14 Jazz Greats To Be Inducted Into Ertegun Jazz Hall Of Fame

(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Jazz at Lincoln Center will celebrate the dedication of the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame and the official induction of its inaugural class of members on September 30. Located within the new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Frederick P. Rose Hall, the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, which interactively immerses visitors in the lives and artistry of jazz greats, was named by Jazz at Lincoln Center Board member Ahmet Ertegun and his wife, Mica, in honor of his late brother and Atlantic Records partner Nesuhi Ertegun.

The musicians inducted into the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame are: Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Bix Beiderbecke, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Jelly Roll Morton, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum and Lester Young.

With a welcome by Ahmet Ertegun and introductions by Gunther Schuller, Victor Goines and Wynton Marsalis, inductees' awards will be presented by Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson, James Carter, Benny Golson, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Abbey Lincoln, Wynton Marsalis, James Moody, Nicholas Payton, Randy Sandke, Clark Terry, Frank Wess, Randy Weston, Dr. Michael White and Bob Wilber. Also performing will be the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra Rhythm Section: Eric Lewis (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), and Herlin Riley (drums); Madeleine Peyroux (vocals) and Ryan Kisor (trumpet).

"The greatest artists speak across epochs of the undying soul that distinguishes man from everything else in creation," said Wynton Marsalis, artistic director, Jazz at Lincoln Center. "These 14 men and women are the embodiment of the very best in American culture. Their creations will stand for all time as a testament to the richness of our way of living. We're proud to provide the world with a place to celebrate and reflect upon their great achievements."

A 72-person international voting panel, which includes musicians, scholars and educators from 17 countries, was charged with nominating and selecting the most definitive artists in the history of jazz for induction into the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. Criteria for nomination include excellence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of jazz.

"The artists that we will honor as the first class of members into the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame gave something wonderful, passionate, inspiring and eternal to the world," said Ertegun. "My brother Nesuhi, in whose honor my wife and I named the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, helped nurture some of these great artists and I think it is only fitting that we help create a space where people of all ages can come to learn about their contributions to the world of jazz. The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame will provide a center where the lives and the artistry of the greatest jazz musicians will be celebrated, and where people will come to learn about jazz, something to which my brother devoted his life's work."

The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, which was designed by the Rockwell Group and opens to the public on October 21, is a multi-media installation featuring a 14-foot video wall, interactive kiosks, touch-activated virtual plaques and the great sounds of jazz. The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame's physical design celebrates jazz by emphasizing flexibility and improvisation, and utilizes materials, such as cork, wood and brass, found in jazz instruments. The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame will be free and open to the public between the hours of 10am-4pm, Tuesday through Sunday. The space will also be open to ticket-holders in the evening.

"The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame is a very special part of our new home," said Derek E. Gordon, executive director, Jazz at Lincoln Center. "Whether you come to Frederick P. Rose Hall to see a jazz performance or a classical concert or a dance program, you will be exposed to the essence of jazz and inspired by the talented and celebrated men and women that we honor in the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame."

Every year, the international panel that Jazz at Lincoln Center has assembled will vote on a new class of honorees. Each new class of inductees will be honored at an annual ceremony at Frederick P. Rose Hall. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen