NEH + Jazz
2024 NEA Jazz Masters Celebrated in April 13 Tribute Concert
Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will celebrate the 2024 NEA Jazz Masters at a series of public events April 11-13, 2024, in Washington, DC, culminating in a free tribute concert on Saturday, April 13. The 2024 recipients—Gary Bartz, Terence Blanchard, Willard Jenkins, and Amina Claudine Myers—are the latest in a 40-plus year history of the National Endowment for the Arts honoring individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz.
The April 13 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert is free and open to the public and available through a live webcast and radio broadcast. In addition, the 2024 NEA Jazz Masters will also participate in a listening party at NPR on Saturday, April 13, and Willard Jenkins, recipient of the 2024 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy, will participate in a discussion and Q&A at Howard University on Thursday, April 11. See below for additional details and how to reserve free tickets to these events.
2024 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert—Saturday, April 13, 2024
The 2024 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert will take place one-night-only on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater at 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC, and available through a live webcast and radio broadcast.
The concert will feature performances by 2024 NEA Jazz Masters Gary Bartz, Terence Blanchard, and Amina Claudine Myers, remarks by the honorees, and video tributes to their lives and careers. Joining Bartz will be members of his band—Paul Bollenback, Marc Cary, James King, and Kassa Overall. Blanchard will perform with the E-Collective: Charles Altura, Taylor Eigsti, David Ginyard, and Oscar Seaton. Myers will perform with her trio made up of Thurman Barker and Jerome Harris. In honor of Willard Jenkins, the African Rhythms Alumni Quintet will perform, featuring Alex Blake, T.K. Blue, Chief Baba Neil Clarke, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, and Sharp Radway.
Ticket details:
Starting on Friday, February 23, 2024, at 10 a.m. ET, up to two tickets per person may be reserved for this free concert in person at the Kennedy Center Box Office, at kennedy-center.org, or by dialing 202-467-4600 or 800-444-1324. Reservation confirmations should be printed at home and will be valid until 7:15 p.m. the night of the concert. At 7:15 p.m., all unclaimed seats will be released and distributed through a ticket giveaway line based on availability.
Tickets for walk-up patrons will be available the night of the concert on a first-come, first-served basis to those in a giveaway line based on availability. Patrons who do not reserve tickets in advance are encouraged to arrive from 5:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. to receive tickets via the giveaway line.
If you or a member of your party requires accessible locations and/or seating in the sign-interpreted and captioned section, please indicate your needs when making your reservation and upon picking up your tickets. Please contact the Accessibility Office at 202-416-8727 or access@kennedy-center.org if you have any questions or would like to request an accommodation.
Live webcast and radio broadcast details:
The live webcast of the 2024 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert will begin on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET at arts.gov and kennedy-center.org. An archive of the webcast will be available following the event at arts.gov.