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16 Jul 2024

Irv Gotti Is Accused Of Rape, Alleged Victim Files Lawsuit In Miami-Dade County

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Irv Gotti, the Murder Inc. Records co-founder and longtime music executive, faces a lawsuit from a woman who claims she was raped by the New York native. The lawsuit was filed in Miami-Dade County and accuses Irv Gotti of sexually assaulting the woman over two years across several locales.

The Miami New Times reports that the lawsuit against Irv Gotti, 54, was filed on July 11 in Florida’s Miami-Dade County courts. The alleged victim, using the name Jane Doe, claims that Gotti, real name Irving Lorenzo, sexually assaulted her between 2020 and 2022 across Atlanta, Miami, and the island of Saint Martin.

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“As a result of this sexually abusive relationship, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional and psychological harm for which she had to be committed to a psychiatric ward,” the lawsuit (attached at the bottom of this story) reads. “These injuries continue and affect Plaintiff to this day.”

The woman alleges that she and Gotti met through a mutual friend at a poker tournament in the summer of 2020, and Gotti invited her on a vacation to Saint Martin afterward. But upon arriving on the Caribbean island, Gotti allegedly coerced her into having sex with him, threatening to send her home if she didn’t.

The lawsuit states that Gotti and Jane Doe entered into a romantic relationship but claims that she was forced to perform sex acts against her will and verbally abused her. According to the filing, Jane Doe claims that Gotti would demand she perform sexual favors under the pressures of coercion.

Irv Gotti has yet to respond to the lawsuit and explosive allegations within.

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Photo: Getty

16 Jul 2024

Adele Planning to Step Back From Music: ‘I Want a Big Break’

Adele will wrap up her Weekends With Adele residency in Las Vegas on November 23. That means her superfans have exactly 10 chances left to catch the singer’s long-running stay-put show before, as she recently revealed in an interview, she goes away for a while.

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Speaking to Germany’s ZDF, Adele, 36, dropped the bombshell, “I don’t have any plans for new music at all.” In fact, the star who said she “doesn’t like being famous,” added, “I want a big break after this and I think I want to do other creative things, just for a little while.”

Adele kicked off her Weekends run in November 2022 and plans to call the show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace quits with her final scheduled performance on Nov. 23. Before then, she will play a series of gigs in Munich at a specially built 80,000-capacity venue on August 2, 3, 9, 10, 14, 16, 23, 24, 30 and 31.

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She said that the run of 100 live shows over the past two years have left her feeling as if her “tank is quite empty.”

After announcing the initial run of Munich shows, Adele wrote on Instagram, “So a few months ago I got a call about a summer run of shows. I’ve been content as anything with my shows in London’s Hyde Park and my residency in Vegas, so I hadn’t had any other plans. However, I was too curious to not follow up and indulge in this idea – a one off, bespoke pop-up stadium designed around whatever show I want to put on.”

The singer — who has not gone on a world tour since her 2016-2017 run in support of her 25 album — has made a habit of taking time for herself between albums and tours. Those stretches out of the public eye have increased over time, from three years between her 2008 debut, 19, and 2011’s 21, to four years until her 2015 LP 25 and six between that album and 2021’s 30.

Back in December, the mother of 11-year-old song Angelo told The Hollywood Reporter, ” I have nothing to say yet. I haven’t even thought about it… I have to wait for a feeling. If I get antsy, that’s when I know I have to go to the studio, and I am the opposite of antsy right now.” Speaking of new endeavors, in that same interview, Adele said that there was one unnamed movie she wants to do, but, “the guy whose movie it would be, he’s not mentally ready to write the script for it… I bug him every now and then about it, but he’s just not there yet. But that’s the only role I ever want. Because I think I’d nail it. I think I’d do really, really, really good at it.”

Then, in January during one of her Weekends shows, Adele told the audience “I just don’t think I’m gonna write an album for quite some time,” teasing that when she does she may be ready to hit the road properly again. At press time a spokesperson for Adele had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional comment on her future plans.

