The National Endowment for the Arts has announced that The Jazz Bakery will receive its second NEA Art Works Grant of 2015, recognizing our outstanding programming, and highlighting a remarkable year of growth. This new award of $25,000 will support performances and youth outreach events by three NEA Jazz Masters during 2016: composer/arranger Bill Holman, and Cuban clarinetist/saxophonist Paquito d'Rivera. Mr. d'Rivera will also anchor a symposium entitled "Improved US/Cuban Relations and Impacts on Jazz."
“It's an honor to present such deserving and influential artists as Bill and Paquito.” said Jazz Bakery President and Artistic Director Ruth Price. "We are even more excited about what's possible when we move into our permanent new home.”
This is an unprecedented second grant awarded to The Jazz Bakery in one year. In May 2015, The Jazz Bakery received a $30,000 NEA Art Works award to support a program entitled "Concerts and Conversations with Southern California Jazz Legends," with youth outreach to underserved communities. The first concert of this series took place November 28th, 2015 with vocalist Dwight Trible. Subsequent events in 2016 will feature local legends Hubert Laws, Poncho Sanchez, The Clayton Brothers with Ernie Andrews, and pianist Alan Pasqua's trio. In 2013/2014 The Jazz Bakery received an NEA Art Works grant to support NEA Jazz Masters Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and Toshiko Akiyoshi.