Mind, we’re not talking about a record 10 years in the making. But it has been about a decade since nelo (rhymes with “hello”) founder and principal songwriter Matt Ragland first picked up an acoustic guitar in high school and started writing songs and occasionally jamming with school friends and fellow Dallas natives Stephen Goodson (electric guitar), Chris Hill (drums) and David Long (saxophone). A couple of years later, while in college, Ragland was refining his songwriting and performing around Austin with singer Reid Umstattd while Goodson, Hill and Long were perfecting their own chops studying jazz at the University of North Texas in Denton. By 2002, they all reconvened — along with another UNT alum, bassist Mike St. Clair — and nelo was born.

Well, unofficially, at least. According to Ragland, nelo didn’t officially take off until August of ’05 — the month he and the rest of the band left Texas for Athens, Ga. “That was really the defining moment,” he says, “when I called everyone and said, ‘OK, I’m ready to really do this. If you want to do it, too, come and join me.’

“I’d been to Athens a number of times already, and I just felt like it was a great place to start a band,” he continues. “It’s a relatively small town, but there’s so much respect in that part of the country for the music that goes on there. I’d heard the music there and thought we would really fit in. And, I really wanted to get out of Austin at the time, because I’d been playing with these guys for so long that I wanted there to be that unifying moment where we all packed our bags and moved somewhere with one goal in mind. It was time to get serious.”

The fact that it was Ragland, who opted to major in philosophy and psychology while most of his band mates went to a music school, who issued that fateful “time to get serious” call to arms underscores just how much nelo owes its existence to his own clear vision. But Ragland is quick to credit everyone else in the band for helping him bring that vision to life, and one other musician of note for awakening his vision in the first place: Dave Matthews.

“Without going too long on it, it’s just one of those situations where I feel like I owe the guy something, because without Dave Matthews, I don’t think I would have this inspiration to write like I do now and put a band together” he explains. “I was just a kid in high school when I first heard his music, but there was something about it that really helped me understand me a little bit. I know that sounds kind of clichéd, but it’s true. That was the first time I was exposed to the idea that music and lyrics and songs can really help you figure out what you’re about … and what you want out of life.”

Along with Matthews, Ragland also cites Stevie Wonder and Sting as major songwriting heroes. Clearly, in order to do those influences — and his own melodic instincts — justice, Ragland knew his songs were going to require a degree of musicianship beyond both his own self-taught chops and your everyday garage band. Luckily, the first guys he started playing with (Goodson, Long and Hill) all came with similarly demanding influences, ranging from John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Steve Jordan to Bill Frisell, Jimmy Page and Duane Allman. Bassist St. Clair, the last of the instrumentalists to join the fold, came with a Master’s degree in jazz studies and formidable real world experience: prior to joining nelo, he toured with the Glen Miller Orchestra and played trombone in Dallas’ acclaimed The Polyphonic Spree.

Even before St. Clair joined the band, Ragland knew he had the makings of the perfect ensemble in place. All he lacked was a proper singer. Enter Umstattd — the proverbial “X” factor. The funny thing is, Ragland had known him longer than anyone else in the band. He just didn’t know that Reid — soon to become his best friend — could sing. “Reid and I had been going to camp together for many, many years — from third grade all the way up to college,” he says. The summer before their senior year of high school, they were back at the same camp in Colorado, training to be counselors, when somebody pulled out a guitar and started to strum the opening chords to Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles.”

“I open my mouth to sing the first verse to myself,” recalls Ragland, “and I am literally frozen by another voice coming from directly behind me.” He spun around and saw it was Umstattd. “There was something about Reid’s voice that completely blew me away. I knew this was the real thing immediately. There was some kind of organic or spiritual connection between Reid’s voice and my dream. Only it wasn’t just a dream anymore — I knew I had what I needed.”

