NATHAN “Nat” HENTOFF, 91, of natural causes on Jan. 7 in New York City. Author, journalist, jazz critic and civil libertarian, Hentoff wrote for the Village Voice for 50 years, contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines (including Downbeat and Jazz Times), and wrote 40 books on a wide range of subjects besides jazz.
He was a founding editor of Jazz Review and a director of the Jazz Foundation of America. His first book, Jazz Life, published in 1961, examined the social and psychological aspects of jazz. Jazz Country (1965) was the first of a series of novels for young adults. He was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004, the first non-musician to be so honored.
