Generations Band member Jimmy Cobb named among seven National Endowment for the Arts 2009 NEA Jazz Masters

Included on the list was drummer Jimmy Cobb, a founding member of the Generations Band and a mentor musician in the International Center for the Arts Generations Jazz Program.

"I am humbled to be included among the great musicians in our American history," Cobb told the NEA upon learning of his selection. "I express my gratitude to these jazz giants, many of whom were close friends, who shaped this great American art form called jazz and ultimately helped to shape my life as well. I thank the NEA committee for recognizing America's jazz masters and the art of jazz itself and I am honored and privileged to be a part of this legacy."

Along with Cobb, the 2009 NEA Jazz Masters are: George Benson (vocalist and solo instrumentalist, guitar), Lee Konitz (solo instrumentalist, saxophone), Toots Thielemans (solo instrumentalist, harmonica and guitar), and Snooky Young (solo instrumentalist, trumpet). Recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder will receive the 2009 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy.

For the October presentation, the Arts Endowment partnered with Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The awards ceremony and concert at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, will feature the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in a program dedicated to the honorees' works.

The 2009 Jazz Masters all fulfilled the NEA criteria of being distinguished artists whose excellence, impact, and significant contributions have helped to keep the tradition of jazz alive:

• A winner of ten Grammy Awards, George Benson developed a distinctive style of playing a florid guitar melody while scatting an identical vocal line.
• An accomplished soloist and outstanding accompanist, jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb has worked with such renowned musicians as Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughan.
• A pioneer of "cool jazz," saxophonist Lee Konitz was part of Miles Davis's famous nonet performances and recordings in the 1940s, before working with Lennie Tristano and Stan Kenton and eventually emerging as a highly acclaimed band leader.
• Toots Thielemans has been credited with bringing the harmonica to jazz. The mastery of his instrument is evident in his performances with Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Billy Joel, and Paquito D'Rivera.
• Arguably the greatest recording engineer in jazz history, Rudy Van Gelder's crystal-clear recordings have defined the sound associated with the legendary Blue Note record label since the early 1950s.
• A master of the plunger mute, Snooky Young's distinctive sound made him the trumpeter of choice for the great jazz big band leaders Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Lionel Hampton, among others. He is currently a member of The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

Each year since 1982, the Arts Endowment has conferred the NEA Jazz Masters Award on a handful of living legends who have made major contributions to jazz. With this new class, the award has been given to 106 great figures in American music. Other NEA Jazz Masters include Count Basie, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Betty Carter, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Cecil Taylor, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Teddy Wilson.

About NEA Jazz Masters

NEA Jazz Masters are selected from nominations submitted by the public. Musicians selected as NEA Jazz Masters receive a one-time grant award of $25,000, are honored at a public awards ceremony, and may be offered opportunities for participation in NEA-sponsored promotional, performance, and educational activities under the NEA Jazz Masters National Initiative program. Only living musicians or jazz advocates may receive the NEA Jazz Masters honor. The National Endowment for the Arts has supported jazz artists and organizations since 1969, providing millions of dollars in grants and awards.

In 2004, the NEA significantly expanded its NEA Jazz Masters program and in 2005 created the NEA Jazz Masters Initiative, a comprehensive program of jazz support that includes the NEA Jazz Masters Award; NEA Jazz Masters Live, a series of multiple event engagements in selected communities, featuring NEA Jazz Masters; radio programming featuring NEA Jazz Masters; a compilation CD produced by Verve Music Group; educational resources through the NEA Jazz in the Schools program pro duced by Jazz at Lincoln Center; and publications and reports. For more information on NEA Jazz Masters, visit www.neajazzmasters.org.