16 Jul 2024

Garth Brooks to be Honored at ‘Austin City Limits’ 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame Induction

Austin City Limits will kick off its 50th anniversary year by honoring Garth Brooks for its 10th anniversary Hall of Fame celebration.

Brooks and his band will perform Sept. 5 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas. Brooks’ induction from the Hall of Fame ceremony will air as an hourlong broadcast of Austin City Limits premiering Sept. 28 on PBS. Tickets for the event go on sale Aug. 2. The golden anniversary celebration will last through 2025. 

The country superstar is no stranger to Austin City Limits. He appeared twice during the 25th anniversary year to open and close the season and first appeared on the program in 1990, at the beginning of his career. 

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“To be part of anything Austin City Limits is and always has been an honor,” Brooks said in a statement. “I am humbled and grateful to not only be a part of the 50th Anniversary, but to be inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame is over the top.”

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Austin City Limits’ 10th annual Hall of Fame Honors is produced by Austin PBS and proceeds benefit the public television station. 

Austin City Limits, which taped its pilot episode on Oct. 17, 1974, premiered on PBS in 1975. Since its inception in 2014, the ACL Hall of Fame has honored artists who have played a pivotal role in the music series’ half-century. The inaugural awards in 2014 honored Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood was honored at the 9th annual Hall of Fame Honors last September. 

Brooks is in the second year of his residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The run currently concludes Dec. 8. He also recently released the 777 Jackpot boxed set, a 7-CD collection of new and previously released material that  commemorates his Caesars Palace stint. The $40 set, available through Ticketmaster,  includes 77 songs and a custom 88-pagebook full of photos. Earlier this year, Brooks opened his new bar on Lower Broadway in Nashville, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk. 

In other Brooks’ news, he plans to wrap up his weekly Monday series, “Inside Studio G,” by the end of the year. The chat with fans, which originally aired on Facebook and SiriusXM, and now airs on his website and The Garth Channel on TuneIn, launched eight years ago this month. “I think we’re going to put an end to Inside Studio G this year, probably sometime around Christmas,” he announced Monday (July 15), giving no reason for the end.

16 Jul 2024

ACM Awards Returning to Texas in 2025

The Academy of Country Music will celebrate a major milestone next year, when the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards are held May 8, 2025 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The ACM Awards will again be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video, according to an announcement on Tuesday (July 16) from the ACM, Prime Video and Dick Clark Productions.

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This marks the third consecutive year that the ACM Awards are broadcasting live from Texas (the ACM also celebrated its 50th-anniversary awards show in 2015 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas). The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco opened in 2016, and serves as the practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, as well as hosting major sporting events throughout the year. The 2023 ACM Awards were the first awards show to be held at the venue.

As previously announced, 16-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire will return to host the event, marking her 18th time hosting the ACM Awards.

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“We’re excited to honor and celebrate the legacy of the ACM Awards all year long surrounding the 60th anniversary show returning to Amazon Prime Video next May,” Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside said in a statement. “Reba McEntire has hosted more ACM Awards shows than any other artist in history, and after her triumphant return this year for the 59th show, there is clearly no one better suited to helm this milestone show! Our landmark 50th anniversary show in 2015 marked our debut in Texas, and we’re thrilled to return again to celebrate another major moment in ACM history. We look forward to seeing our industry, artists, and fans celebrate in Frisco, Texas next May for an unforgettable week!”

“I’m thrilled to be coming back to host the 60th ACM Awards on Prime Video,” McEntire added. “It’s going to be an absolute can’t miss show and I can’t wait to see everybody back in Texas!”

The Academy of Country Music was founded in Southern California in 1964, operating as a regional trade organization, but in the six decades since its founding, the organization has enjoyed global reach in supporting and promoting country music. Now based in Nashville, the ACM boasts a record-high membership of over 5,000 members globally.

The 59th annual ACM Awards streamed live for an international audience across more than 240 countries and territories, via Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The show featured performances from Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Post Malone, Lainey Wilson and more.

