Jazz Giants

Improvisational.
Consequential.
Intergenerational.
Sometimes fierce.
And sometimes delicate.
Often unforgettable.
And always free. 

Since its emergence over a hundred years ago, jazz has meant many different things to many different people, but its importance as the first truly American artform is undeniable.  

Today, the artform is reaching an inflection point—when many musicians whose lineages can be connected to jazz’s origins are nearing the end of their careers. Their stories? They should be preserved and shared. And the living luminaries, themselves? They should be honored and cared for. 

In 2025, Mellon launched a $35 million initiative aimed at supporting the cultural preservation of jazz, championing the legacies of the artists who have played a pivotal role in its formation, and strengthening the broader jazz ecosystem through grants to organizations that are critical to the artform.  

Musicians are at the center of this work, including the Jazz Legacies Fellowship that—through a lifetime achievement award, along with tailored professional and personal support—recognizes the pinnacle of creative achievement, technical mastery, and boundary-pushing expression.  

As their stories are shared and their legacies supported, meet and celebrate fellows from past cohorts. 

The 2026 cohort includes: Dee Alexander, Kenny Barron, Gary Bartz, William Cepeda, Marilyn Crispell, Donald Harrison, Oliver Lake, Bennie Maupin, Charles McPherson, Archie Shepp, Mary Stallings, and Buster Williams. 

The 2025 cohort includes: George Cables, Valerie Capers, George Coleman, Akua Dixon, Manty Ellis, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Bertha Hope, Roger Humphries, Carmen Lundy, Amina Claudine Myers, Roscoe Mitchell, Johnny O’Neal, Shannon Powell, Julian Priester, Dizzy Reece, Herlin Riley, Michele Rosewoman, Dom Salvador, and Reggie Workman.

In partnership with Mellon, and designed in close collaboration with a host of celebrated musician advisors, the Jazz Legacies Fellowship is led by the Jazz Foundation of America. 50 artists will be named fellows across four years. 

Learn more about the Jazz Legacies Fellows.