–present).

With The Doobie Brothers, he penned hits like "Takin' It to the Streets" and the chart-topping "What a Fool Believes," which helped the album Minute by Minute find massive success. His solo career took off with If That's What It Takes (1982), featuring "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)."

McDonald is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and a five-time GRAMMY® Award winner, including awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "What a Fool Believes," cementing his status as a legendary authority in blue-eyed soul and rock.

Mindi Abair is a GRAMMY®-nominated saxophonist and vocalist celebrated for her "powerhouse style" and "exceptional creative imagination." Over a 21-year recording career, she has garnered two GRAMMY® nominations: one for Best Pop Instrumental Album (Summer Horns with Dave Koz, Richard Elliot, and Gerald Albright), and one for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for her solo LP Wild Heart.

Abair has consistently topped the Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Blues charts. As a high-profile performer, she has toured and/or recorded with Aerosmith, Duran Duran, Smokey Robinson, and Keb' Mo', and served as the featured saxophonist on American Idol. Her band, Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers, won eight Independent Blues Awards in 2018. She is also the author of How To Play Madison Square Garden – A Guide To Stage Performance.

Nadira Kimberly Scruggs-Butler is a talented violinist known for her captivating melodic performances in jazz and contemporary music. She is recognized for her significant contributions as a featured artist on several recordings, particularly those by her husband, South African singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler.

Scruggs-Butler has been highlighted for her instrumental work, including solo violin features on Butler's albums. Her playing is noted for its ability to "stirring clouds from blue skies," as heard on the track "Peace in Shelter" from the album Ubuntu, which she co-composed with Russell Ferrante. She regularly captivates audiences in live settings, appearing with Jonathan Butler and his band at major festivals such as the Pompano Beach Jazz Fest. Scruggs-Butler's skill and presence cement her authority as an accomplished contemporary violinist.

Nathaniel Kearney Jr. is a dedicated, Christan bassist renowned for his strong work ethic and versatility across Gospel and Secular music. The Halifax, NC native initially played drums before teaching himself bass, a skill that launched an international career.

After performing with Gospel artists like Karen Clark Sheard, Nate joined Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers in 2005, touring globally and performing at The White House.

In 2009, his move to Los Angeles expanded his authority, leading to work with a Who’s Who of artists: GRAMMY® winners Patti LaBelle, Babyface, and Norman Brown; Gospel stars Mary Mary and Smokie Norful; and Multi-Platinum sellers Taio Cruz and Jodeci. He has also played with Chuck Loeb, Dave Koz, and Kirk Whalum, appearing on shows like Ellen and Lopez Tonight.

Nick Colionne is a leading star in contemporary jazz, renowned for a style that masterfully combines jazz, R&B, blues, and funk into an instantly recognizable, urban sound. His unique vibe is defined by his fluid guitar playing and rich baritone vocals.

Colionne is celebrated for his showmanship, offering audiences unparalleled musicianship, energy, style, and natural comedic flair. His latest CD, THE JOURNEY, offers "a palate of moods and flavors born of life experiences," cementing his authority as a uniquely talented and commanding figure in the genre.

Nicki Parrott is an internationally acclaimed bassist, composer, and vocalist known for her authoritative presence in the New York jazz scene. Born in Australia, she began on piano and flute before switching to the double bass at age 15. She studied jazz at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music before moving to NYC in 1994 on an Arts Council grant to study with Rufus Reid.

Since 2000, Parrott was the resident bassist with guitar legend Les Paul at the Iridium Jazz Club. She has performed with an extensive list of notable musicians, including Clark Terry, Michael Legrand, Billy Taylor, Randy Brecker, and Houston Person. She has also appeared in several Broadway shows and headlined the Tribute to Mary Lou Williams festival, cementing her status as a versatile and accomplished musician.

Niki Haris is a multi-talented singer, dancer, actress, and choreographer, and the daughter of GRAMMY®-nominated jazz pianist Gene Harris. Best known as "The BIG VOICE" behind Madonna for over 18 years, she appeared in the movie Truth or Dare.

Her extensive collaborations include jazz greats like Stanley Turrentine and Joe Sample, and recordings with Ray Charles, Mick Jagger, Whitney Houston, and Sheryl Crow. Her voice is also heard on major motion picture and television soundtracks, including the co-written theme for Dark Angel.

