Next Jazz Legacy
Next Jazz Legacy is a national apprenticeship program for women and non-binary improvisers in jazz, with the intersection of gender and race as a guiding principle.
Focused on increasing opportunities for musicians most underrepresented in the art form, Next Jazz Legacy is a three-year, national program launched by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice for women and non-binary improvisers in Jazz. The program invests in awardees through personalized, intergenerational apprenticeships, financial support, and a mission to inspire waves of lasting change. Next Jazz Legacy receives major funding from the Mellon Foundation and support from Joe and Nancy Walker.
Combining individual and group learning opportunities with a comprehensive support package designed to deliver deep impacts on each awardee’s career, the seven selected artists receive $10,000, performance opportunities with a master bandleader, two-way mentorship, a learning cohort, and professional promotional support.
With gender and racial justice as guiding principles, this group of Next Jazz Legacy awardees was chosen through an open application call followed by a meticulous, months-long review process by a distinguished and diverse panel of jazz luminaries, chaired by NEA Jazz Master and Next Jazz Legacy’s Artistic Director, Terri Lyne Carrington. Once the awardees were selected, Carrington and the Next Jazz Legacy team worked closely with each of the musicians to match them with a master bandleader for a year-long performance apprenticeship, as well as a creative mentor, both of whom are aligned with the awardees’ unique interests.
In addition to Terri Lyne Carrington, the selection committee for the 2024 Next Jazz Legacy cohort included Brian Lynch, Camille Thurman, Caroline Davis, Elena Pinderhughes, Etienne Charles, Ingrid Jensen, Kendrick Scott, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Matthew Stevens, Mimi Jones, and Walter Smith III.
Next Jazz Legacy is guided by an advisory board that includes artists Gerald Clayton and Kris Davis, and representatives from institutions such as Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, NPR, WBGO, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, New York Winter Jazz Festival, and beyond. The NJL program is managed by Harlem-based music event producer and singer-songwriter Kendolyn Walker. Any questions about the program should be addressed to Kendolyn at [email protected].
The third class of seven Next Jazz Legacy artists encompasses diverse backgrounds and talents that reflect a commitment to innovation and artistic excellence within the jazz community. In addition, they have navigated challenges such as sexism, socio-economic status, and access to opportunities.
Click here to read the full news announcement of the 2024 Next Jazz Legacy cohort.
See the full list of Next Jazz Legacy artists, their respective instruments and bandleader pairings below.
2024 Awardees
Vocals & Piano | Apprenticeship: Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly known as Christian Scott) | Creative Mentorship: Lisa Fischer
Singer, Composer & Educator | Apprenticeship: Terri Lyne Carrington | Creative Mentor: Stefon Harris
Bassist, Composer, Producer & Educator | Apprenticeship: Nate Smith | Creative Mentorship: Sheila E.
Drummer, Educator & Composer | Apprenticeship: Ambrose Akinmusire | Creative Mentorship: Cindy Blackman
Bassist, Composer & Educator | Apprenticeship: Kenny Barron | Creative Mentorship: Genevieve Artadi
Alto Saxophonist, Composer & Educator | Apprenticeship: Gerald Clayton | Creative Mentor: Caroline Davis
Pianist & Composer | Apprenticeship: Sara Serpa | Creative Mentor: Tomeka Reid
2022-2023 Awardees
Piano | Apprenticeship: Miguel Zenón | Creative Mentorship: Helen Sung
Trumpet, Flugelhorn | Apprenticeship: Nicholas Payton | Creative Mentorship: Meshell Ndegeocello
Bass | Apprenticeship: Regina Carter | Creative Mentorship: Christian McBride
Voice | Apprenticeship: Craig Taborn | Creative Mentorship: Nicole Mitchell
Voice | Apprenticeship: Brandee Younger | Creative Mentorship: Patrice Rushen
Saxophone | Apprenticeship: Nasheet Waits | Creative Mentorship: Moor Mother
Saxophone | Apprenticeship: Makaya McCraven | Creative Mentorship: Tia Fuller
2021-2022 Awardees
Drummer & Composer Apprenticeship: esperanza spalding | Creative Mentor: Wayne Shorter
Singer/songwriter, Trombonist & Multi-instrumentalist | Apprenticeship: Tia Fuller | Creative Mentor: Bobby McFerrin
Musician, Composer & Producer | Apprenticeship: Lizz Wright | Creative Mentor: Brandon Ross
Pianist, Vocalist & Composer | Apprenticeship: Marcus Miller | Creative Mentor: Georgia Ann Muldrow
Pianist & Organist | Apprenticeship: Chris Potter | Creative Mentor: Kris Davis
Guitarist & Composer | Bandleader: Linda May Han Oh | Creative Mentor & Recording: Bill Stewart
Trombonist, Composer & Educator | Apprenticeship: Mary Halvorson | Creative Mentor: Jen Shyu
Why This Program Is Needed
According to an analysis of NPR’s 2019 Jazz Critics poll…
Program Highlights
Next Jazz Legacy Advisory Board
Artistic Director, BIJGJ
Gabrielle Armand
VP Brand, Sales, Marketing, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Darlene Chan
FestivalWest, Inc., Los Angeles, New Orleans
Vocalist & educator
Pianist & Composer/Associate Director of Creative Development, BIJGJ
Director of Hip Hop Culture & Contemporary Music, The Kennedy Center
Executive Director, Little Black Pearl Art and Design Academy
Trumpeter, bandleader, composer and educator
Producer at NPR
President & CEO, New Music USA
New York Winter Jazz Festival
Jazz pianist & composer
Pianist & composer
Songwriter, bassist, guitarist & West Coast Dir. of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz
Managing Director, Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice
Press & Media Links
Funders
Next Jazz Legacy is a partnership between New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice with support from the Mellon Foundation. Next Jazz Legacy extends their gratitude to Joe and Nancy Walker for their generosity.