JazzWeek Presents Industry Awards

KCSM, WEMU, Verve Sweep Their Categories

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 7, 2003 — Jazz radio stations and programmers, jazz record labels, and jazz radio promoters were honored recently by their peers at the first JazzWeek Awards Luncheon, part of the JazzWeek Summit, a jazz radio and industry conference.

Two radio stations received awards in two categories: KCSM (San Mateo, Calif.), was named Station of the Year, Major Markets (radio markets 1-25), and its music director, Chuy Varela, was voted Programmer of the Year, Major Markets. Linda Yohn, music director at WEMU (Ypsilanti, Mich.), was chosen as Programmer of the Year, Smaller Markets (radio markets 101 and smaller), and her station was selected as Station of the Year, Smaller Markets.

In categories for medium markets (radio markets 26-100), KSJS (San Jose, Calif.) was awarded Station of the Year, and Tony Gasparre, music director at WGMC (Rochester, N.Y.) was named Programmer of the Year.

Verve Music Group swept the two awards for major labels; it was chosen as Label of the Year, and Garrett Shelton, associate manager, national jazz promotion, was voted Label Promotion Representative of the Year.

In independent label categories, MAXJAZZ was honored as Independent Label of the Year, and Terry Coen, vice president of promotion at Palmetto Records, was named Label Promotion Representative of the Year.

Jane Dashow was voted Independent Promoter of the Year.

The Marsalis Family A Jazz Celebration (Marsalis Music) was Record of the Year, and saxophonist Eric Alexander received the award for Artist of the Year.

Jazz radio host Tom "the Jazzman" Mallison of Public Radio East in North Carolina received the ceremony's Duke DuBois Humanitarian Award for his contributions to jazz radio and jazz education. The award is named for the late drummer turned record promoter, who, in his five decades in jazz, mentored many people in the industry, and whose devotion to the music, to artists, to education, and to his many friends, continues to inspire those in jazz radio and promotion. Mallison has been a driving force behind the establishment of the Duke DuBois Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will award scholarships to deserving jazz students.

Nominees and winners were voted upon by radio stations, program syndicators, and satellite and cable broadcasters who supply airplay data to JazzWeek, and by record labels and promoters who subscribe to JazzWeek's data services.