The Jazz Journalists Association has recognized 27 “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz” from 23 cities as its 2020 Jazz Heroes. The list includes presenters, educators, administrators of non-profits, faces of grass-roots community organizations, writers, broadcasters, and performers, “each of them devoted to spreading the message that creative improvised music has positive benefits for individuals and societies at large.”
Representing jazz organizations and venues: Gene Dobbs Bradford, Jazz St. Louis; Harriet Choice, Jazz Institute, Chicago; Lonnie & Ocie Davis, JazzArts, Charlotte; Matthew Garrison & Fortuna Sung, ShapeShifter Lab, Booklyn; Sean Jones, Baltimore Jazz Collective and president-elect, Jazz Educators Network; Terri Pontremoli, Tri-City JazzFest, Cleveland; Deanna Relyea, Kerrytown Concert House, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Sunny Sumter, D.C. JazzFest, Washington; Leah Tucker, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Birmingham; and Dr. Ronald Weber, South Florida Jazz, Fort Lauderdale.
Dedicated to presenting and promoting jazz in their communities are Roberta Alloway, New York City; Susan Cohen Brink, Capital Region, N.Y.; Albert Coleman, Indianapolis; Billy Mitchell, Los Angeles; Jan& Mark Pudlow, Tallahassee; and Ron Steen, Portland, Oregon.
From the media world of writers and broadcasters: Richard Hadlock, San Francisco; Patty Peterson, Mi