Fast forward a few years, and nelo was well on its way toward firmly establishing itself on the Athens music scene. But an early, homemade demo was stirring up quite a buzz back home in Texas, too — so much so that nelo was soon playing shows to crowds of up to 400 fans in both states. Among those drawn to the buzz on the Texas side was producer and studio owner Freddy Fletcher, who took in a nelo show at Austin’s Momo’s last December and became an instant convert.

“That was the first time I ever saw them live,” says Fletcher. “I kept hearing, ‘You really need to hear this band!’ And when I got down to Momo’s, there were people lined up around the door to get in and see them. I thought, ‘Hmm, this is interesting.’ So I just started watching them, and I really liked what I heard.” Fletcher and nelo hit it off right off the bat, striking the deal that quickly led to Ragland and Co. moving back to Austin and heading straight into the studio to begin work on their Fletcher-produced debut. The album will be released on Pedernales Records, the label owned by Fletcher and his uncle — none other than the legendary Willie Nelson.

“It may be their first record,” says Fletcher, “but these guys in the studio — they’re so damn good. They’re all accomplished musicians, the songs are really well written and I love the arrangements. And Reid, the singer, is just phenomenal. Their style is definitely not something you hear every day — it’s new to me. But I like what they’re doing, and I like everyone in the band, too.”

Ragland makes it clear that the feeling of admiration is mutual. “Freddy, for whatever reason, seems to really understand the music as I was hoping that it would be received,” he says. “The thing I love about a good album is when you get a general vibe from the entire record — almost like the whole album is one tone, one feeling. And listening to the roughs we have so far, I think that’s starting to develop. I can’t describe it or give it an adjective yet, but I will say that we’re getting there.”

Come February, nelo will have fully arrived.

www.nelomusic.com www.myspace.com/nelomusic

Though this is his first release in a decade, Marsalis, who turns 42 this summer, has been a major multi-tasker on the jazz scene since the early ’80s. He’s toured with Jones, Art Blakey, Slide Hampton and Max Roach as well as Ray Charles and Fats Domino; produced nearly 80 sessions for contemporaries such as Nicholas Payton, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Courtney Pine, and Eric Reed, various family members and Harry Connick Jr.’s debut; studied at Berklee and the University of Louisville, which awarded him an MA in jazz performance, and composed for stage and screen productions as varied as the ABC mini-series Moon over Miami and the New Orleans Ballet adaptation of plays by Tennessee Williams.

As active as he is today, Marsalis misses the good old days. “If you look back at what these guys were trying to accomplish . . . it’s phenomenal to me, given where they started, which was basically learning jazz off of records,” explains Marsalis, who recalls a conversation with Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison: “I told them, ‘Let’s get back to the ’80s.’ Not that I wanted guys to play that style of music again but to get back to that level of seriousness and intensity. The sad part is so much music happened in the ’80s that’s been overlooked.”

BMI songwriters dominate the selections, representing 58% of the individuals and groups. The variety and superiority of the material attests not only to the wide-ranging talents of BMI songwriters but also the consistency of BMI’s involvement with all eralms of music throughout the course of its history. The diversity of styles and genres included is remarkable, ranging from folk (Woody Guthrie) to rap (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), jazz (Miles Davis) to punk (Sex Pistols), blues (Howlin’ Wolf) to country (Hank Williams), rhythm & blues (Sam Cooke) to soul (Aretha Franklin), disco (Chic) to folk-rock (Fairport Convention), the over-the-top (Velvet Underground & Nico) to the indefinable (Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band).

As with any list, arguments are invited and disagreements encouraged. The following are BMI’s representatives in Mojo’s decisions, including their number in the final grouping.

For the complete list, consult mojo4music.com or rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html.

