2026 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Celebrates Four American Jazz Voices In Los Angeles

On the evening of September 15, some of the most enduring voices in American jazz took center stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The 2026 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert brought musicians, listeners, and members of the jazz community together to recognize four figures whose careers illustrate the remarkable range of the art form. Vocalist and composer Carmen Lundy, percussionist Airto Moreira, pianist and composer Patrice Rushen, and broadcaster Rhonda Hamilton were named the 2026 NEA Jazz Masters. For an American music tradition built on improvisation, collaboration, and constant reinvention, the celebration offered a moment to honor the past while keeping attention firmly on the future.

The 2026 NEA Jazz Masters Take The Spotlight

Presented by the National Endowment for the Arts, the free concert began at 8 p.m. Pacific Time at The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program was also made available through a live webcast and radio broadcasts, allowing audiences beyond Los Angeles to experience the celebration.

The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship is the nation's highest honor in jazz. Since the program began in 1982, its recipients have included Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Dave Brubeck, Wayne Shorter, and other influential figures whose work helped define generations of American music.

The four members of the 2026 class represent different parts of the jazz world. Lundy has spent more than five decades developing a career as a vocalist, composer, arranger, educator, and visual artist. Her extensive catalog reflects a commitment to songwriting as well as performance.

Moreira, a drummer, percussionist, composer, and educator, became known for an expansive approach to percussion and for work that helped connect jazz with Brazilian musical traditions. His career demonstrates how jazz has continually developed through exchanges between cultures, rhythms, and musical ideas.

Rushen built a career that crosses jazz, R&B, classical music, and pop. Her work demonstrates how musicianship can move naturally between genres while maintaining a distinct creative identity. Her contributions as a pianist, composer, arranger, and musical director have also extended her influence beyond her own recordings.

Hamilton represents another essential part of the jazz story: the people who help audiences discover the music. She received the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy. A longtime broadcaster, Hamilton played an important role during the early years of jazz radio station WBGO and later became a familiar voice to Los Angeles listeners through KKJZ.

Her recognition underscores an important point about musical culture. Preserving jazz requires more than performances and recordings. Broadcasters, historians, educators, and advocates also help introduce artists to listeners and keep important music accessible to new generations.

A Concert Built Around Collaboration

Lundy and Hamilton participated in the Los Angeles event, while Moreira and Rushen were unable to attend. Their contributions remained central to the program, with musicians gathering to perform in their honor. The lineup reflected the collaborative spirit that has long been one of jazz's defining characteristics.

Lundy performed with Terreon Gully, Andrew Renfroe, Julius Rodriguez, and Ben Williams. Michael Carvin, Dezron Douglas, and Yayoi Ikawa were part of the tribute honoring Hamilton.

The tribute to Moreira brought together Diana Purim, Krishna Booker, Justo Almario, Lila Booker, Grecco Buratto, Leo Costa, Andre de Santanna, Gibi Dos Santos, Randal Fisher, and Bryan Velasco.

Rushen's tribute included fellow NEA Jazz Masters Terri Lyne Carrington and Hubert Laws, alongside Paul Jackson, Ian Michael, Brandon Rose, and Redwood. Bringing established artists together with other accomplished performers gave the evening a multigenerational character.

The program also featured short videos exploring the honorees' lives and careers. Those segments gave audiences context about the people behind the music and helped transform the evening from a collection of performances into a broader reflection on jazz history.

Why The 2026 Jazz Celebration Matters

The significance of the 2026 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert lies partly in its ability to document musical history while the artists and advocates who shaped that history can participate in the conversation. The fellowships recognize living individuals, with nominations open to members of the public and jazz community. Each fellowship carries a $25,000 award and can be received only once.

By the announcement of the 2026 class, the program had awarded 181 fellowships since its creation in 1982. That history has turned the NEA Jazz Masters program into a continuing record of artists and advocates who have contributed to the development of jazz in the United States.

For music fans, the September 15 event also offered a reminder that jazz cannot be defined by one sound, profession, or generation. The careers of Lundy, Moreira, Rushen, and Hamilton encompass performance, composition, broadcasting, education, advocacy, and multiple musical traditions.

Together, their stories demonstrate how jazz survives through both artistic experimentation and cultural stewardship. Musicians create and reinterpret the sound, while educators, broadcasters, advocates, and audiences ensure that the work continues to reach people.

The 2026 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert ultimately served as more than an awards ceremony. It became a celebration of four careers that helped carry jazz forward, while introducing audiences to the people, collaborations, and musical traditions behind those achievements. For listeners interested in understanding where American jazz has been and where it may travel next, the evening offered a meaningful place to begin.