Wilson earned the ACM’s highest honor, entertainer of the year, which gained the Louisiana native the coveted ACM Triple Crown in only three years. Chris Stapleton led the evening with four overall wins, followed by Wilson with three trophies, and Luke Combs and Jordan Davis with two wins each.

More details regarding award submissions, voting timelines, nominees, performers, ticket sales and more will be revealed in the coming months.

16 Jul 2024

Chart Rewind: In 1994, ‘The Lion King’ Roared to No. 1 on the Billboard 200

When The Lion King soundtrack rose to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart in 1994, it marked not only the first No. 1 for the Walt Disney Records label, but the first soundtrack from a fully animated film ever to top the tally.

The album – with songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and its score composed by Hans Zimmer – ascended to the summit on the July 16, 1994-dated Billboard 200 in only its fourth week on the chart. It collected 10 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 and lingered in the weekly top 40 for over a year.

During the course of The Lion King’s run on the Billboard 200, the album spun off hits in John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (No. 4 peak on the Billboard Hot 100) and “Circle of Life” (No. 18). The former marked John’s highest charting Hot 100 hit unaccompanied by another artist since 1988, when “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” reached No. 2.

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The Lion King proved to be so popular that it finished 1994 as the year’s top-selling album in the U.S., according to Luminate, with 4.9 million copies sold that year. The soundtrack’s success ran concurrent with the film’s smash status at the box office. The Lion King closed 1994 as the highest-grossing film at the U.S. and Canada box office, with $295.7 million earned that year.

In March 1995, John and Rice won the Academy Award for best original song for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” marking the first nomination and win for John, and the second win for Rice. The two were largely competing against themselves, as three of the five nominees were The Lion King songs that they penned – “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” also made the cut. Zimmer additionally took home his first Oscar, for best original score.

On the April 29, 1995-dated Billboard 200, a few weeks after the Oscars and the film’s release on home video, The Lion King returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for its 10th and final week on top, more than seven months after it had last led.

In the years since The Lion King’s release, Walt Disney Records has produced 10 more No. 1 soundtracks on the Billboard 200, including chart-toppers from Pocahontas, High School Musical, Frozen and Encanto.

16 Jul 2024

Every Rap Hit to Land a Grammy Nod for Record of the Year (Full List)

Kendrick Lamar was just three years old in late 1990, and perhaps not yet an avid Grammy watcher, when MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” became the first rap hit to receive a Grammy nomination for record of the year. At the Grammy ceremony in February 1991, Hammer’s mass-appeal smash lost to Phil Collins’ socially-conscious ballad “Another Day in Paradise,” which featured a backing vocal by David Crosby.

As we approach this year’s Grammy nominations, which will be announced on Nov. 8, Lamar’s “Not Like Us” stands an excellent chance of becoming the 26th rap hit to receive a record of the year nod. We define a rap hit as a track that appeared on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, which originated as Hot Rap Singles in the March 11, 1989 issue.

Just one rap hit has won record of the year – Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2019. That sentence may need updating after the 67th annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 2, 2025. It’s easy to see “Not Like Us,” which returns to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 in the wake of the release of the song’s video, winning that award. The Mustard-produced smash may have originated in a dis battle with Drake, but it already seems like the kind of classic single that will live on after this dis battle becomes a dim and distant memory.

As you’ll see as you scroll through this list, at the Grammy ceremony in 2003, two rap hits were nominated for record of the year for the first time. At the ceremony in 2011, three rap hits were nominated for the first time. Bear in mind, this was back when there were just five nominees in the category, making this very hard to do. In 2019, a record four rap hits were nominated, but that year there were eight nominees, making it at least somewhat easier.

You may be wondering why Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” which topped Hot Rap Songs for four weeks in 1998, doesn’t appear on this list. In 1999 her accompanying album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, famously became the first hip-hop project to win album of the year. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” was entered for both record and song of the year at that year’s Grammys, but it wasn’t nominated in either category. Go figure.