BMI Songwriters on the MOJO List:

Animals: “The House of the Rising Sun” [#86]
Anthology of American Folk Music [#8]
Beach Boys: Pet Sounds [#21]
The Beatles: “I Want To Hold Your Hand” [#2]
                       Revolver [#40]
                      Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band [#16]
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica [#51]
Chuck Berry: “Johnny B. Goode” [#12]
Big Youth: Screaming Target [#76]
David Bowie: The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And the Spiders From Mars [#31]
                       Low [#64]
James Brown: “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” [#15]
Jeff Buckley: Grace [#37]
The Byrds: Sweetheart of the Rodeo [#57]
Ray Charles: “What’d I Say” [#9]
Chic: “Good Times” [#54]
John Coltrane: My Favorite Things [#60]
Sam Cooke: “You Send Me” [#47]
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue [#43]
Lonnie Donegan: “Rock Island Line” [#38]
Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left [#78]
Brian Eno: Discreet Music [#68]
Fairport Convention: Liege & Lief [#58]
Aretha Franklin: “I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You” [#18]
Gang Of Four: Entertainment [#77]
Gnarls Barkley: “Crazy” [#100]
Davy Graham with Alexis Korner: 3/4AD [#35]
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: “The Message” [#29]
Woody Guthrie: Dust Bowl Ballads [#13]
Billie Holiday : “Strange Fruit” [#67]
Buddy Holly: “That’ll Be The Day” [#52]
Howlin’ Wolf: The Rocking Chair Album [#23]
Michael Jackson: Thriller [#33]
Carole King: Tapestry [#74]
John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band [#55]
The Libertines: Up The Bracket [#94]
Little Richard: “Tutti Frutti” [# 1]
Love [#66]
MC5: Kick Out The Jams [#69]
New York Dolls [#39]
Nirvana: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” [#27]
Nuggets [#42]
N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton [#61]
Oasis: Definitely Maybe [#89]
Charlie Parker: “Koko” [#26]
Pixies: Surfer Rosa [#79]
Elvis Presley: “Heartbreak Hotel” {#3]
R.E.M.: Murmur [#75]
Rolling Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” [#19]
                          “Sympathy For The Devil:” [#48]
Ronettes: “Be My Baby” [#45]
Sex Pistols: “God Save the Queen” [#10]
The Shadows: “Apache” [#84]
The Smiths: This Charming Man [#80]
Sonic Youth: EVOL [#85]
The Stone Roses [#99]
The Stooges: Funhouse [#36]
Television: Marquee Moon [#97]
Upsetters: Blackboard Jungle Dub [#59]
The Velvet Underground & Nico [#7]
The Who: “My Generation” [#44]
Hank Williams: “Move It On Over” [#30]
Link Wray: “Rumble” [#41]

The event’s top honoree was pianist Andrew Hill, who passed away on April 20 of this year. He received the Lifetime Achievement in Jazz, Composer of the Year and Pianist of the Year, with his widow, Joanne Robinson Hill, accepting the awards in his name. Marc Ostrow, President of Boosey & Hawkes and the publisher of Hill’s compositions, was present for the recognition. Hill wrote and recorded a number of extraordinary albums for Blue Note Records between 1963 and 1969 that are known for their challenging compositions and compelling improvisational energy. Some of the most noted musicians of the time participated, including Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard, and critics consider the work amongst the best of the decade. Hill later became a teacher at Portland State University in Oregon, and returned triumphantly to the New York scene in the 1990s. His 2000 release, Dusk, was named Album of the Year by Down Beat and Jazz Times.

Other instrumental winners at the ceremony include the legendary Sonny Rollins for Tenor Saxophonist of the Year and multi-award winner Dave Douglas for Trumpeter of the Year. Dave Liebman was honored as Soprano Saxophonist of the Year, and Gary Smulyan as Baritone Saxophonist of the Year. Frank Wess won as Flutist of the Year, while Scott Robinson’s expertise on a multitude of reeds brought him the Player of the Year of Instruments Rare in Jazz award.

Other instrumental award-winners include celebrated BMI jazz composers: Pat Metheny for Guitarist of the Year; Dave Holland for Acoustic Bassist of the Year; Steve Swallow for Electric Bassist of the Year; Bobby Hutcherson for Mallets Player of the Year; Roy Haynes for Drummer of the Year; and Cyro Baptista for Percussionist of the Year.

