Faculty, Students, and Alumni Earn Vast Recognition in the Annual Downbeat Critics Poll
As the most trusted publication chronicling the jazz scene, DownBeat is an authority for the jazz community, which makes their annual Critic’s Poll an achievement for any musician. In years past, faculty, students, and alumni from the College of Performing Arts have earned various spots on the poll, and this year is no exception.
School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Faculty
Linday May Han Oh placed in both the Acoustic Bass and Electric Bass categories.
Reggie Workman placed in the Acoustic Bass category.
Darius Jones placed in the Alto Saxophone category.
Darcy James Argue placed in the Arranger and Composer categories. His band “Secret Society” also placed in the Big Band category.
Anat Cohen won the Clarinet category, and placed in the Jazz Album of the Year category. Her band “Tentet” also placed in the Big Band category.
Arturo O’Farill and the Afro-Jazz Latin Orchestra placed in the Big Band category.
Allison Miller placed in the Drums, Musician of the Year, Rising Star Arranger, and Rising Star Composer categories. Her group, “Boom Tic Boom,” also placed in the Jazz Group category.
Andrew Cyrille placed in the Drums category.
Matt Wilson placed in the Drums category.
Sara Serpa placed in the Female Voice category.
Fay Victor placed in the Female Voice category.
Mary Halvorson won the Guitar category, and placed in the Musician of the Year category.
Julian Lage placed in the Guitar category.
Vic Juris placed in the Guitar category.
Melissa Aldana placed in the Jazz Album of the Year, Rising Star Artist of the Year, Rising Star Composer, and Tenor Saxophone categories.
Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas’ “Sound Print Quintet” placed in the Jazz Group category.
Dave Douglas also placed in the Producer and Trumpet categories.
Uri Caine placed in the Keyboard category.
Grégoire Maret placed in the Miscellaneous Instrument category (Harmonica).
Bobby Sanabria placed in the Percussion category.
Ben Street won the Rising Star Bass category.
Diane Moser’s “Composer’s Big Band” placed in the Rising Star Big Band category.
Tomas Fujiwara placed in the Rising Star Drums category.
Ryan Keberle placed in the Trombone category and his group “Catharsis” placed in the Rising Star Group category.
Artemis placed in the Rising Star Group category.
Yotam Silberstein placed in the Rising Star Guitar category.
Jane Ira Bloom won the Soprano Saxophone category.
Sara Caswell placed in the Violin category.
John Zorn, who partners with the College of Performing Arts on The Stone at CoPA, placed in the Producer category.
School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Alumni
Avishai Cohen placed in the Acoustic Bass category.
Robert Glasper placed in the Arranger, Keyboard, and Producer categories, and his group, Robert Glasper Experiment, placed in the Beyond Artist or Group category.
Jazzmeia Horn placed in the Female Voice and Jazz Album of the Year categories.
Gilad Heckselman placed in the Guitar category.
Bill Evans placed in the Historical Album category.
Lakecia Benjamin won the Rising Star Alto Sax category and placed in the Jazz Album of the Year, Rising Star Arranger, and Rising Star Artist of the Year categories.
Larry Goldings placed in the Keyboard and Organ categories.
José James placed in the Male Voice category.
Brad Mehldau placed in the Piano category.
Helen Sung placed in the Rising Star Arranger and Rising Star Piano categories, and her group, Helen Sung Trio, placed in the Rising Star Group category.
E.J. Strickland placed in the Rising Star Drums category.
Camila Meza placed in the Rising Star Female Vocalist and Rising Star Guitar categories.
Thana Alexa placed in the Rising Star Female Vocalist category.
Sasha Berliner won the Rising Star Vibes category.
School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Students
Joel Ross placed in the Rising Star Artist of the Year and the Vibes categories.