Veteran musicians honored at Academy event celebrating the legacy and future of jazz

GRAMMY.com
Josef Woodard

Jazz —both in spirit and in the flesh — descended on the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles on Tuesday night as the GRAMMY Salute To Jazz helped kick off a weeklong lead-up to the GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10.

In a real way, the event spanned generations: The main attraction was a tribute to veteran jazz greats McCoy Tyner and Sonny Rollins (the latter couldn't make the westward trip due to problems caused by a mild car accident), but the musical portion of the evening was provided mostly by the 2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles led by directors Justin DiCioccio and Ron McCurdy.

As Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow explained, acknowledging the GRAMMY Salute to Jazz anniversary, "Here we are five years later saluting jazz with great entertainment and great honorees — two icons of jazz. They're as active as ever but are historic figures who have had a huge influence on the music."

Portnow pointed out that jazz "is cerebral and, at the same, exciting. For musicians, it is some of the most difficult music to play. Of course, the whole idea of improvisation is unique and really blossoms in jazz."

Serving as the emcee, comic relief and spiritual guidance counselor, famed jazz fan Bill Cosby nearly stole the show with his impromptu anecdotes and ripe musical in-jokes.

Cosby noted the thickness of the vinyl on Blue Note albums. "If you stacked too many records, and had two Blue Notes on top of each other, 'Cherokee' became a ballad. It would sound like the man on the record was having a stroke." Suffice to say, the joke was aimed at this crowd for this night.

Prior to the event, Tyner spoke on the red carpet about adding another honor to his long list. "I'm humbled by these things, but it's nice to be appreciated for the number of years I've been working at the piano," he laughed. "I have nothing better to do."

Tyner joined the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble for a couple of tunes, including his original "Blues On The Corner," written about street life in his native Philadelphia. Tyner obviously enjoyed the young company he was keeping, commenting, "It's wonderful playing with these guys. It reminds me of when I was starting out."

Accepting the award for Rollins was trombonist Clifton Anderson, Rollins nephew and longtime band member. He has also played in Tyner's big band. Anderson commented, "For Sonny and McCoy, as many awards as they have, it's never enough. Their contribution is really undeniable."

Finally, Cosby launched into some riffing and passionate advocacy for jazz culture. "I want to thank all of you," he said. "I just want to tell you how happy I am to have come here tonight to celebrate what I call 'my music.' Let us never forget the debt that all of us owe to the recording industry, whether we're players or listeners."