Here’s a chronological list of every rap hit to receive a Grammy nomination for record of the year. We show how high each hit climbed on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart and what won that year for record of the year. The year shown is the year of the Grammy ceremony. If “Not Like Us,” and/or some other rap hit, receives a record of the year nod in November, you can bet we’ll update this list.

16 Jul 2024

Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ & Benson Boone’s ‘Beautiful Things’ Lead Luminate’s 2024 Midyear Charts

In the first half of 2024 in the United States, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department was the most popular album, while Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” was the most-streamed song (by on-demand audio streams), respectively, according to data tracking firm Luminate.

Read more about midyear metrics in the 2024 Luminate Midyear Music Report.

‘Poets’ Perched on Top: For the tracking period of Dec. 29, 2023, through June 27, 2024, Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department was the most popular album in the U.S. The pop superstar’s studio set was released on April 19 via Republic Records and earned 4.66 million equivalent album units in the first half of 2024. (See full top 10 chart, below.) Poets spent its first 12 weeks atop the weekly Billboard 200 chart – the first album by a woman to spend its first 12 weeks at No. 1.

Poets is also the top-selling album, by traditional album sales, at the midyear point, with 2.47 million sold. The set is the top-selling album on CD (1.07 million), vinyl (988,000) and digital download (395,000) of 2024’s first six months.

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The most-streamed song by on-demand audio streams (inclusive of user-generated content [UGC] streams) was Boone’s breakout hit “Beautiful Things,” with 448.7 million clicks in the first six months of the year. “Beautiful Things,” released via Night Street/Warner Records, marked Boone’s first top 40-charting hit on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart, and peaked at No. 2 on the tally in March.

Equivalent album units – for album titles and chart rankings cited below (but not industry volume numbers) – comprise traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sales, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album, or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official and audio streams generated by songs from an album.

Equivalent album units cited for album titles in this story, and in the “Midyear Top 10 Albums in U.S.” chart do not include user-generated content (UGC) streams. UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry volume numbers and its midyear song streaming rankings. (UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.)

For the sake of clarity, equivalent album units do not include listening to music on broadcast radio or digital radio broadcasts. All numbers cited in this story are rounded, and for the U.S. only. Programmed streams are not included in any of the data in this story.

Luminate (formerly MRC Data, Nielsen Music and SoundScan) began tracking music consumption in 1991. Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data is used to compile Billboard’s weekly charts.

Of The Tortured Poets Department’s 4.66 million equivalent album units earned at midyear, album sales comprise 2.47 million, SEA units comprise 2.16 million (equaling 2.82 billion on-demand official audio and video streams of the 31 songs on the deluxe edition of the album) and TEA units comprise 23,000.

The top five most popular albums at the midyear point in the U.S. are The Tortured Poets Department, Morgan Wallen’s March 2023 release One Thing at a Time (1.78 million), Noah Kahan’s October 2022 release Stick Season (1.22 million), Beyoncé’s March release Cowboy Carter (1.10 million) and SZA’s December 2022 release SOS (1.06 million). In 2023, One Thing at a Time and SOS  were the Nos. 1 and 3 most popular albums of the year in Luminate’s year-end report.

2024’s Midyear Top 10 Albums in U.S. (by Equivalent Album Units)
1. Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (4.660 million)
2. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (1.776 million)
3. Noah Kahan, Stick Season (1.224 million)
4. Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter (1.105 million)
5. SZA, SOS (1.064 million)
6. Future & Metro Boomin, We Don’t Trust You (1.046 million)
7. Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album (1.010 million)
8. Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan (984,000)
9. Taylor Swift, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (953,000)
10. Taylor Swift, Lover (948,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 29, 2023, through June 27, 2024. UGC (user-generated content) streams are not included in this chart, but are included in Luminate’s on-demand streaming charts (below). Luminate’s equivalent album unit totals include SEA and TEA for an album’s songs registered before an album’s release, but only during the tracking period.

