Beacons in Jazz Awards Announced

New School University Jazz & Contemporary Music Program in New York announced its 2005 honorees for the Beacons in Jazz awards: Arthur Barnes, Ruth Brown, Jimmy Heath, Hank Jones and Dr. Billy Taylor. The group will be honored at a benefit Feb. 22, which will raise scholarship money for talented students earning their bachelor’s degrees from the Jazz & Contemporary Music Program.

Arthur Barnes is a jazz benefactor and senior vice president for external affairs and corporate contributions for the HIP Health Plan. Grammy award winner Ruth Brown has a successful recording career, as well as a Tony award-winning career on Broadway. Jimmy Heath is an acclaimed saxophonist who has written over 125 compositions and has worked with countless jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis and John Coltrane. Pianist Hank Jones’ varied career included spots playing with legends from Charlie Parker to Ella Fitzgerald, working at CBS as a staff pianist and acting as the conductor and pianist for the Broadway show Ain’t Misbehavin’. As a jazz pianist and educator, Dr Billy Taylor’s career has spanned nearly six decades. He has composed hundreds of songs and performed with artists including Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

The Beacons in Jazz Award was created in 1996 to honor living jazz musicians and contributors; past recipients include Aretha Franklin, Percy Heath, Phil Woods, Cab Calloway, Milt Hinton and Dizzy Gillespie.

Tables start at $5,000, and single tickets start at $500. For more information, contact the Office of Special Events at New School University at (212) 229-5662, ext. 3568, e-mail [email protected] or visit the web site at www.newschool.edu/jazz/events/beacons.html.

Originally Published January 29, 2005