Winners of the 2017 JazzWeek Awards were announced at a reception on August 10 at Olla Cocina in San Jose, California, as part of the JazzWeek Summit. In addition to awards selected by voters, the Duke Dubois Humanitarian Award, the Scott Willis Jazz Impact Award, and the Tom The Jazzman Mallison Lifetime Achievement Award were presented.
The following are the winners for 2017:
Station of the Year
Outstanding presentation, community service and involvement, professionalism, participation in the JazzWeek community.
Station of the Year — More than 40 hours per week of jazz: WBGO, Newark
Station of the Year — Fewer than 40 hours per week of jazz: WGBH, Boston
Internet, Non-Terrestrial, or Syndicator of the Year: Jazz 24/7 from WGBH
Presenter of the Year
This category is for a jazz broadcaster with exceptional presentation and communications skills for an outstanding individual who hosts or produces a jazz program. Linda Yohn, WEMU is the 2017 recipient.
Record Label of the Year
This category recognizes the overall quality of releases, production values, and artist support for the year’s outstanding record label. Mack Avenue Records is the 2017 recipient.
Programmer of the Year, Bobby Jackson Award
The recipient of the award should demonstrate exceptional programming ability, professionalism, and active participation in the JazzWeek community.
Programmer of the Year — Terrestrial: Jesse “Chuy” Varela, KCSM
Programmer of the Year — Internet and Non-Terrestrial: Brad Stone, The Creative Source on SoulandJazz.com
Promoter or Promotion Company of the Year, Dick LaPalm Award — Voted on by JazzWeek reporting stations
The promoter/company should demonstrate outstanding communication, consistent quality of releases, and strong artist support, as well as active participation in the JazzWeek community. This year’s recipient is Groov Marketing and Consulting.
The Scott Willis Jazz Impact Award was given posthumously to Scott Willis, longtime KLON and JazzRadio.com music director, who succumbed to cancer earlier this year.
Linda Yohn, who retires from WEMU later this year, is the recipient of the Tom “The Jazzman” Mallison Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Duke Dubois Humanitarian Award recipient for 2017 is SiriusXM Real Jazz program director Mark Ruffin.