Listen up to the 2016 NEA Jazz Masters!

The countdown begins! We are just days away from our 2016 NEA Jazz Masters tribute concert, which will be held at the Kennedy Center on Monday, April 4, 2016. The concert can be watched in-person or via live webcast on arts.gov, Kennedy-Center.org, and NPR.org/Music. The 2016 NEA Jazz Masters are:

• Gary Burton—Vibraphonist, Bandleader, Educator
• Wendy Oxenhorn*—Musicians’ Advocate
• Pharoah Sanders—Saxophonist, Composer
• Archie Shepp—Saxophonist, Composer, Educator

This year, NEA will honor four individual artists, who continue to add harmony to the world of jazz. To get you acquainted with this year’s Jazz Masters, we’ve put together a music playlist of their work for you to tune in to. Below are a few songs to get you started in your listening. Check out the entire playlist here and enjoy! Be sure to also mark your calendars for NPR’s Listening Party with the 2016 Jazz Masters, which will take place on Sunday, April 3, 2016. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For more information, click here. An edited audio version of this event will be available at NPR.org/music on April 4, 2016 in case you miss it! At this time, all tickets for the Jazz Masters tribute concert have been reserved. However, there will likely be tickets available on the night of the concert. Tickets that have not been claimed by 7:45 p.m. on April 4, 2016 will be released and distributed to a stand-by line. Finally, be sure to join the conversation on Twitter using #NEAJazz16. *Wendy Oxenhorn is the recipient of the 2016 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, which is bestowed upon an individual who has contributed significantly to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the art form of jazz.