JazzWax wins JJA Award: Photos

JazzWax won the Jazz Journalists Association’s 2018 “Best Blog of the Year” award. The news came as a complete surprise to me, since I had expected the awards to be announced on June 12, when the JJA holds its annual gala event.

So when Tom Lord of The Jazz Discography sent along an email at 2 p.m. congratulating me, I thought for a moment that he might have been referring to the nominees list. A couple of clicks later, I discovered that that the winners had indeed been announced. I thanked Tom for being the first to let me know.

Kudos to my colleagues who also were nominated—Ethan Iverson (Do The Math), Doug Ramsey (Rifftides); and Michael Steinman (Jazz Lives). My sincere thanks to the JJA and its members who voted for JazzWax. I’m honored and humbled that so many worldwide find value in my posts on little-known legacy jazz albums. And a special thanks to JJA president Howard Mandel (Jazz Beyond Jazz) and his team, who work tirelessly to keep the organization humming. [Photo above of Howard Mandel by Janis Wilkins]

When I started JazzWax in 2007, I set out simply to write about favorite albums. Then I started interviewing jazz legends so their stories and voices would be documented and available at JazzWax for free. Now, of course, I write about little-known and new albums by legacy artists that I listened to the day before. I don’t pan at JazzWax; art is hard enough. Instead, I only write about what I love.

It’s a joy bringing JazzWax to you six days a week, even when I’m exhausted. Knowing that readers and friends around the globe are waiting for its arrival is motive enough for me to dive in. [Photo above of George Reeves as reporter Clark Kent at the Daily Planet]

This award is for my faithful readers, who each day motivate me to plow forward and make the music and musicians a cause.