2024’s Midyear Top 10 Selling Albums in U.S. (Physical & Digital Album Sales Combined)
1. Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (2.474 million)
2. Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft (306,000)
3. Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter (257,000)
4. Taylor Swift, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (250,000)
5. Taylor Swift, Lover (208,000)
6. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Minisode 3: TOMORROW (193,000)
7. ATEEZ, Golden Hour: Part.1 (191,000)
8. Taylor Swift, Folklore (174,000)
9. TWICE, With YOU-th (174,000)
10. Taylor Swift, Midnights (171,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 29, 2023, through June 27, 2024.

2024’s Midyear Top 10 Selling Vinyl Albums
1. Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (988,000)
2. Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft (160,000)
3. Taylor Swift, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (117,000)
4. Taylor Swift, Folklore (108,000)
5. Taylor Swift, Lover (106,000)
6. Taylor Swift, Midnights (100,000)
7. Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter (94,000)
8. Taylor Swift, Evermore (88,000)
9. Noah Kahan, Stick Season (87,000)
10. Olivia Rodrigo, Guts (74,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 29, 2023, through June 27, 2024.

Total Album Consumption Increases 7.4% at Midyear: Year-to-date, total equivalent album units grew by 7.4% (to 527.3 million) as compared to the same time frame in 2023 (491.1 million in the span of Dec. 30, 2022, through June 29, 2023). However, Luminate notes in its midyear report that due to changes in methodology and provider reporting, a trend break occurred in the first half of 2024, and they are unable to provide an accurate representation of year-over-year changes with regards to independent retail physical sales. In turn, for the above total equivalent album unit comparison, sales from independent retail stores are excluded from both the midyear 2024 and 2023 numbers above as there is no comparable historical data to provide an accurate year-over-year trend. Indie store album sales are included in the top 10 album rankings in this story. (In January 2024, Luminate retired a weighted data modeling method that previously measured physical sales in the indie retail sector. In April, Luminate launched a partnership with data provider StreetPulse to collect music sales from independent retailers.)

On-Demand Audio Streaming Up 8%, ‘Beautiful Things’ Most-Streamed Song: Boone’s “Beautiful Things” was the most-streamed song by on-demand audio streams in the first half of 2024 in the U.S. (see list, below), with 448.7 million streams (inclusive of UGC). Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves (437.3 million) and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” (409.7 million) round out the top three.

Total on-demand audio streams at midyear grew 8% in the U.S. as compare to the same point a year ago (665.8 billion versus 616.5 billion).

UGC streams are included in Luminate’s industry streaming on-demand volume numbers (above) and its midyear streaming song charts (below). UGC streams are not factored into any of Billboard’s weekly charts.

In general, all songs in the below charts combine the assorted remixes of a song into one overall total.

2024’s Midyear Top 10 Most Streamed Songs in U.S. (On-Demand Audio)
1. Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things” (448.7 million)
2. Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything” (437.3 million)
3. Teddy Swims, “Lose Control” (409.7 million)
4. Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby” (374.9 million)
5. Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar, “Like That” (374.9 million)
6. Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us” (362.1 million)
7. Noah Kahan, “Stick Season” (342.9 million)
8. Jack Harlow, “Lovin On Me” (340.8 million)
9. Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (333.1 million)
10. Hozier, “Too Sweet” (333.1 million)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 29, 2023, through June 27, 2024. Includes UGC streams.

Digital Song Sales Fall 11%: Digital song sales declined 10.9% in the first six months of 2024, falling to 61.96 million, as compared to 69.57 million sold in the first half of 2023. The top-selling digital song at the midyear point is Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” with 219,000 sold.

2023’s Midyear Top 10 Selling Digital Songs in U.S.
1. Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (219,000)
2. Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things” (200,000)
3. Teddy Swims, “Lose Control” (195,000)
4. Beyoncé, “Texas Hold ‘Em” (178,000)
5. Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help” (156,000)
6. Megan Thee Stallion, “Hiss” (107,000)
7. Jack Harlow, “Lovin On Me” (95,000)
8. Tom MacDonald & Ben Shapiro, “Facts” (93,000)
9. Eminem, “Houdini” (88,000)
10. Hozier, “Too Sweet” (85,000)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 29, 2023, through June 27, 2024.