Both of the vocalist awards went to BMI songwriters: Kurt Elling for Male Singer of the Year and Roberta Gambarini for Female Singer of the Year. The Large Ensemble of the Year was won by the Charles Tolliver Big Band, and the Latin Jazz Album of the Year by Brian Lynch & Eddie Palmieri’s Simpatico.

The work of celebrated BMI jazz masters was recognized in the reissue categories as well. The Single CD Reissue of the Year went to Charles Mingus’s Music Written for Monterey 1965 Not Heard: At UCLA 1965 and The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings of Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane.

Finally, one of the A Team Awards, which recognize extraordinary efforts by individuals in support of jazz, went to BMI composer Donald Harrison in his role as the artistic director of the New Orleans-based Tipitina’s Foundation.

The Jazz Journalists Association is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing news and views of jazz to the general public. They sponsor panel discussions at festivals and conventions and organize workshops and mentoring programs. Information on the organization can be found at www.Jazzhouse.org in addition to their quarterly journal “Jazz Notes.”

A complete list of the BMI winners of the Jazz Journalists Association 2007 Jazz Awards follows:

Andrew Hill
Lifetime Achievement in Jazz
Composer of the Year
Pianist of the Year

Reissue of the Year, single CD
Charles Mingus, Music Written for Monterey 1965 Not Hear: At UCLA 1965

Reissue of the Year, boxed set
Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane, The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings

Male Singer of the Year
Kurt Elling

Female Singer of the Year
Robert Gambarini

Latin Jazz Album of the Year
Brian Lynch & Eddie Palmieri: Simpatico

Large Ensemble of the Year:
Charles Tolliver Big Band

Trumpeter of the Year
Dave Douglas

Player of the Year of Instruments Rare in Jazz
Scott Robinson

Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
Sonny Rollins

Soprano Saxophonist of the Year
Dave Liebman

Baritone Saxophonist of the Year
Gary Smulyan

Flutist of the Year
Frank Wess

Guitarist of the Year
Pat Metheny

Acoustic Bassist of the Year
Dave Holland

Electric Bassist of the Year
Steve Swallow

Mallets Player of the Year
Bobby Hutcherson

Percussionist of the Year
Cyro Baptista

Drummer of the Year
Roy Haynes

For a complete list of the awards, consult www.Jazzhouse.org

More information about Jazz Appreciation Month is available in the press release below.

John Hasse, Director of Music at the Smithsonian, BMI Corporate Relations Vice President Robbin Ahrold, Rona Sebastian (President, Herb Alpert Foundation),legendary jazz photographer and donor William Claxton, Stanton Davis (American Federation of Musicians), Sandra Gibson (CEO, Association of Performing Arts Presenters), Charles Fishman (Dizzy Gillespie's last manager; President of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival), renowned jazz portrait artist LeRoy Neiman, and Angela Martinez (Program Director, Association of Performing Arts Presenters).

At a special ceremony today, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History kicked off Jazz Appreciation Month with a tribute to three prominent trumpeters: Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and Herb Alpert, as well as donations from photographer Bill Claxton and artist LeRoy Neiman.

Now in its sixth year, JAM is an annual event that pays tribute to jazz both as a historic and living American art form. Throughout the month, the Smithsonian will present numerous events, including performances, film and displays in venues around Washington, D.C.

“Jazz is a truly American style of music that has played an important role in our heritage,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “Through the Smithsonian’s Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we will highlight jazz and its history and expose audiences to this significant piece of American culture.”

Four donations were recognized at today’s JAM kick off event:

• Business records and personal ephemera belonging to John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie, one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of the 20th century. The collection was donated by Charles Fishman, Gillespie’s manager from 1985 to 1993, who won a Grammy for producing “Dizzy Gillespie and United Nations Orchestra” and founded the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C.

• Twenty-two photographs by acclaimed fashion and jazz photographer Bill Claxton of jazz greats, including Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Chet Baker.

• Support for JAM from the Herb Alpert Foundation as the lead sponsor of Jazz Appreciation Month, with a donation of $300,000 to be used during the next three years.