Haris's versatility keeps her in demand globally, from Carnegie Hall to major International Dance and Jazz Festivals. Her jazz collaborations include Time and Rhyme and I’m Glad There is You. She remains a dedicated advocate for AIDS Research and Music in the Classroom, cementing her authority as a focused, international entertainer.

Nubya Garcia is a highly acclaimed British jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, known for her urban contemporary style. Born in London in 1991, she began on violin and viola before switching to saxophone at age 10, receiving foundational training from Nikki Yeoh, Tomorrow's Warriors, and the Royal Academy of Music. She graduated with honors from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2016.

Garcia released her debut EP, Nubya's 5ive, in 2017. Her debut studio album, Source (2020), was shortlisted for the 2021 Mercury Prize, solidifying her status as a leading authority in the modern jazz scene. She is also a member of the collectives Nérija and Maisha, has a residency on NTS Radio, and debuted her band at the 2021 BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall. Her third album, Odyssey, was released in 2024.

Paquito D'Rivera is a multi-talented artist, celebrated both for his virtuosity in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer, having won fourteen GRAMMY® Awards.

Born in Havana, Cuba, he was a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony at age 17 and was a founding member and co-director of the influential ensemble Irakere, which won a GRAMMY® in 1979 for its explosive mix of jazz, rock, classical, and traditional Cuban music. He was also a founding member of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra, which won a GRAMMY® in 1991.

D'Rivera's discography includes more than 30 solo albums. In classical music, he is passionate about promoting Latin repertoire, and his chamber work "Merengue" (recorded live with cellist Yo-Yo Ma) won him his seventh GRAMMY® in 2004.

The NEA affirms that he has become the "consummate multinational ambassador, creating and promoting a cross-culture of music that moves effortlessly among jazz, Latin, and Mozart."

Paul Jackson, Jr. is a GRAMMY®-recognized composer, arranger, producer, and guitarist, celebrated as one of the most prolific session guitarists of his generation. Raised in Los Angeles, he nurtured his talent in a musical family before majoring in music at the University of Southern California.

He has contributed to major GRAMMY®-winning records, including Michael Jackson’s Thriller (Album Of The Year) and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" (Record Of The Year). He also received a GRAMMY® nomination for his own recording, I Came To Play, for Best R&B Instrumental Performance.

Jackson's extensive discography, which led Herbie Hancock to call him "The guitarist who can play anything," features a who's who of music icons, including Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, and Ella Fitzgerald, cementing his authority across jazz, R&B, and pop.

Peter White is a versatile and prolific acoustic guitarist, celebrated for his singular sound that blends jazz, pop, and classical guitar with unparalleled lyricism and energy. Raised in England, he initially studied multiple instruments before being drawn to the guitar.

His professional career began in 1975 when he joined Al Stewart's band as a keyboardist, leading to a 20-year association that included co-writing the 1978 hit "Time Passages." He also played guitar on Basia's 1987 debut, Time and Tide.

White launched his solo career in 1990 with Reveillez-Vous, quickly becoming a contemporary jazz favorite. With over a dozen solo recordings, including Good Day and Smile, he maintains an ambitious schedule, touring with "Guitars and Saxes" and establishing the popular "Peter White Christmas Tour," solidifying his authority in the genre.

Ramsey Lewis (1935–2022) was an iconic NEA Jazz Master and three-time GRAMMY®-winning pianist who successfully crossed over to the pop and R&B charts. Starting with the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956, he achieved massive success with the GRAMMY®-winning hit "The In Crowd."

Lewis continued to define the contemporary sound, releasing the smash album Sun Goddess in 1974, produced by former drummer Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire). He later collaborated with artists like Nancy Wilson and launched the side project Urban Knights with Grover Washington, Jr. and others.

Lewis also became a broadcaster, hosting the popular Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis syndicated radio show and a well-received PBS television series. His final recordings, such as Taking Another Look – Deluxe Edition, cemented his authority as a leading figure in jazz for over five decades.

Randy Brecker is an authoritative trumpeter and composer whose playing has defined jazz, R&B, and rock for over six decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn grace hundreds of albums by artists from Frank Sinatra to Steely Dan. After work with Horace Silver and Art Blakey, he co-founded the influential jazz-rock group Dreams.

