The National Endowment for the Arts has named multi-instrumentalist, pianist and R&B singer Patrice Rushen, vocalist Carmen Lundy, and drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira to the 2026 class of NEA Jazz Masters.
Jazz broadcaster Rhonda Hamilton, early founder of Newark’s WBGO-FM, was also awarded the 2026 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy.
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the NEA is proud to also honor these individuals who have played a significant role in jazz, considered one of our country’s greatest cultural gifts to the world,” says NEA Senior Advisor Mary Anne Carter in a statement. “As with our nation, jazz is an art form with a rich heritage that continues to evolve, thanks to those who have dedicated their lives and creativity to this music over generations.”
Since 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded 181 fellowships to legendary musicians in jazz, from Dee Dee Bridgewater to Keith Jarrett to Jack DeJohnette. The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship is the United States’ highest honour in jazz.
The 2025 NEA Masters were saxophonist and Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader Marshall Allen, avant-garde pianist Marilyn Crispell, and Afro-Cuban pianist-composer-bandleader Chucho Valdes. As part of the fellowship, the recipients will each receive $25,000 and will be honoured on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at a free concert in Washington, DC, held in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.