• Use of celebrated American artist LeRoy Neiman’s conté-crayon drawing of Louis Armstrong, which is featured on the official 2007 JAM poster. This is the second year Neiman has donated image for this purpose. The museum and its JAM partners will distribute 250,000 posters around the country to promote local JAM activities.

This year, Carlos Santana and Herb Alpert have added their voices to those of other prominent musicians, including Geri Allen and Wynton Marsalis, in recording radio public service announcements produced by BMI. The PSAs will be distributed nationwide.

In a first this year, the museum will partner with leading online social network Care2 www.care2.com to co-host a discussion board that simultaneously resides in both the smithsonianjazz.org and Care2 communities, enabling music fans on both web sites to join together in one large conversation about jazz.

The Smithsonian Women’s Committee is supporting the 2007 JAM public programs throughout the institution with a special grant, and WAMU Radio, 88.5 FM, is the media partner in the nation’s capital, providing public service announcements.

Los Angeles born Herb Alpert is a notable musician known for co-founding – with Jerry Moss – A&M Records, for years the world’s largest, most successful independent label and home to artists including Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Carole King and Sting. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ 1962 debut “The Lonely Bull” was also A&M’s inaugural release. The band’s infusion of Latin and jazz sounds into pop music resulted in hits including the Grammy winners “A Taste of Honey” and “What Now My Love.” As a solo artist, Alpert is known for “Rise” which won nine Grammys.

Claxton, who hails from Pasadena, Ca., first gained fame in the 1950s, photographing artists for the Pacific Jazz record label and went on to have his work featured on album and magazine covers internationally. Throughout his career, Claxton has produced insightful portraits of many jazz legends, often capturing musicians in spontaneous, intimate moments, reflecting his vision of photography as “jazz for the eye.”

Born in South Carolina in 1917 as the youngest of 10 children, Gillespie taught himself to play the trumpet at age 12. In the 1940s, Gillespie helped develop an innovative style known as bebop, featuring intricate improvisations, complex harmonies and rapid rhythms. Gillespie played with such jazz greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane and mentored young musicians, including Miles Davis. Known for his beret, horn-rimmed glasses, bent horn and puffed cheeks, Gillespie has had an enormous impact on subsequent generations of trumpeters.

LeRoy Neiman, born in St. Paul, MN., operates his studio out of New York. Growing up on the street during the Depression, his first commission was for the local grocer, drawing calcimine pictures of food items on the store windows. Neiman became interested in jazz during the 1970s. He created art for numerous program covers and posters for the Newport Jazz Festival, the Kool Jazz Festival and Jazzmobile, and painted jazz greats Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

The National Museum of American History launched JAM in 2001 and it has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 20 other countries. This year the Smithsonian will present a record 29 events, including five performances by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the museum’s resident big band.

In commemorating JAM 2007, the museum collaborated with a diverse group of 28 organizations, institutions, associations and federal agencies that have provided financial and in-kind support and organized programs and outreach of their own. The Smithsonian operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs. The museum is home to incomparable jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Fitzgerald’s famous red dress, Gillespie’s angled trumpet and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. A complete schedule of JAM events is available at http://americanhistory.si.edu.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The museum is closed for major renovations and will re-open in summer 2008. The public may visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000 or (202) 633-5285 (TTY) for general Smithsonian information.

Sonny Rollins	Wayne Shorter	B.B. King

Sonny Rollins and Wayne Shorter both lead the gaggle of BMI winners with two awards apiece. Rollins earned the 2006 Jazz Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophone Musician of the Year trophies, while the Wayne Shorter Quartet was declared Jazz Group of the Year; Shorter himself landed the Soprano Saxophone Player of the Year title.

Jackie McLean	Jamie Cullum	Thelonious Monk

The iconic B.B. King was recognized as Blues Artist of the Year, while saxophonist Jackie McLean was inducted into Downbeat's Hall of Fame.

Best Jazz Album went to Andrew Hill for Time Lines, his first original album since the 90s. Thelonious Monk won a posthumous award for Best Historical Album for his collaboration with John Coltrane.

