Marshall Allen, Marilyn Crispell, Chucho Valdés, and Gary Giddins are set to receive the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. They will be honored on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at a free concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. in Washington, D.C.

Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) said in a statement: “We are delighted to welcome these four luminaries to the ranks of NEA Jazz Masters. They have each in their own way played a crucial role in the nurturing and development of this art form and demonstrate the immense diversity and creativity found in jazz today. We look forward to working together with the Kennedy Center on events next April that will celebrate their achievements and inspire new audiences and musicians to embrace jazz.”

“This class of NEA Jazz Masters represents the finest in free-thinking musicians,” said Jason Moran, Kennedy Center artistic director for jazz. “Each has been an active and integral part of communities that have pushed the music forward to new heights.”

Here are thumbnail sketches of the four honorees:

• Marshall Allen’s inventive and distinctive saxophone playing, as well as his band arrangements, have made him a major force in jazz going into his hundredth year. He is best-known for his work with Sun Ra, recording and performing with him from the 1950s until Sun Ra’s death in 1993, and taking over the leadership of the Sun Ra Arkestra for the past 30 years. He received a Grammy nomination two years ago for best large jazz ensemble album for Swirling.

• Since emerging on the scene in the late 1970s, Marilyn Crispell has become one of the most original and sought-after avant-garde jazz pianists and composers. Her adventurous and distinctive style was influenced by her first loves in jazz, John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor.

• Originally from Cuba, pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés is one of the most influential figures in the world of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Valdés has fused elements of the Afro-Cuban music tradition, jazz, classical music, rock, and more into his distinctive style. Valdés has won seven Grammys over a 42-year span (1980-2022).

• Gary Giddins has been one of the leading critics in the field of jazz for more than 50 years, having written books as well as essays for The New York Times, New Yorker, Esquire, and many other publications, and the “Weather Bird” column for The Village Voice. As a teacher, he has spurred new generations of jazz fans at several universities. Giddins won a Grammy for best album notes in 1987 for the Frank Sinatra collection, The Voice: The Columbia Years 1943-52. He was also nominated in that category for his notes for collections by Duke Ellington and Art Pepper.

Giddins is this year’s recipient of The A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy. The award is given to those who have made major contributions to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of this distinctively American art form.

Since 1982, the NEA has awarded 177 fellowships to great figures in jazz, including Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard, Carla Bley, Dave Brubeck, Terri Lyne Carrington, Betty Carter, Stanley Crouch, Roy Eldridge, Paquito D’Rivera, Quincy Jones, Sun Ra, Dianna Reeves, and Henry Threadgill.

The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships are awarded to living individuals on the basis of nominations from the public. NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships are $25,000 and can be received once in a lifetime. Visit the NEA’s website for detailed information and to submit nominations.

The deadline for nominations for the next class of honorees is Oct. 31, 2024.

Jack Black responded to the backlash spurred by an off-color joke by his longtime Tenacious D musical partner Kyle Gass on Tuesday morning (July 16) by apologizing and announcing an indefinite hold on all future creative plans for the comedic rock duo.

“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” Black wrote of the off-color joke Gass made during the duo’s show on Sunday at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Sydney, Australia. During the gig, Gass was presented with a birthday cake and said, “don’t miss Trump next time” when Black asked him to “make a wish.” The poor taste quip came less than 48 hours after a lone gunman nicked the former president’s ear in an assassination attempt that resulted in the death of an audience member at a rally in Butler, PA and serious injuries to two other attendees.

The immediate response from tour producer Frontier Touring was to postpone a planned Tuesday night (July 16) show at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in the wake of significant backlash from conservative politicians and talking heads, including an Australian senator demanding that the pair be deported immediately.

“I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black continued about the comment Gass said in a separate statement was improvised and inappropriate, noting that the incident has caused the Kung Fu Panda star to reconsider the group’s future endeavors. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”

In addition to tonight’s scotched show in Newcastle, Tenacious D’s sold out Spicy Meatball tour shows on July 18 (Brisbane), July 20 (Melbourne), July 22 (Adelaide), July 24 (Wellington) and July 26 (Auckland) have also been called off. In June, the duo announced five North American gigs booked for October in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania as part of what they were calling the Rock D Vote tour in advance of November’s presidential election; at press time it was not clear if those sold out dates have also been cancelled.

In a parallel statement, Gass also apologized for his off-color remark, writing, “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”

Trump appeared in Milwaukee for the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday night (July 15) with a white bandage on his right ear over the spot where the gunman’s bullet struck after announcing Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential pick in a bid to re-take the White House.

