Juno Awards; Norah Jones to be honored with the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award; Jazz is Dead celebrates 25 years
This is Jazz News, a look at what’s news in jazz, music, and the arts.
2026 Juno Awards on March 29
The 55th Annual JUNO Awards takes place this weekend as artists gather from all over the globe to celebrate this year's releases. Some categories in the KUVO universe to be honored at Canada's biggest night in music include Jazz Album of the Year: Group, Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, and Blues Album of the Year among many others. One album you may have heard on KUVO, Canadian jazz pianist and composer Renee Rosnes' Crossing Paths, is among the 5 nominees for Album of the Year: Solo. Another nominee heard on Abi's Picks and The Jazz Odyssey is Thai-born, Montreal-based drummer Salin and her debut Rammana which is up for Global Music Album of the Year. The 2026 Juno Awards are airing live on CBC Sunday, March 29, at 6 p.m. MT.
SOURCE: JUNO Awards
Norah Jones to be honored with the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award
Norah Jones is set to receive the Ray Charles Architect of Sound award at this year's Grammy Hall of Fame Gala on May 8. The award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist Norah Jones' musicianship, songwriting, and iconic voice have helped shape modern music, touching upon jazz, pop, soul, and country in a lasting way. This honor recognizes an artist whose influence echoes across generations. Jones told The Recording Academy, "Ray Charles was my musical hero, and he changed the way so many of us hear and feel music. To be recognized in connection with his legacy, and as part of a night that also celebrates such important recorded works, is special for me." 14 titles that span nearly a century of recorded music are also going to be inducted into the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame, which includes Alice Coltrane's Journey in Satchidananda & Funkadelic's Maggot Brain.
SOURCE: Recording Academy /Grammy Hall of Fame Gala 2026 Architect Sound Award
Jazz is Dead celebrates 25 years
The musical movement we know as Jazz Is Dead looks back at 25 years this year. In 2017, bold street posters simply stating "Jazz is Dead" pasted on the buildings of LA and sparked conversation and jazz-fueled outrage. This led to a lively concert series booked by Art Don't Sleep promoter Andrew "Dru" Lojero with the musical direction of visionaries Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Jazz is Dead then transformed in 2018 from collaborating with legends on the stage to building bridges between those who paved the way and the future of jazz in the studio. The result is 25 records (JID001 to JID025) with luminaries like Gary Bartz, Roy Ayers, Carlos Dafé, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Ebo Taylor, just to name a few. The next album in the series features Antônio Carlos & Jocáfi and is set to release April 3, 2026, continuing the legacy of the evolution of jazz for the next generation.
SOURCE: Jazz Is Dead /25 Albums Deep
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