BMI also dominated categories designated for the jazz community's brightest up-and-comers, as worldwide phenomenon Jamie Cullum was named Rising Star Male Vocalist and Luciana Souza earned the Rising Star Female Vocalist title. SFJAZZ Collective nabbed Rising Star Jazz Group honors as well, while Derek Trucks was honored as Rising Star Blues Artist.

BMI's Downbeat Critics Poll Winners:

Jackie McLean
Hall of Fame

Sonny Rollins
Jazz Artist
Tenor Saxophone

Wayne Shorter Quartet
Jazz Group

Wayne Shorter
Soprano Saxophone

Andrew Hill
Jazz Album

Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane
Historical Album

SFJAZZ Collective
Rising Star Jazz Group

Dave Douglas
Trumpet

Steve Turre
Trombone

Joe Zawinul
Electric Keyboard/Synthesizer

Uri Caine
Rising Star Electric Keyboard/Synthesizer

Dave Holland
Bass

Jack DeJohnette
Drums

Ray Barretto
Percussion

Hamid Drake
Rising Star Percussion

Bobby Hutcherson
Vibes

Kurt Elling
Male Vocalist

Jamie Cullum (PRS)
Rising Star Male Vocalist

Luciana Souza
Rising Star Female Vocalist

Toots Thielemans
Harmonica

B.B. King
Blues Artist/Group

Derek Trucks
Rising Star Blues Artist

Phil Woods
Alto Saxophone

Miguel Zenón
Rising Star Alto Saxophone

James Carter
Baritone Saxophone

Don Byron
Clarinet

Chris Speed
Rising Star Clarinet

James Moody
Flute

Nicole Mitchell
Rising Star Flute

Bill Frisell
Guitar

Keith Jarrett
Acoustic Piano

Ry Cooder
Beyond Album
]]> 2006-07-17T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234412 Artists, Brown, James, Coltrane, John, Monk, Thelonious, Nirvana, Sanjek, David, Williams, Hank, Musical Styles, Jazz Library of Congress announced the third annual selection of 50 sound recordings to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. Among this year's class, which includes not only recorded music but also radio and recorded live sound, are albums by Nirvana and Public Enemy, along with seminal releases by the Beach Boys, the Allman Brothers Band, John Coltrane and John Williams' soundtrack for Star Wars.

BMI's David Sanjek (left) congratulates rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy for having his influential album Fear of a Black Planet included on this year's Registry list	BMI's David Sanjek (left) joins fellow Registry board member Michael Feinstein at the reception after his performance of George and Ira Gershwin's "Fascinating Rhythm" (1926) on the piano owned by George Gershwin

In addition to Public Enemy's influential Fear of a Black Planet (1989) and Nirvana's landmark album Nevermind (1991), other selections include the NBC radio broadcast of Charles Lindbergh's arrival and reception in Washington, D.C. (1927), Fats Waller singing and playing his own "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1929), the opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" written by Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thompson (1947), Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" (1949), "The Girl From Ipanema" with Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto (1963), and James Brown's "Live at the Apollo" (1965).

The National Recording Preservation Board, consisting of 20 experts from the music industry and preservation field including BMI's David Sanjek, culled its list from nominations made by the public for recordings considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Recordings must be 10 years old to be considered for preservation and final selections are made by the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington.

During the press conference announcing the recordings, an audio preservationist at the Library of Congress revealed that he has uncovered a major recording in jazz history: an album's worth of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane playing together at a Carnegie Hall concert in 1957. The two are considered one of the great pairings in modern jazz, but their work together was captured on only a few studio cuts. The long-lost concert was recorded by the Voice of America for its legendary Cold War-era overseas jazz programs hosted by Willis Conover.

