On Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater in Washington, D.C., will host the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert. This annual event, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in collaboration with the Kennedy Center, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to jazz. The 2025 honorees are saxophonist Marshall Allen, pianist Marilyn Crispell, pianist and composer Chucho Valdés, and jazz critic Gary Giddins. The concert will be hosted by Jason Moran, the Kennedy Center's Artistic Director for Jazz.

Established in 1982, the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship is the highest honor the United States bestows upon jazz musicians and advocates. Each year, the program recognizes individuals for their exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz, awarding each honoree a fellowship of $25,000. Since its inception, the program has honored 177 individuals, including luminaries such as Dave Brubeck, Quincy Jones, and Sonny Rollins.

2025 NEA Jazz Masters Honorees:

• Marshall Allen: An inventive and distinctive saxophonist, Allen has been a major force in jazz for nearly a century. He is best known for his work with Sun Ra, recording and performing with him from the 1950s until Sun Ra’s passing in 1993. Allen has led the Sun Ra Arkestra for the past 30 years.

• Marilyn Crispell: Emerging on the scene in the late 1970s, Crispell has become one of the most original and sought-after avant-garde jazz pianists and composers. Her adventurous and distinctive style was influenced by John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor but has evolved into a unique voice in jazz.

• Chucho Valdés: Originally from Cuba, Valdés is a pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger who has been a significant figure in Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz for over 60 years. He has fused elements of Afro-Cuban music, jazz, classical music, and rock into his distinctive style.

• Gary Giddins: Recipient of the 2025 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, Giddins has been a leading jazz critic for more than 50 years. He has written acclaimed books and essays for publications such as the New York Times, New Yorker, and Village Voice. As a teacher, he has inspired new generations of jazz fans at several universities.

Event Details:

• Date and Time: Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

• Location: Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC.

• Host: Jason Moran, Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz.

• Performances:

• Marshall Allen will lead the Sun Ra Arkestra.
• Marilyn Crispell will perform with bassist Reggie Workman.
• Chucho Valdés will perform with his ensemble, Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet, including Horacio Hernandez, José A. Gola, and Roberto Jr. Vizcaino Torre.
• In honor of Gary Giddins, David Murray will perform alongside Russell Carter, Emma Dayhuff, and Marta Sánchez.

Tickets and Accessibility:

Free tickets are required and can be reserved starting Friday, March 7, 2025, at 10 a.m. ET. Up to two tickets per person may be reserved in person at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at kennedy-center.org, or by calling 202-467-4600 or 800-444-1324. Reservation confirmations should be printed at home and will be valid until 7:45 p.m. on the night of the concert. At 7:45 p.m., all unclaimed seats will be released and distributed through a ticket giveaway line based on availability.

The concert will also be available to watch live via arts.gov and kennedy-center.org. An archive of the webcast will be available following the event at arts.gov. Additionally, the concert will be broadcast on various radio stations, including SiriusXM’s Real Jazz channel (67), KBEM 88.5 (Minneapolis, MN), KFSR 90.7 (Fresno, CA), WBGO 88.3 FM (Newark, NJ), WGMC 90.1 FM (Rochester, NY), WPFW 89.3 FM (Washington, DC), and WZUM 88.1 FM (Pittsburgh, PA).

Additional Events:

• Masterclass with Chucho Valdés: On Thursday, April 24, 2025, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Chucho Valdés will lead a masterclass with Howard University music students at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. The public is invited to observe, and no registration is necessary.

• NPR Listening Party: On Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., NPR will host a listening party with the 2025 NEA Jazz Masters at their headquarters. Co-hosted by NPR Music’s Felix Contreras and DC Jazz Festival President & CEO Sunny Sumter, this event will include conversations with the honorees, featuring music from their careers to help tell the stories of their lives. This event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.

NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, emphasized the significance of the honorees, stating, "We are delighted to welcome these four luminaries to the ranks of NEA Jazz Masters—they have each in their own way played a crucial role in the nurturing and development of this art form and demonstrate the immense diversity and creativity found in jazz today."