Miguel Zenon and Bobby Sanabria nominated for the 2011 Jazz Journalist Association Awards

2011 JJA Jazz Awards Nominees Announced; Voting Begins

The Jazz Journalists Association has announced more than 200 finalist nominees in 39 categories of excellence in music creation and music journalism from which winners will be chosen for the JJA’s 15th annual JJA Jazz Awards.

The winners in each category will chosen by the votes of the professional journalist members of the JJA, the non-profit professional organization of jazz writers, broadcasters, photographers and new media producers.

The winners will be announced at a benefit Gala at City Winery in New York City on June 11, 2011, from 1 to 5 pm EDT. The Gala will be video streamed live online at jjaJazzAwards.org.

Nominations for the JJA’s 2011 Jazz Awards were filed by more than 60 professional JJA members over a month-long voting period. Most Awards are for albums issued or music performed from March 15, 2010 to March 15, 2011

Two musicians fom Puerto Rico were nominated this year; Miguel Zenon in the category of Alto Saxophonist of the Year and Bobby Sanabria for Percussionist of the Year.





Other nominees are Sonny Rollins, Joe Lovano, Vijay Iyer, Esperanza Spalding and Jason Moran in the Musician of the Year award category. Moran, 36 years old and winner in 2010 of a prestigious MacArthur fellowship, is nominated for five 2011 JJA Jazz Awards in all — as Musician, Pianist and Composer of the Year, for Record of the Year with his album Ten and for leading the Small Ensemble of the Year, The Bandwagon.

Nominees for Female Singer of the Year are Cassandra Wilson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gretchen Parlato, Rebecca Martin and Roberta Gambarini.

For a complete list of nominees go to : http://www.jjajazzawards.org/p/2011-nominees.html

Tickets for the general public to attend the Jazz Awards Gala at City Winery on June 11 go on sale on May 2 at JJAJazzAwards.org