The National Recordings Registry was created by the National Recordings Preservation Act of 2000 in order to promote and support audio preservation.]]> 2005-04-13T18:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233778 Artists, Bernstein, Steve, Coltrane, John, King, B.B., Shorter, Wayne, Musical Styles, Blues, Jazz Wayne Shorter was the big winner at the 7th Annual Jazz Awards presented recently in New York by the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA). The awards were sponsored by BMI and took place at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill in Times Square on June 25. Shorter, who was also the top winner in the recent DownBeat Jazz Critics Poll, was named Musician of the Year, Tenor Saxophonist of the Year and Album of the Year for Footprints Live!. The Wayne Shorter Quartet also took home the Small Jazz Group of the Year trophy.

Other winners included legendary jazz musician Cecil Taylor, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Award, and jazz bassist Dave Holland, who was named Bassist of the Year and whose band the "Dave Holland Big Band" was named Big Band of the Year. BMI also congratulates Jim McNeeley, Associate Director of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, who received a nomination for Jazz Arranger of the Year.

Wayne Shorter

The Jazz Awards represent excellence and accomplishment in performance, recording, presentation and documentation of jazz. The JJA represents more than 400 writers, broadcasters, photographers and new media professionals worldwide.

BMI's 2003 Jazz Awards Winners:

Lifetime Achievement in Jazz
Cecil Taylor

Musician of the Year
Wayne Shorter

Album of the Year
Footprints Live!
Wayne Shorter

Historical Box Set of the Year
Charlie Christian, Genius of the Electric Guitar

Jazz Composer of the Year
Andrew Hill

Reissue of the Year
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane

Small Jazz Group of the Year
Wayne Shorter Quartet

Male Jazz Vocalist of the Year
Andy Bey

Jazz Trombonist of the Year
Roswell Rudd

Miscellaneous Jazz Brass of the Year
Steve Bernstein (Slide Trumpet)

Jazz Soprano Saxophonist of the Year
Jane Ira Bloom

Jazz Clarinetist of the Year
Marty Ehrlich

Jazz Pianist of the Year
Kenny Barron

Jazz Electric Bassist of the Year
Steve Swallow

Jazz Organ-Keyboardist of the Year
Dr. Lonnie Smith

Jazz Drummer of the Year
Matt Wilson

Big Band of the Year
Dave Holland Big Band

Trumpeter of the Year
Dave Douglas

Tenor Saxophonist of the Year
Wayne Shorter

Bassist of the Year
Dave Holland

BMI's 2003 Downbeat Critics Poll Winners:

Best Reissue
John Coltrane
A Love Supreme: Deluxe Edition

Best Electric Group
Medeski Martin & Wood

Best Big Band
Dave Holland Big Band

Best Alto Saxophone
Lee Konitz

Best Tenor Saxophone
Joe Lovano

Best Baritone Saxophone
James Carter

Best Clarinet
Don Byron

Best Trumpet
Dave Douglas

Best Trombone
Steve Turre

Best Guitar
John Scofield

Best Piano
Keith Jarrett

Best Drums
Roy Haynes

Best Percussion
Ray Barretto

Best Bass
Dave Holland

Best Electric Bass
Steve Swallow

Best Electric Keyboards/Synthesizer
Joe Zawinul

Best Vibes
Bobby Hutcherson

Best Harmonica
Toots Thielemans

Best Male Vocalist
Kurt Elling

Best Blues Artist
Buddy Guy

Best Blues Album
Solomon Burke

Best Beyond Artist/Group
The Roots

Best Beyond Album
Ry Cooper

Rising Star Female Vocalist
Rising Star Beyond Group-Artist
Norah Jones

Rising Star Acoustic Jazz Group
The Bad Plus

Rising Star Electric Group
Soulive

Rising Star Big Band
Either/Orchestra

Rising Star Alto Saxophone
Antonio Hart

Rising Star Arranger
Rising Star Electric Keyboard-Synthesizer
Uri Caine

Rising Star Producer
Matt Balitsaris

Rising Star Blues Artist
Derek Trucks

Rising Star Tenor Saxophone
Chris Potter

Rising Star Trombone
Josh Roseman]]> 2003-06-26T18:00:00-05:00