Branford Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, Tierney Sutton Among JJA Jazz Award Nominees

Nominees have been announced for the 16th annual Jazz Journalists Association Awards.

Winners will be announced during the month of June, leading up to announcement of winners of the Lifetime Achievement Awards Musician of the Year, Record of the Year, and Male and Female Jazz Vocalists of the Year at a cocktail party to be held at the Blue Note Jazz Club on June 20.

Among the nominees are famed trumpeter Branford Marsalis, who composed the original scores for Broadway’s The Mountaintop and Fences, along with Karin Allyson, Ron Carter, Anat Cohen, Freddy Cole, Kurt Elling, Keith Jarrett, Joe Lovano, Rene Marie, Christian McBride, Pat Metheny, Gregory Porter, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, and Tierney Sutton.

In addition to performers, numerous writers and journalists have also been nominated for awards, including Amiri Baraka, Stanley Crouch, Will Friedwald, and Neil Tesser.

For more information, visit www.JJAJazzAwards.org.