See Black and Gass’ statements below.

Back in January, Natalie Portman had a run-in with one of her biggest icons during Paris Fashion Week when she scored a meet-cute with Rihanna. On Monday night (July 15), the actress visited The Tonight Show to describe her first meeting with the music icon and make-up mogul, calling it “an amazing experience.”

Specifically, Portman said “I think every woman going through divorce should get to have Rihanna say to her that she’s a bad b–ch,” Portman explained of the moment caught on camera earlier this year after the two women sat front-row at the Dior Haute Couture show. “It was exactly what I needed,” said the actress, 43, who finalized her divorce from husband of 11 years Benjamin Millepied in February.

Fallon then rolled the clip or the two women meeting on the street outside the show, in which Rihanna envelops Portman in a huge hug while saying “I love you!” Rihanna then amped it up, telling Portman, “I am a f–king fan! You’re one of the hottest b–ches in Hollywood forever!” Portman could not believe her ears, responding, “Are you kidding me?… Excuse me, I’m gonna faint!”

Not only did Rihanna rain praise down on Portman, she also noted, “Yo, I don’t get excited about anybody, but I f–king love you.” Portman appeared to get a bit choked up watching the clip again, telling Fallon, “it was a formative moment in my life.”

Portman, who lives in Paris, also gave Fallon some crucial advice for how to not look like a tourist in France for when he travels there on August 11 to co-host the closing ceremonies at this summer’s Olympic games. According to the Lady in the Lake star the following items are forbidden: no shorts, no flip-flops, no red berets.

Watch Portman talk Rihanna meeting below.

Gretta Ray, the award-winning indie-pop singer and songwriter, is recovering from a serious health complaint which required a visit to the ER and a lengthy stay in hospital.

The Australian artist touched down in London earlier in the summer, a rite of passage for so many of her compatriots and a personal mission for Ray to further her career.

After going quiet on social media, Ray reached out to alert her followers on recent events. “Hi darlings,” she writes, “I wanted to share with you that shortly after moving overseas to London last month, I was admitted to the ER and have remained in hospital for 5 weeks now.”

She continues, “it’s been a scary time, but after a lot of uncertainty, I have a plan moving forward and will soon be on the other side of all of this.” The post is accompanied with a picture taken from her hospital bed, an intravenous drip looming above.

The road ahead is a long one. “I have a long recovery period ahead of me and for now I’m going to keep the details of my illness private,” Ray adds, “but I felt compelled to make this post to remind all of you that if you are ever feeling unsettlingly sick, in unexpected sudden pain, or you just know that something is wrong, make sure you listen to that gut feeling and get seen to as soon as you can.”

Ray’s family are now in London “taking care of me,” she writes in a followup post. “I am in good hands here in a really good hospital.”

Hailing from Melbourne, Ray’s career blossomed while she was still at school. In 2016, a teenage Ray won Triple J Unearthed and she scooped the 2016 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, which came with a A$50,000 winner’s check.

Her debut album, Begin to Look Around, dropped in 2021 and was nominated an ARIA Music Award (breakthrough artist release) and a J Award, for Australian album of the year.

In 2023, the sophomore album Positive Spin, which was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize, the J Award and her single “Heartbreak Baby” was nomination for song of the year at the 2024 APRA Music Awards.

In a stellar moment for music and space exploration, NASA has transmitted Missy Elliott’s iconic 1997 hit “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus, marking the first time a hip-hop song has been beamed into deep space.

The historic transmission took place on Friday, July 12, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Using the agency’s Deep Space Network, the song traveled an astronomical 158 million miles from Earth to Venus at the speed of light, taking approximately 14 minutes to reach its destination.

Elliott, clearly over the moon with this otherworldly honor, shared her excitement on social media: “YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network. My song ‘The Rain’ has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment. The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning 👽👽”

This cosmic milestone follows the Beatles’ “Across the Universe,” which became the first song NASA beamed into deep space in 2008.

Brittany Brown, Digital and Technology Division Director at NASA’s Office of Communications, who pitched the idea to Elliott’s team, noted the synergy between space exploration and the artist’s work: “Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries. Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting.”

Produced by Timbaland, Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” from her debut album Supa Dupa Fly marked her emergence as a major player in hip-hop and R&B.

It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 129,000 copies sold in the first week released, becoming the highest debut for a female rapper at the time, and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The track’s innovative production by Timbaland and its unique music video directed by Hype Williams left a lasting impact on the music industry, establishing Elliott as a creative force and setting the stage for her successful career.