Mellon Foundation Awards $1.25m To New Music USA's Next Jazz Legacy

New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice have announced the continuation of Next Jazz Legacy, a groundbreaking initiative designed by NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington, and New Music USA, to expand opportunities for women and non-binary artists who have been historically underrepresented in jazz. The program invests in awardees through personalized, intergenerational apprenticeships, financial support, and a mission to inspire waves of lasting change. Next Jazz Legacy was launched in 2021 with major funding from the Mellon Foundation which has now confirmed support for another three-year cycle.

Applications for the fourth cohort open October 22, and will be accepted through November 12. For more details and to apply, please click here.

Next Jazz Legacy (NJL) is led by Artistic Director Terri Lyne Carrington, whose experience underpins the NJL program model, in collaboration with New Music USA President & CEO Vanessa Reed, who has spearheaded international gender equity programs in the UK and the US. This pioneering program centers customized apprenticeships that empower emerging artists to collaborate with seasoned artists and jazz elders who participate as band leaders, panelists and mentors. NJL's vast network of mentors includes Patrice Rushen, Bobby McFerrin, Nicole Mitchell, Esperanza Spalding, Brandee Younger, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Sheila E and countless others, including the late Wayne Shorter.

Through one-on-one mentorship sessions, in-person networking opportunities at Next Jazz Legacy showcases and panel discussions, and partnerships with top cultural institutions and events, such as New York's Winter Jazzfest and the Kennedy Center, NJL awardees benefit from a comprehensive support package that provides deep and lasting career impact. Each receives a $10,000 unrestricted grant, a one-year performance apprenticeship, a two-track mutual mentorship program pairing them with artistic and business professionals, peer-learning cohorts led by Carrington and other distinguished experts from the jazz industry, a 12-week instructor-led online course from Berklee Online, the premier institution for online music education for 21 years, and a variety of promotional opportunities, including personalized artist profile films, showcase performances, networking opportunities, and more.

Origins and Impact

Next Jazz Legacy emerged from a shared desire to confront deep gender disparities in jazz. In 2019, Reed approached Carrington, who had recently founded the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice at Berklee College of Music, with the idea of piloting a joint program that would contribute to a more inclusive jazz future and provide new opportunities for people who have been previously marginalized. The program would include mentorship for women and gender-expansive artists at an early stage in their careers, and raise awareness of the gender gap spotlighted in "Equal at Last? Women in Jazz, By the Numbers," a 2021 study of the NPR Jazz Critics Poll led by Lara Pellegrinelli. Women were approximately 15% of album personnel, and up to 67% of jazz recordings included no core women musicians at all. The program design coalesced over the course of 18 months, and with the generous support of the Mellon Foundation, launched in 2021 and debuted its first cohort in 2022.

Since launching, Next Jazz Legacy has impacted the careers of over 20 artists, engaged over 60 bandleaders and mentors, and continues to grow its footprint in the jazz community. From 2021-2024, the program has allocated $728,000 directly to artists, convened 252 creative and business mentorship sessions, facilitated 126 apprenticeship sessions, and organized 20 cohort learning sessions. The program also provides additional visibility through NJL Artist Profile Films, panel discussions at Jazz Congress and BRIC Festival, and showcase performances at renowned festivals such as the Winter Jazzfest (NYC), the Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center (DC), the Angel City Jazz Festival (LA) and the DC Jazz Festival.

Next Jazz Legacy continues to evolve as a model of thought leadership in the jazz community, with Terri Lyne Carrington, the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and New Music USA leading important conversations about the ongoing inequities in jazz.

Terri Lyne Carrington says, "I'm seeing big strides at this stage in the journey of gender justice in jazz. People across the gender spectrum are making their own inquiries as to why this issue has been the way it's been for so long and why it needs to change. I often say, 'This isn't men's music!' And just like the struggle for racial justice, the work to achieve gender justice should not be reserved for the people most affected by it because all of society will benefit from the continued expansion of gender in all roles that have been male-dominated, including jazz."

Vanessa Reed says, "Thanks to the Mellon Foundation and Terri Lyne Carrington's visionary leadership this program is more than a stepping stone for emerging artists. It's a community-wide platform that demonstrates how collaborative mentorship and support across generations can drive the entire field toward a more inclusive and resilient jazz future. I can't wait to see which talented artists put themselves forward for the upcoming deadline on November 12th"

2024 Awardee Eliza Salem highlights the transformative potential of programs like Next Jazz Legacy, adding, "Most underrepresented people within the music community have found themselves in situations where their voice is silenced, where they are singled out, where they are left to fight for themselves, and where they suffer in silence as an act of self-preservation. By helping artists such as myself to develop our skills and confidence as musicians and to gain access to necessary opportunities, Next Jazz Legacy ensures a more equitable future for the community with an emphasis on advocacy, accountability, and leadership."

2022-2024 Cohorts

The previous NJL cohorts have included a wide range of emerging talent from across the jazz spectrum. The most recent group, the 2024 cohort, includes Amyra León (voice), Christie Dashiell (voice), Ciara Moser (bass), Eliza Salem (drums), Kanoa Mendenhall (bass), Nicole McCabe (saxophone) and Yvonne Rogers (piano).

The 2023 cohort consists of Camila Cortina Bello (piano), Milena Casado (trumpet/flugelhorn), Liany Mateo (bass), Anaïs Maviel (voice), Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield (voice), Neta Raanan (saxophone), and Anisha Rush (saxophone).

The 2022, inaugural cohort includes Anastassiya Petrova (piano/organ), Ivanna Cuesta (drums), Lexi Hamner (voice/trombone), Keyanna Hutchinson (guitar), Alexis Lombre (piano), Loke Risberg (guitar) and Kalia Vandever (trombone).

For more information, visit New Music USA at newmusicusa.org.

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