With brother Michael, he led the Brecker Brothers Band, which earned seven Grammy nominations. Randy's solo career yielded his first GRAMMY® for Into the Sun (1997). He later won a GRAMMY® for 34th n' Lex, and his total now stands at seven GRAMMY® awards. His ongoing work secures his status as a music pioneer.

Singer-songwriter Raul Midón is a prolific, GRAMMY®-nominated master of genre fusion, blending smooth folk, alt-pop, and jazz. The New York Times described his music as "a three way fusion of Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerrin and José Feliciano."

Midón has released 14 albums, including the 2024 collection Lost & Found and the 2022 guitar duets album Eclectic Adventurist. He has worked with legends like Bill Withers, Herbie Hancock, and Sting, and received back-to-back GRAMMY® nominations in 2017 and 2018 for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Bad Ass and Blind and If You Really Want.

An accomplished engineer as well as a performer, Midón has been recognized as the Disability Rights Ambassador of the Year. He remains an authority in contemporary music through his constant creation and relentless work ethic, even mastering engineering technology from his basement studio.

GRAMMY® nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Ravi Coltrane is a critically acclaimed artist who has maintained a fast-paced career spanning over twenty years.

The son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, he was named after Ravi Shankar. He was a significant influence on his mother, whom he encouraged back to the studio to record the powerful 2004 album Translinear Light, which he also produced and played on.

Coltrane has released six albums as a leader, including his 2012 Blue Note release, Spirit Fiction. He is a co-leader of the Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman. He has also recorded and performed with jazz legends including Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Baron, McCoy Tyner, and Jack DeJohnette.

He is the founder of the prominent independent record label RKM and leads the effort to restore the John Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, Long Island.

Pianist and composer Renee Rosnes is an authority whose career has been marked by exciting collaborations and distinguished solo work. Upon moving to New York from Vancouver, she quickly established herself, touring and recording with masters like Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and Bobby Hutcherson. She was a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective and is a 15-year member of Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet.

Rosnes has 10 solo albums on Blue Note Records. Her recent solo album, Crossing Paths, spent six weeks at #1 on the JazzWeek charts. She also serves as the pianist and musical director for the all-star ensemble ARTEMIS, which was named Jazz Group of the Year in Downbeat’s 88th & 89th Readers Polls. Her album Kinds of Love won her 7th Canadian JUNO award. Rosnes was honored with the Oscar Peterson Award in 2018.

Richard Elliot, a powerful tenor saxophonist, began his career while in high school, leading to tours with Natalie Cole, The Pointer Sisters, and The Temptations. He further honed his artistry and performance skills as a member of Tower of Power’s horn section, cementing his reputation as a dynamic live performer.

Known for his singular talent, no-holds-barred playing, and inexhaustible on-stage energy, Elliot has a unique ability to enthrall an audience. A frequent performer on The Smooth Jazz Cruise, he continues to share his music and energy, standing out as a commanding figure in contemporary jazz.

Rick Braun is an award-winning trumpeter, composer, and producer celebrated as one of contemporary jazz’s most influential artists, having secured over 30 Billboard number one hits.

Starting his career in the 1980s, he wrote REO Speedwagon’s Top 20 hit “Here with Me” and the theme for NBC’s Midnight Caller. Returning to the trumpet, Braun toured and recorded with an array of music legends, including Rod Stewart, Sade, Tina Turner, and Tom Petty.

His solo discography includes acclaimed albums like Beat Street, Kisses in the Rain, and Can You Feel It. Influenced by Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard, Braun’s music masterfully combines soul, melody, and sophistication, cementing his authority through his extensive studio work and international events.

Robert Glasper is a highly influential American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and arranger whose music fuses jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, and R&B. He has won five GRAMMY® Awards from 11 nominations, solidifying his authority across multiple genres.

Glasper's breakout album, Black Radio (2012), won the GRAMMY® for Best R&B Album and was praised as a "blueprint forward." Its sequel, Black Radio 2, won the GRAMMY® for Best Traditional R&B Performance. He also won a GRAMMY® for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (Miles Ahead).

He is known for his two main groups: the acoustic Robert Glasper Trio and the genre-defying electric Robert Glasper Experiment. Glasper won a Primetime Emmy for his song "A Letter to the Free" featured in the documentary 13th. He has also composed scores for films and served as an Artist in Residence at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Russell Gunn is a trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist who bridges jazz and hip-hop, an influence dating back to his youth in Illinois. After gaining critical attention for his contribution to Wynton Marsalis' GRAMMY®-winning Blood on the Fields, Gunn cemented his authority in the jazz world, backing legends like Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, and James Moody, as well as R&B artist Maxwell.

