Chairman Carter at the 2026 Jazz Masters Awards Dinner with 2021 Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington, 2026 Jazz Masters Carmen Lundy and Rhonda Hamilton, and 2011 Jazz Master Hubert Laws. Photo by Mike Baker
This September, Chairman Carter traveled to Los Angeles, California, for the celebration of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 2026 Jazz Masters: jazz broadcaster Rhonda Hamilton, and jazz musicians Carmen Lundy, Airto Moreira, and Patrice Rushen.
Chairman Carter at the Los Angeles Grant Workshop at Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center.
Chairman Carter also met with the local arts community at a grants workshop at the recently renovated Vision Theatre Performing Arts Center. This event brought together representatives from the Arts Endowment alongside California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs to share information on each agencies’ grant opportunities.
Her visit was capped off with stops at several prominent cultural institutions, including the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Below are more highlights from her trip.
Celebrating the 2026 Jazz Masters
Since 1982, the Arts Endowment has annually awarded the Jazz Masters Fellowship to individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of jazz. Chairman Carter kicked off this year’s celebration with an awards dinner, where in the company of family and friends each honoree was recognized and presented with a commemorative trophy. Honoree Airto Moreira wasn’t able to attend in person so his daughter, Diana Purim, accepted the honor on his behalf. Patrice Rushen was also unable to attend, but her close friend, collaborator, and 2011 NEA Jazz Master Hubert Laws offered remarks on her behalf. The Arts Endowment was able to present her award this past summer following her performance at the Montclair Jazz Festival.
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Mary Anne Carter hosted the 2026 Jazz Masters Tribute Concert. Photo by John McCoy
The next evening, Chairman Carter hosted a star-studded concert in honor of the 2026 Jazz Masters at the Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. Los Angeles was a fitting location for this event, not only because it is a city with a rich and influential jazz legacy, but it is also the home for Patrice Rushen, Carmen Lundy, and Rhonda Hamilton; and Airto Moreira lived for decades in southern California. In addition to premiering short video features on their lives and careers, the concert featured special performances in their honor.
The full concert is available to watch on demand at arts.gov/Jazz.
