JEN LeJENds of Jazz Education

Kidd Jordan

Legendary saxophonist & New Orleans resident Sir Edward “Kidd” Jordan is one of the true master improvisers still performing today.  Jordan was recognized as a jazz maverick back in the 1940s intent on exploring jazz rooted music’s outer reaches.

Born in Crowley, LA, on May 5, 1935, Jordan grew up listening to Zydeco and Blues.  It was there that he learned to play saxophone, and after hearing Charlie Parker and Lester Young, he became interested in the art of jazz improvisation.

This virtuoso unselfishly shared his gift of and passion for music for more than 50 years, 34 of which he spent at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) until he retired in 2006 as head of the jazz studies program.

Jordan performs on tenor, baritone, soprano, alto, C-melody and soprano sax, as well as contrabass and bass clarinets. He has performed and recorded with a broad array of musicians in styles ranging from R&B to avant-garde jazz, including Lena Horne, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Gladys Knight, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Cannonball Adderley, Ornette Coleman, and many more.

Citing him as a visionary educator and performer, the French Government recognized Jordan in 1985 as a Knight (Chevalier) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, their nation’s highest honor.

Jordan earned his master’s degree in music from Millikin University in Decatur, IL. In May of 2017, he received an honorary doctor of music degree from Loyola University New Orleans.

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JEN LeJENds of

Latin Jazz

Chucho Valdés

Winner of six GRAMMY® and three Latin GRAMMY® Awards, the Cuban pianist, composer and arranger Chucho Valdés is the most influential figure in modern Afro-Cuban jazz.

Born in a family of musicians in Quivicán, Havana province, Cuba, on October 9, 1941, Dionisio Jesús “Chucho” Valdés Rodríguez, has distilled elements of the Afro-Cuban music tradition, jazz, classical music, and rock into an organic, deeply personal style.

His first teacher was his father, the great pianist, composer and bandleader Ramón “Bebo” Valdés.  By the age of three, Chucho was already playing the melodies he heard on the radio at the piano, using both hands and in any key. In 1959, at age 15, he debuted professionally with Sabor de Cuba, directed by Bebo Valdés.

His most recent project, Jazz Batá 2, is an exceptional work in which he revisits an idea he first explored in 1972: a piano jazz trio featuring batá drums, the sacred, hourglass shaped drums of the Yoruba religion in Cuba, in place of the conventional trap set. Released on November 16, 2018, Jazz Batá 2 marks Chucho’s debut on Mack Avenue Records.

Achievements and awards in recognition of his extraordinary career, Chucho has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Science™, and was also inducted in the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Chucho has won Grammys for Live at the Village Vanguard(Bluenote, 2000), Juntos Para Siempre (Calle 54, 2007), the duet recording with his father, Bebo; for Chucho’s Steps (Comanche, 2010), which introduced his group, the Afro-Cuban Messengers, and the Tribute to Irakere: Live at Marciac  (Jazz Village / Comanche Music, 2016).

John LaPorta Jazz Educator

of the Year Award

Paul Pitts

Paul Pitts was born in 1956 in Boston, MA. He attended St. Thomas Grammar School and the Boston Latin School graduating in 1973. He attended Boston University graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1977 and a Master of Music in 1980. He has performed with the Portland Symphony Orchestra , Boston Opera Company, Rhode Island Philharmonic, New Hampshire Symphony and the Nashua Symphony Orchestra. He has been active in music education for the last forty years serving as Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators State President, MMEA Eastern District Festival Host, All – State Jazz Band Manager, All – State Concert Band Manager, Southeast District Jazz Band Manager. He has guest conducted the All Cape Jazz Ensemble(2005), Central District Junior Jazz Ensemble (2002), Connecticut C.M.E.A. Eastern Region Junior High Jazz Band (1996), Mass Lions All-State Jazz Band (1993 & 2012), and  S.E.M.S.B.A High School Festival Orchestra (1990). In addition to Boston University he has studied at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Fitchburg State College and the Berklee College of Music.

Donald Meade Legacy Griot Award

In partnership with the African American Jazz Caucus

Stephen Foster

Music educator, musician, and arranger Stephen Foster is a native of New Orleans, and is the 2020 recipient of the Donald Meade Legacy Jazz Griot Award.

A graduate of St. Augustine High School, University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff, Loyola University, and Band Director’s Academy Jazz at Lincoln Center, Stephen’s inspiration hails from studying Conducting/Orchestration under the tutelage of Dr. Ernest G. Chachere. He founded the Children’s Academy of Music, Mid-City Full Arts Workshop, Foster Family programs and developed the Jazz education curriculum for Stax Music Academy. Stephen is a member of the African American Jazz Caucus (AAJC) and the Quincy Jones Muzik Consortium.

Using a holistic approach, he has inspired thousands of students over 46 years to become viable, contributing professionals in our society.

JEN President’s Service Award

Ryan Adamsons

A native of Springfield, Virginia, Ryan Adamsons is based in Chicago where his diverse talents and interests have led him to a career encompassing a wide variety of activities in education and the music industry at large.

Ryan is an active trumpet player as well as a sought-after clinician and instructor with nearly two decades of experience working with groups of all sizes and styles, from small group jazz to championship level drum corps.  He is an accomplished author with several published articles both online and in print, and is co-editor of the forthcoming book Rehearsing the Jazz Band, available from Meredith Music.  Ryan is also a prolific composer and arranger with over fifty commissioned and performed works for jazz ensemble from the middle school level to professional, with his educational works published by Kendor.

In addition to his role as Conference Production Coordinator with JEN, Ryan is on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and is the Jazz Area Manager for The Midwest Clinic.  He is a Denis Wick Ambassador and plays Powell Custom trumpets and flugelhorns.