Harlow Hot at Radio: The most-heard song on U.S. radio in the first half of 2024 was Harlow’s “Lovin On Me,” with a cumulative 1.743 million audience impressions across all formats monitored by Luminate.  “Flowers,” with a cumulative 2.409 billion audience impressions across all formats monitored by Luminate. The track led Billboard’s weekly Radio Songs airplay chart for 12 consecutive weeks (from Jan. 27, 2024 through April 13, 2024).

2024’s Midyear Top 10 Radio Songs in U.S. (Based on Audience Impressions)
1. Jack Harlow, “Lovin On Me” (1.743 billion)
2. Teddy Swims, “Lose Control” (1.692 billion)
3. Doja Cat, “Agora Hills” (1.544 billion)
4. Taylor Swift, “Cruel Summer” (1.402 billion)
5. Tate McRae, “Greedy” (1.388 billion)
6. Luke Combs, “Fast Car” (1.248 billion)
7. Tyla, “Water” (1.210 billion)
8. Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things” (1.142 billion)
9. Sabrina Carpenter, “Feather” (1.123 billion)
10. SZA, “Snooze” (1.111 billion)
Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 29, 2023, through June 27, 2024.

16 Jul 2024

Gary Giddins, Chucho Valdés & More to Receive NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship

Marshall Allen, Marilyn Crispell, Chucho Valdés, and Gary Giddins are set to receive the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. They will be honored on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at a free concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. in Washington, D.C.

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Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) said in a statement: “We are delighted to welcome these four luminaries to the ranks of NEA Jazz Masters. They have each in their own way played a crucial role in the nurturing and development of this art form and demonstrate the immense diversity and creativity found in jazz today. We look forward to working together with the Kennedy Center on events next April that will celebrate their achievements and inspire new audiences and musicians to embrace jazz.”

“This class of NEA Jazz Masters represents the finest in free-thinking musicians,” said Jason Moran, Kennedy Center artistic director for jazz. “Each has been an active and integral part of communities that have pushed the music forward to new heights.”

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Here are thumbnail sketches of the four honorees:

• Marshall Allen’s inventive and distinctive saxophone playing, as well as his band arrangements, have made him a major force in jazz going into his hundredth year. He is best-known for his work with Sun Ra, recording and performing with him from the 1950s until Sun Ra’s death in 1993, and taking over the leadership of the Sun Ra Arkestra for the past 30 years. He received a Grammy nomination two years ago for best large jazz ensemble album for Swirling.

• Since emerging on the scene in the late 1970s, Marilyn Crispell has become one of the most original and sought-after avant-garde jazz pianists and composers. Her adventurous and distinctive style was influenced by her first loves in jazz, John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor.

• Originally from Cuba, pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés is one of the most influential figures in the world of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Valdés has fused elements of the Afro-Cuban music tradition, jazz, classical music, rock, and more into his distinctive style. Valdés has won seven Grammys over a 42-year span (1980-2022).

• Gary Giddins has been one of the leading critics in the field of jazz for more than 50 years, having written books as well as essays for The New York Times, New Yorker, Esquire, and many other publications, and the “Weather Bird” column for The Village Voice. As a teacher, he has spurred new generations of jazz fans at several universities. Giddins won a Grammy for best album notes in 1987 for the Frank Sinatra collection, The Voice: The Columbia Years 1943-52. He was also nominated in that category for his notes for collections by Duke Ellington and Art Pepper.

Giddins is this year’s recipient of The A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy. The award is given to those who have made major contributions to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of this distinctively American art form.

Since 1982, the NEA has awarded 177 fellowships to great figures in jazz, including Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard, Carla Bley, Dave Brubeck, Terri Lyne Carrington, Betty Carter, Stanley Crouch, Roy Eldridge, Paquito D’Rivera, Quincy Jones, Sun Ra, Dianna Reeves, and Henry Threadgill.

The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships are awarded to living individuals on the basis of nominations from the public. NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships are $25,000 and can be received once in a lifetime. Visit the NEA’s website for detailed information and to submit nominations.