Gunn's solo career took off with Ethnomusicology, Vol. 1 (1999), which earned him a GRAMMY® nomination in 2000. He expanded the influential series with volumes Smokingunn, Ethnomusicology, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4: Live in Atlanta. In 2007, he paid tribute to a trumpet icon with Russell Gunn Plays Miles.

Samara Joy is a masterful vocalist and a rightful heiress to the sound of jazz heroines like Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. Though rooted in gospel, she embraced jazz in college, winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

Her breakout album, Linger Awhile (Verve), earned her two GRAMMY® wins, including Best New Artist. Her EP A Joyful Holiday took home two additional GRAMMY® awards in 2025. Her newest album, Portrait, showcases the intimate chemistry with her touring band and her burgeoning gifts as a lyricist, earning an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. She is a defining voice of her generation.

Trumpeter, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones embodies the intertwining of music and spirituality. Comfortable in any musical setting and genre, the Bach-endorsed Jones released eight albums with Mack Avenue Records, including the 2017 release Sean Jones: Live From Jazz At The Bistro.

He is an internationally recognized educator, currently holding the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair of Jazz at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Conservatory and serving as Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz ensemble. Previously, he was Chair of the Brass Department at Berklee College of Music and President of the Jazz Educators Network. Jones was lead trumpet for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the SFJAZZ Collective, and is featured on three GRAMMY® Award-nominated albums by Dianne Reeves, Nancy Wilson, and Gerald Wilson.

Sheila E. (Sheila Escovedo) is an iconic drummer, singer, songwriter, author, and humanitarian whose career has been driven by the forces of family, faith, and music. Born into a celebrated musical family in the Bay Area, her influences include her percussionist father, Pete Escovedo, and her godfather, Tito Puente.

She gave her first public performance at age five and realized her calling as a percussionist on stage. Known for her "fearless nature" and "inner rhythm," her dynamic music career is the heart of her self-expression. Sheila E.'s life, detailed in her memoir The Beat Of My Own Drum, makes her an inspirational and authoritative figure across music and culture.

Shelly Berg is an authority in both performance and music education, with a distinguished career as a five-time GRAMMY®-nominated arranger and orchestrator. With over 40 years of leadership in higher education, he currently serves as the Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Steve Oliver is a celebrated multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer whose music has defined contemporary and smooth jazz radio for nearly 30 years. With multiple number one Billboard hits and over a dozen Top Ten hits, Oliver is an authority in the smooth jazz format.

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, he was influenced by Pat Metheny and Lee Ritenour. He gained early recognition as the lead vocalist and guitarist for Bamboo Forest before launching his solo career.

His debut album, First View, earned him Best New Artist from Smooth Jazz News. His album Positive Energy reached the Billboard Top 20, featuring the staple single "High Noon." Oliver has released 14 full-length albums, including the duo album Unified with Brian Simpson, which reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Sales Chart, and his latest project, A New Light, produced with Michael "B" Broening.

Steve Tyrell is a GRAMMY®-winning producer and vocalist, celebrated as a renaissance man whose career spans five decades across music, film, and radio. His breakthrough performances in Father of the Bride helped re-popularize classic pop standards, featuring hits like "The Way You Look Tonight."

All nine of his American Standards albums have achieved top five status on Billboard's Jazz charts, including A New Standard. His latest album, That Lovin’ Feeling, celebrates the "Great American Songbook 2" with seminal rock-era classics.

Tyrell's work includes producing Woody Allen's classic comedy album and a GRAMMY®-winning Gospel Album of the Year for Andy Griffith. He has sung for Heads of State, including a command performance for The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, and was handpicked by the Sinatra family for special concerts, cementing his authority as a leading interpreter of classic American song.

Stu Mindeman is a multi-faceted artist known for his expertise as a performer, composer, copyist, and engraver. His performing career spans the musical spectrum, including touring and recording with Jazz legend Branford Marsalis, Folk icon Judy Collins, Hip-hop star Ana Tijoux, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Mindeman is also active as a classical music authority, having prepared scores and parts for prestigious ensembles including the London Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Boston Symphony, in addition to publishers Schott Music and Boosey & Hawkes.

