Big Honors for Local Artists

Published on: September 28th, 2016

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux at Jazz Fest 2016 [Photo by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee]

Three of New Orleans homegrown have received big national awards in the last few months. WWOZ would like to extend a hearty congratulations to Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, and Wynton Marsalis for their recent prestigious wins.

Wynton Marsalis was recently named a 2015 National Humanities Medalist by President Barack Obama. Marsalis was recognized in an awards ceremony on September 22, 2016 for his work as a Composer & Musician and for celebrating the traditions of jazz music from New Orleans to Lincoln Center and beyond. As a virtuoso trumpet player, composer, and educator, he has brought jazz to a wider audience and inspired music lovers to embrace America’s quintessential sound.

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux will be recognized on Wednesday, October 6 as a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow at an awards ceremony at the Library of Congress. Chairman Jane Chu and Members of Congress will present the awards to the recipients, who will give short remarks. Boudreaux’s musical career has spanned nearly a half-century and has seen him perform everywhere from the streets of New Orleans to the world’s finest concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Additionally, he has performed in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. Boudreaux has recorded several critically acclaimed albums and has appeared as a guest musician on numerous recordings. In 1982, he performed with rock legend Robbie Robertson on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. More recently, Boudreaux portrayed himself in several episodes of HBO’s original series Treme.

Though Boudreaux has traveled the world as an ambassador of the Mardi Gras Indian culture, he remains deeply rooted in the traditions of place and family. Today, he focuses his artistic energies on his children and grandchildren, who now form the members of the Golden Eagles. As Boudreaux completes his sixth decade of masking, he grows ever more dedicated to maintaining, and indeed perpetuating, the foundations of this vibrant American vernacular culture.

Related video: Big Chief Monk Boudreaux performing in Chicago, July 2015.

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews was recently named a Heinz Award winner for Arts and Humanities. Heinz Awards were created in the name of former U.S. Senator John Heinz to recognize those who have made significant contributions in five distinct areas of great importance. Andrews is being recognized for his achievements “as a musician and for his community work to protect and pass on to younger generations the rich musical heritage of New Orleans.” The Heinz Award comes with a $250,000 prize. Related video [above]: students from the Trombone Shorty Academy performing on WWOZ's Cuttin' Class, November 2015.

"I was the last of the generation brought up by the great New Orleans musicians: Jam sessions every Tuesday with free barbecue for the neighborhood, hearing jazz funerals on my way to elementary school, people playing at someone's birthday party," Andrews says. "Those musicians saw something in me and took me under their wing, out of love." In recent years, Andrews has done much to find and nurture that spark in a new generation through the Trombone Shorty Foundation.

Dr. John will recieve the Jazz Foundation of America's Hank Jones Award at "A Great Night in Harlem" on October 27.

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Awards