The deadline for nominations for the next class of honorees is Oct. 31, 2024.

16 Jul 2024

International Jazz Day Celebration Travels to Abu Dhabi in 2025

UNESCO has announced that International Jazz Day 2025 (April 30) will be celebrated in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Tangier, Morocco served as the global host city for this year’s celebration.

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In a statement announcing next year’s locale, UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said, “International Jazz Day heads to Abu Dhabi in 2025, infusing new energy and basking in the mélange of cultures. The celebration in this cosmopolitan city will embody the power of jazz to unite and delight in our shared humanity.”

Added UNESCO goodwill ambassador Herbie Hancock, “Jazz is a language of unity and a beacon of hope that continues to inspire new generations of artists from all corners of the globe. In Abu Dhabi, a renowned group of international artists will join us to share their musical vision, build bridges through the power of music and create harmony in our diverse world.”

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International Jazz Day 2025 will be presented in partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT). With a focus on the city’s Arab and Emirati musical heritage, the annual observance will introduce audiences to Arabic jazz by spotlighting the decades-long interplay between local musical traditions — through classical instruments such as the oud, qanun and ney — and jazz. In addition, educational programs and community outreach will be part of the celebration. Alongside music education program at local schools, higher-level learning institutions such as Berklee Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi and other UAE-based universities will offer workshops and masterclasses.

“We are honored that Abu Dhabi has been selected as the global host for the 2025 edition of International Jazz Day,” stated DCT Abu Dhabi chairman HE Mohamed Al Mubarak. “This recognition underscores our city’s thriving music scene and unwavering commitment to cultural diversity and artistic excellence. As a UNESCO Creative City of Music, Abu Dhabi has long been a beacon of musical innovation, where traditional Arabian melodies blend seamlessly with global genres, creating a vibrant and unique cultural tapestry. Hosting International Jazz Day reaffirms our dedication to the arts and provides a global stage to showcase our dynamic music scene. Our city consistently celebrates and nurtures musical talent from around the world.”

16 Jul 2024

Jack Black Was ‘Blindsided’ By Trump Assassination Joke in Australia: ‘I Would Never Condone Hate Speech’

Jack Black responded to the backlash spurred by an off-color joke by his longtime Tenacious D musical partner Kyle Gass on Tuesday morning (July 16) by apologizing and announcing an indefinite hold on all future creative plans for the comedic rock duo.

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“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” Black wrote of the off-color joke Gass made during the duo’s show on Sunday at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Sydney, Australia. During the gig, Gass was presented with a birthday cake and said, “don’t miss Trump next time” when Black asked him to “make a wish.” The poor taste quip came less than 48 hours after a lone gunman nicked the former president’s ear in an assassination attempt that resulted in the death of an audience member at a rally in Butler, PA and serious injuries to two other attendees.

The immediate response from tour producer Frontier Touring was to postpone a planned Tuesday night (July 16) show at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in the wake of significant backlash from conservative politicians and talking heads, including an Australian senator demanding that the pair be deported immediately.

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“I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black continued about the comment Gass said in a separate statement was improvised and inappropriate, noting that the incident has caused the Kung Fu Panda star to reconsider the group’s future endeavors. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”

In addition to tonight’s scotched show in Newcastle, Tenacious D’s sold out Spicy Meatball tour shows on July 18 (Brisbane), July 20 (Melbourne), July 22 (Adelaide), July 24 (Wellington) and July 26 (Auckland) have also been called off. In June, the duo announced five North American gigs booked for October in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania as part of what they were calling the Rock D Vote tour in advance of November’s presidential election; at press time it was not clear if those sold out dates have also been cancelled.

In a parallel statement, Gass also apologized for his off-color remark, writing, “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”

Trump appeared in Milwaukee for the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday night (July 15) with a white bandage on his right ear over the spot where the gunman’s bullet struck after announcing Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential pick in a bid to re-take the White House.

See Black and Gass’ statements below.