He has released two critically acclaimed original albums, In Your Waking Eyes: Poems by Langston Hughes (2014) and Woven Threads (2018), showcasing his skill as a bandleader and composer.

Sullivan Fortner is a GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, composer, and educator from New Orleans, celebrated as an uncompromising individualist and one of the best pianists today. Known for his "startlingly mature" instincts, he engages harmony and rhythmic ideas with curiosity and clarity, seeking soulful and wildly inventive connections across musical styles.

Fortner has collaborated with diverse voices including Wynton Marsalis and Paul Simon, and he earned international praise for his work as a key player and producer on The Window with Cécile McLorin Salvant. His solo releases, Aria, Moments Preserved, and Solo Game, have garnered effusive critical acclaim, with the latter receiving 4-star reviews in DownBeat and France's Télérama Magazine. He is a champion of mentorship and the 2024 DownBeat Critics Poll winner for Rising Star Jazz Group: Sullivan Fortner Trio.

Takeshi Ohbayashi is a rich, colorful, and soulful pianist from Hiroshima, Japan, renowned for his exhilarating concert experiences. After studying film scoring, he found his calling in jazz and earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in 2007.

At Berklee, he was selected for the Global Jazz Institute, performing and teaching with world-class musicians. In 2016, he became the first Japanese pianist to win 1st place at the Jacksonville Piano Competition.

Now residing in New York City, Ohbayashi leads his own trio and co-leads the New Century Jazz Quintet with GRAMMY®-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. His reputation as an in-demand pianist has led to collaborations with notables like Takuya Kuroda, José James, and Terri Lyne Carrington. His most recent of five solo records, Manhattan, received the "Jazz Japan 2016 Album of the Year."

Talaya is an authoritative and award-winning broadcaster whose career has spanned decades, specializing in Jazz and Contemporary Jazz. Her radio journey began in Albuquerque, followed by influential positions in San Francisco, including a Latin Jazz show "Sabor y Salsa." In Los Angeles, she launched "The Quiet Storm" at KUTE, where she was the first to interview Sade and play "Smooth Operator" on the radio.

For over 30 years at "The Wave," she achieved stellar ratings and a massive following. She is currently a host on SiriusXM's Watercolors and RealJazz channels. Her accolades include the 1998 Radio and Records Industry Achievement Award for Smooth Jazz On-Air Personality and the 2012 GENII Award for Excellence in Radio. Talaya is also an accomplished voice-over artist and has sung with the Millennium Choir at the Vatican.

Taylor McFerrin is an American DJ, music producer, keyboardist, and beatboxer based in Brooklyn, New York, and is the eldest son of renowned vocalist Bobby McFerrin.

McFerrin is known for his signature style of soul, jazz, and electronic music. He released his debut album, Early Riser, on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder Records in 2014, featuring collaborations with Thundercat and Robert Glasper. McFerrin is also a member of the jazz fusion supergroup "R+R=Now" alongside Robert Glasper, Christian Scott, and Terrace Martin, who released their album Collagically Speaking on Blue Note Records in 2018. His innovative work across multiple roles and genres establishes him as an authoritative figure in contemporary music.

Terell Stafford is an acclaimed trumpet player based in New York, celebrated for his gifted and versatile playing style. Piano legend McCoy Tyner hailed him as "one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player."

Stafford's musicality is characterized by a deep love of melody combined with his own spirited and adventurous lyricism. His expressive talent allows him to honor the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while forging his own unique path. This combination of tradition and innovation solidifies his status as an authoritative and essential voice in contemporary jazz.

Terrace Martin is an acclaimed American musician, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, singer, and GRAMMY®-nominated record producer, best known for his influential production work that masterfully fuses funk, jazz, classical, and soul.

Martin's music career, which began with encouragement from Jay Leno and studies under Reggie Andrews, includes working with the West Coast Get Down jazz collective and producing for a diverse array of artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, and Raphael Saadiq. He was heavily involved in Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.

His solo album, Velvet Portraits (2016), was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for Best R&B Album and featured collaborations with Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, and Thundercat. Martin is also a member of the jazz fusion supergroup R+R=Now and the collective Dinner Party, cementing his authority across both hip-hop production and the modern jazz landscape.

The Honourable Dr. Monty Alexander, CD, OJ, is a legendary jazz pianist and one of Jamaica's most celebrated cultural exports. His distinguished career, which has spanned decades, is noted for its infectious blend of jazz, reggae, and the sounds of the Caribbean.

