Dana Astmann/Yale School of Music Photo
Lou Donaldson performs at Yale.
Saxophonist Lou Donaldson, whom the National Endowment for the Arts in July named a 2013 Jazz Master, has more recently been recognized by Yale University.
Donaldson received an Ellington Medal earlier this month from Willie Ruff, who heads the Yale School of Music’s Duke Ellington Fellowship program and the related performance series.
A university news release explains that “in 1972, Yale President Kingman Brewster presented the first Ellington Medals to thirty jazz greats, including the Duke himself. That year marked the beginning of a series of extraordinary jazz concerts performed by a virtual Who’s Who of jazz: Eubie Blake, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Odetta, Joe Williams, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Sonny Greer, Jo Jones, Max Roach, Ray Brown, Charlie Mingus, and Dizzy Gillespie, to name just a few.”
The National Endowment for the Arts announced in July that Donaldson was among four recipients of what the NEA describes as “the highest honor that our nation bestows on jazz artists.”
The other 2013 Jazz Masters, as recognized by the NEA, are Mose Allison, Eddie Palmieri, and Lorraine Gordon, who “is the recipient of the 2013 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, which is bestowed upon an individual who has contributed significantly to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the art form of jazz,” according to the NEA’s news release, which quotes NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman as saying, “Lou Donaldson has been a major force not just as a musician but also as a scout for new talent for the Blue Note label.”
The 2012 Jazz Masters, as recognized by the NEA, included drummer Jack DeJohnette, saxophonist Von Freeman, bassist Charlie Haden, singer-songwriter Sheila Jordan, and trumpet player Jimmy Owens.
This year’s Jazz Masters “are recognized for their lifetime achievements and significant contributions to the development and performance of jazz. They will each receive a one-time award of $25,000,” the NEA’s website explains. An awards ceremony and concert presented in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center, is scheduled for January 14, 2013.