Faculty and Alumni from the College of Performing Arts Earn Wide Variety of Wins and Nominations from the Annual Downbeat Critic’s Poll
Downbeat is the jazz industry’s most important trade publication, regularly highlighting rising talent, featuring fresh music, and reviewing the newest music of the day. Every year, the outlet releases their Critic’s Poll, where musicians are spotlighted in a variety of categories based on their output from the past year and beyond.
This year, faculty, alumni, and other community members of the College of Performing Arts were incredibly well represented on the list, where they earned both nominations and wins in several key categories.
School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Faculty
Mary Halvorson won the Guitar category, and was nominated for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Composer of the Year. Her group, Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl, was nominated for Group of the Year.
Artemis, which includes Allison Miller, was nominated for Album of the Year and Jazz Group of the Year.
Joel Ross, who is also an alum, won the Vibes category, and was nominated for Album of the Year and Rising Star Composer.
Brandee Younger was nominated for Album of the Year, Miscellaneous Instrument, and Rising Star Jazz Artist.
Immanuel Wilkins Quartet won Jazz Group of the Year. Wilkins also won the Alto Saxophone category and was nominated in the Composer category.
Jaki Byard, a former faculty member who is now deceased, was nominated for the Hall of Fame category.
George Cables, who is also a Mannes alum, was nominated for Jazz Group of the Year as part of group The Cookers. Cables was also nominated in the Piano category.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, who are Artists in Residence at the College of Performing Arts, were nominated in the Big Band category.
Dave Douglas was nominated in the Trumpet and Composer categories.
Jacob Garchik was nominated in the Trombone category.
Jane Ira Bloom won the Soprano Saxophone category.
Ingrid Laubock was nominated for Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Rising Star Big Band, and Rising Star Composer.
Jim Snidero was nominated in the Alto Saxophone category.
Darius Jones was nominated in the Alto Saxophone category.
Melissa Aldana was nominated in the Tenor Saxophone category.
Anat Cohen won the Clarinet category.
Marty Erlich was nominated in the Clarinet and Flute categories.
Ned Rothenberg was nominated in the Clarinet category.
Jeff Lederer was nominated in the Clarinet category.
Dave Liebman was nominated in the Flute category.
James Francies, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Keyboard and Rising Star Piano categories.
Uri Caine was nominated in the Keyboard category.
Julian Lage was nominated in the Guitar category.
Peter Bernstein, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Guitar category.
Buster Williams was nominated in the Bass category.
Luke Stewart, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Bass, Rising Star Artist, and Rising Star Electric Bass categories.
Sara Caswell was nominated in the Violin category.
Allison Miller was nominated in the Drums and Rising Star Arranger categories.
Matt Wilson was nominated in the Drums category.
Andrew Cyrille was nominated in the Drums category.
Tomas Fujiwara, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Drums and Vibes categories.
Bobby Sanabria was nominated in the Percussion category.
Patricia Brennan won the Vibes and Rising Star Vibes categories.
Gregoire Maret, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Miscellaneous Instrument category.
Fay Victor was nominated in the Female Voice category.
Sara Serpa was nominated in the Female Voice category.
Darcy James Argue won the Arranger category and was nominated in the Composer category.
John Zorn, who received an honorary doctorate from The New School, and who collaborates with the College of Performing Arts on The Stone at The New School, was nominated in the Composer and Producer categories.
Arturo O’Farrill won the Rising Star Big Band category, and was nominated in the Arranger and Rising Star Jazz Group categories.
Carmen Staaf was nominated in the Rising Star Jazz Artist and Rising Star Piano categories.
Brian Marsella, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Rising Star Keyboard category.
Ari Hoenig was nominated in the Rising Star Drums category.
Jeremy Dutton, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Rising Star Drums category.
Kweku Sumbry, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Rising Star Percussion category.
Ben Allison was nominated in the Rising Star Producer category.
Spike Wilner, who is also an alum, was nominated in the Rising Star Producer category.
Riley Mulherkar was nominated in the Rising Star Trumpet category.
Reggie Workman performed on “Evenings at the Village Gate,” which won the Historical Album of the Year category.
School of Jazz and Contemporary Music Alumni
Cécile McLorin Salvant won the Female Voice category, and was nominated in the Artist of the Year and Album of the Year categories.
Brad Mehldau was nominated in the Artist of the Year and Piano categories.
Lakecia Benjamin won the Rising Star Arranger category, and was nominated in the Alto Saxophone, Flute, Arranger, Rising Star Jazz Artist, and Rising Star Arranger categories.
Brian Landrus was nominated in the Baritone Saxophone category.
Robert Glasper was nominated in the Keyboard, Producer, and Beyond Artist categories.
Larry Goldings won the Organ category and was nominated in the Keyboard category.
Sasha Berliner was nominated in the Vibes and Rising Star Vibes categories.
Jazzmeia Horn was nominated in the Female Voice, Rising Star Jazz Artist, and Rising Star Jazz Group categories.
Jose James was nominated in the Male Voice category.
Morgan Guerin was nominated in the Rising Star Keyboard and Rising Star Organ categories.
Jonathan Finlayson was nominated in the Rising Star Trumpet and Rising Star Arranger categories.
Keyon Harrold was nominated in the Rising Star Trumpet category.
Chris Potter, who attended School of Jazz, was nominated in the Artist of the Year, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, and Miscellaneous Instrument (Bass Clarinet) categories.
Greg Lewis was nominated in the Rising Star Organ category.
Sufjan Stevens, a Eugene Lang alum, was nominated in the Beyond Album category.
Mannes School of Music
Peter Evans, a faculty member, was nominated in the Rising Star Trumpet category.
Jacob Garchik, a faculty member, was nominated in the Jazz Album of the Year category.