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photo by Herman Leonard
The cover of Gary Giddins’ 2006 collection of essays, Natural Selection [Oxford]
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Dear Readers:
…..Earlier this week it was announced that Gary Giddins, the most eminent jazz writer of his generation, is a recipient of the 2025 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters Fellowship. The award is given to those “who have made major contributions to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of this distinctively American art form.”
…..Giddins has spent his entire life writing about and advocating for jazz music. For over thirty years, his eloquent “Weather Bird” column in the Village Voice enlightened audiences about the music and those who perform it via brilliant essays, reviews and articles – many of which were eventually compiled in his collections Riding on a Blue Note, Rhythm-a-ning, Faces in the Crowd, Weather Bird and Natural Selection.
…..He has also written several compelling, award-winning books. One, a book simply titled Jazz (co-written with Scott DeVeaux), is a cutting-edge and rich history of jazz music and its culture that is an essential reference and, most importantly, a fascinating and fun read. His distinguished biographies of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Bing Crosby make critical contributions to our understanding of these major figures and the world in which they impacted. As a major interview subject, he was a key contributor to the filmmaker Ken Burns’ ten-part 2001 documentary Jazz.
…..So, this recognition is well-earned and deserved, and I congratulate Gary.
…..On a personal note, early on in the development of this website, I very proudly published a series of interviews I conducted with Giddins – “Conversations with Gary Giddins” – that focused on subjects like Sonny Rollins, Cecil Taylor, Thelonious Monk, big bands, jazz festivals, and underrated musicians. His participation in these interviews – and in other features on this site – helped lend credence to my work, for which I am eternally grateful. Most importantly, it also allowed me the opportunity to get to know a really good man.
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Joe Maita
Editor/Publisher
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Click here to visit the NEA website announcing this award
Click here to read the interview series “Conversations with Gary Giddins”
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In this excerpt from a 2008 interview, Gary Giddins talks about what inspired him to study jazz as a lifelong pursuit
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