2011 NEA Jazz Masters Awards to the Marsalis Family and Johnny Mandel

Johnny Mandel

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced the recipients of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award - the nation's highest honor in this distinctly American music. For the first time, the NEA presented a group award to the Marsalis family, New Orleans' venerable first family of jazz which includes ASCAP members Branford Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Jr., Jason Marsalis, and Wynton Marsalis. ASCAP Board Member Johnny Mandel was also named a 2011 Jazz Master for being one of the nation's top composer/arrangers in jazz, pop, and film music. The breadth and quality of his work made it possible to be recorded by a wide variety of jazz musicians and singers. All of the 2011 recipients will be publicly honored at the annual awards ceremony and concert on January 11, 2011 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and receive a $25,000 fellowship award .