Congratulations to Joanne Brackeen! BNY Mellon Jazz 2014 Living Legacy Award Recipient!
(Published: October 14, 2014)

Jazz pianist, educator, and composer Joanne Brackeen was honored with the BNY Mellon Jazz 2014 Living Legacy Award in a special ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, October 10, 2014. The Living Legacy Award honors jazz masters from the mid-Atlantic region who have achieved distinction in jazz performance and education.

Guests enjoyed a gala reception in the Kennedy Center Atrium including music by the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra Combo. In honor of the 20th Anniversary of the Living Legacy Jazz Award, previous Legacy winners joined event guests for the evening, including: Kenny Barron, Roy Haynes, Jimmy Heath, Oliver Lake, Rufus Reid, Larry Ridley, and Reggie Workman. Following the Award presentation, guests were treated to 2012 Living Legacy awardee Muhal Richard Abrams and his group in a rare, Washington, D.C. performance in the Terrace Theater.

Previous Living Legacy Award winners (from 2013-1994) include Nathan Davis, Muhal Richard Abrams, Phil Woods, Roy Haynes, Dr. Frank Foster, Kenny Barron, Benny Golson, Oliver Lake, Rufus Reid, Randy Weston, Keter Betts, Jimmy Heath, Joe Kennedy, Jr., Shirley Scott, Reggie Workman, Dr. Donald Byrd, Larry Ridley, Barry Harris, Robert "Boysie" Lowery, and Clark Terry. A Millennium Award was conferred on Dr. Billy Taylor in 2000.

The BNY Mellon Jazz 2014 Living Legacy Award is a program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and is sponsored by BNY Mellon with additional support from The Reva and David Logan Foundation and Amtrak - The Official Rail Sponsor of the BNY Mellon Jazz 2014 Living Legacy Award.

This program is made possible through a collaboration with the Kennedy Center.