Nate Chinen for NPR – Two eminent avant-garde elders, a chameleonic vocal improviser, and a pioneering community organizer and presenter will make up the 2020 class of NEA Jazz Masters, according to an announcement this morning by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The four incoming inductees — saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, bassist Reggie Workman, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, and jazz advocate Dorthaan Kirk — will officially be recognized next April 2, during a tribute concert and ceremony at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco.
The youngest, and most famous, member of the incoming class is McFerrin, 69, a 10-time Grammy winning singer. He is the rare NEA Jazz Master to have had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, with the reggae-inflected a cappella tune “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” in 1988. But McFerrin’s career has defied categorization, encompassing improvised duets with pianist Chick Corea; reimagined spirituals with spirityouall; and conducting the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.