In recognition of his stellar contributions to music, the Government of Jamaica has bestowed upon him significant honors:

• CD, Commander of Distinction (2000)
• DLitt, Honorary Doctor of Letters (University of the West Indies, 2018)

OJ, Order of Jamaica (2022), awarded for "Sterling Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally."

Third Richardson is an acclaimed drummer and vocalist, best known for his energetic playing and vocal presence as a core member of the rock 'n' roll blues band Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers.

Richardson's passion for drumming began at age three, and he was performing professionally in a Top 40 band by age 15. His consistent, powerful drumming and strong vocal contributions are central to the Boneshakers' sound. His expertise in this high-energy rock and blues format solidifies his authority in the genre.

Tommy Igoe is a world-class musician, drummer, author, and bandleader based in San Francisco, recognized as one of the finest drummers globally. He is the top-selling author in his field with four number one titles on Amazon.com.

Igoe won two High Percussion awards with the legendary Bridgemen Drumlines before serving as the principal drummer and conductor for Disney’s Broadway production of The Lion King in 1997, for which he also wrote the drum set book. He has played on three GRAMMY®-winning recordings and was voted the World’s #1 Jazz Drummer in the 2014 Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll.

Igoe leads two successful musical residencies: The Birdland Big Band in New York and the 15-piece supergroup The Tommy Igoe Groove Conspiracy in San Francisco, cementing his authority as a celebrated performer, author, and educator.

Veronica Swift is a GRAMMY®-nominated vocalist celebrated for her virtuosic brilliance, interpretive ingenuity, and versatility, with the Wall Street Journal hailing her as possessing a "miraculous voice."

Raised in a jazz family, she gained international attention in 2015 by winning second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition. Her early albums solidified her position in the upper echelon of modern jazz singers.

Her self-titled album, Veronica Swift, serves as a "transgenre" artistic statement, expanding beyond jazz to masterfully explore French opera, classical music (fusing Chopin with vaudeville, and adapting Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata"), bossa nova, and rock/soul (covering Nine Inch Nails and Queen). Swift’s fearless blending of musical traditions, which she honed on the road, cements her authority as one of the most dynamic and multifaceted singers of her generation.

Vicente Archer is an American jazz bassist, composer, and bandleader known for his versatility and prolific career. Hailing from Woodstock, NY, his work spans folk, jazz, and hip-hop. Although he initially studied business and played guitar, he quickly mastered the double bass after picking it up in college.

Within eight months, he was recruited by alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, making his first recording appearance on the album Free to Be. Archer has since become one of the most sought-after bassists of his generation, appearing on over 150 records, including five GRAMMY®-nominated and two GRAMMY®-winning recordings.

He has performed with a vast list of luminaries, including Pat Metheny, Norah Jones, Common, Jill Scott, Freddie Hubbard, and Wynton Marsalis. Archer currently tours with GRAMMY®-winning artists John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, and Robert Glasper, firmly cementing his authority in contemporary music.

Wycliffe Gordon is a renowned trombonist, composer, conductor, and arranger, widely considered one of the most masterful trombonists of his generation. He has been named Downbeat Magazine's "Best Trombone" six times and has received the Jazz Journalists Association's "Trombonist of the Year" award 15 times.

Gordon was a veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet (1989–1995) and an original member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (1995–2000). 

He is a dedicated and inspirational educator, having held teaching positions at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, and is the current Director of Jazz Studies at Augusta University. Gordon is a prolific composer, receiving commissions for works like the "Charles Henry Suite" and "Still, We Rise: He Heard My Cry," and has released 21 total solo CDs, cementing his authority as a leading voice and musical ambassador in jazz.

Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator, and leading advocate of American culture, renowned as the world’s first artist to win GRAMMY® Awards for both jazz and classical records. Born in New Orleans, he became the youngest musician ever admitted to Tanglewood at 17, and studied under Art Blakey with the Jazz Messengers.

Marsalis is a prolific composer for quartets, symphony orchestras, and ballet, earning the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his oratorio, Blood On The Fields. His awards include nine GRAMMY® Awards and The National Medal of Arts. He co-founded Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he serves as Artistic Director, establishing the world's first institution for jazz. Proclaimed a UN Messenger of Peace, Marsalis is a tireless advocate whose work secures his place among the world's finest musicians.