DCJF Lifetime Achievement Award

Each year, as part of its mission, the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) honors jazz greats for their lifetime contributions to jazz and humanity.

The DCJF Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed, at a concert during the annual festival, to an individual who serves as a model representative for jazz and has dedicated his/her life to jazz as an art form, an education tool, and a unifying force. The 2010 award was given to NEA Jazz Master saxophonist and flautist James Moody and was bestowed at the NEA Jazz Master Live Concert at the Lincoln Theatre on Thursday, June 10, 2010.

Last year’s award recipient was pianist, composer and educator Ellis Marsalis. The concert organized in his honor featured his sons Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr and Dr. Billy Taylor. The concert was a sold out performance and took place on Monday, June 15, 2009 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ellis Marsalis (2009)

Past DCJF Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients are:

Ellis Marsalis (2009)

George T. Wein (2008)

Buck Hill (2008)

Hank Jones (2007)

Clark Terry (2007)

Dr. Billy Taylor (2006)

Dave Brubeck (2005)