Stateside sounds

JJA Jazz Awards

John Watson of jazzcamera.co.uk was one of five finalists in the photography section of the 2010 JJA Jazz Awards in New York. The awards ceremony was held at the City Winery, and attended by celebrated musicians, media people and leading lights in the music business.

John's photograph of Sonny Rollins was chosen for the final selection in the Photo Of The Year category from 30 images submitted by invited photographers worldwide. It is the second year in a row that John has been in line for a photography award in the United States. Last year one of his photographs of saxophonist Carol Sudhalter was nominated for the JJA Jazz Awards by leading American author W.Royal Stokes.

The other finalists in the 2010 JJA Jazz Awards photography section were John Abbott (a portrait of Hank Jones), Gulnara Kharmatova (Eddie Henderson), Lena Adasheva (Tom Harrell, winner), and Dragan Tasic (Kim Ngqawna). Veteran saxophonist and flautist James Moody was presented with the Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Award, and Joe Lovano scooped three awards: Record of the Year for the album Folk Art, Tenor Saxophonist of the Year, and Small Ensemble of the Year.

Salute to Frank Wess

The great saxophonist and flute master Frank Wess will be honoured at a Saint Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, New York, on Sunday October 10. Wess, who was born in 1922 and played with a host of giants including Count Basie, is one of the greatest of all swing players. There will be an exhibition celebrating his life and a performance featuring over 80 musicians. For details visit www.saintpeters.org

Haynes and Yellowjackets in San Francisco line-up

Legends including Roy Haynes, Manhattan Transfer, Henry Threadgill and Yusef Lateef are among the stars of the 28th San Francisco Jazz Festival. The festival also offers a host of contemporary stars, including Chris Potter, the Yellowjackets, Vijay Iyer, James Carter and John Medeski.

The event, promoted by SFJAZZ, begins on September 14 and concerts run through to November 20.

Sanborn and co. for Newport Beach

David Sanborn, the Rippingtons, Fourplay and Marc Antoine are among the stars in the Summer Jazz Series at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Newport Beach. The series runs until October 1, and full details are available by visiting www.summerjazzseries.com

Stars head for Vail

The Vail Jazz Festival in Colorado features a programme including the Clayton Brothers Quintet, Bill Cunliffe's Multi Media Tribute to Oscar Peterson, the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Vail Jazz Workshop All Stars. The Vail Marriott Resort Hotel is offering three nights for the price of one for festival fans between September 2nd and 6th. Visit www.vailjazz.org for all the details.

Festivals revival in New York and Newport

The New York Jazz Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival are being revived this summer. Both are produced by the legendary George Wein.

The Big Apple event ran from June 17-26 at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Central Park Summerstage and Crotona Park in The Bronx.

The CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival, at Rhode Island, will run from August 6-8. It drew a 13,000 strrong crowd last year. The festival was founded by 84-year-old Wein in 1954, and has been the location for countless great live recordings. Details of featured performers will be announced later.

Swinging In New Jersey

The New Jersey Jazz Festival was staged at Drew University Madison from June 4-5. Among the stars were guitar masters Bucky and John Pizzarelli with the Statesmen Of Jazz, Harry Allen's Four Others, Frank Vignola's Hot Club, the Geoge Gee Swing Orchestra and former Louis Armstrong pianist Marty Napoleon. For more information visit www.njjs.org, the website of the New Jersey Jazz Society.

Welcome to Harlem

The Jazz Museum in Harlem has a new Visitors Centre, at 104 East 126th Street, New York City. The centre, open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, has a host of books, CDs and DVDs for visitors to enjoy, plus an exhibition of historic photos.

For details, visit www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org