BMI is saddened by the passing of multi-talented jazz composer and musician Toots Thielemans, who died Monday at the age of 94. One of very few musicians to have made their mark as a jazz harmonica player, Thielemans was also revered for his ability to play guitar and whistle in… Read more...
BMI jazz legend Sonny Rollins won three top awards June 20 at the annual awards voted by the nation’s jazz journalists, delivered at a gala ceremony at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in New York’s Greenwich Village. Rollins, who won Record and Musician of the Year honors, was joined… Read more...
Antonio Sanchez fondly recalls an inadvertent compliment he received years ago. Scheduled to accompany the legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden at New York’s Village Vanguard nightclub, Sanchez was warned beforehand that Haden harbored a particular distaste for loud drummers. Sanchez took heed. “I started out playing with brushes, then little… Read more...
Downbeat has released its 73rd Annual Readers Poll with BMI jazz composers topping 24 of the 29 categories, accounting for 84% of the winners. These composers represent the “who’s who” of jazz performers and BMI’s dominance in the genre. Sonny Rollins top two categories, Jazz Artist and Tenor Saxophone, while… Read more...
BMI composers George Benson (guitarist), Jimmy Cobb (drummer), Lee Konitz (saxophonist) and Toots Thielemans (multi-instrumentalist) have been named recipients of the 2009 NEA Jazz Masters Award by the National Endowment for the Arts. The honorees will each receive a $25,000 grant award and will be honored in an awards ceremony… Read more...
BMI composers dominated the 2007 Down Beat Critics Poll, winning 69% of the awards. Celebrated bassist and bandleader Dave Holland was a multiple winner, taking home honors both for Bassist of the Year and Band of the Year for his quintet. The late pianist Andrew Hill was inducted into the… Read more...
Once again, BMI members swept the jazz world's annual "best of" list presented by Downbeat magazine, the voice of jazz since 1934. BMI's dedication to the advancement of original forms of American music exists as a cornerstone of the organization's very conception, and remains a priority today. Read more...
