New Music USA and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Announce 2025 Next Jazz Legacy Cohort The fourth year of the program, led by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, continues to advance jazz inclusivity.
By
Tori Donahue
March 25, 2025
The 2025 Next Jazz Legacy cohort
Next Jazz Legacy (NJL) is excited to announce the eight emerging improvisers in jazz that make up its 2025 cohort. The trailblazing program, created by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, aims to tackle gender and racial inequities by offering intergenerational apprenticeship, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to people who have been historically underrepresented in jazz. The program is funded by the Mellon Foundation.
The 2025 Next Jazz Legacy CohortAlexandra Ridout (she/her): Trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator
Bandleader: Melissa Aldana; Creative Mentor: Marquis Hill
April May Webb (she/her): Vocalist, composer, educator
Bandleader: Danilo P rez; Creative Mentor: Ledisi
Brenda Navarrete Guzman (she/her): Afro-Cuban percussionist, singer, composer
Bandleader: Kassa Overall; Creative Mentor: Terri Lyne Carrington
Carmen Quill (she/her): Upright bass, composer, songwriter
Bandleader: Billy Hart; Creative Mentor: Becca Stevens
Chanelle Ignant (she/her): Guitarist, educator, composer
Bandleader: Meshell Ndegeocello; Creative Mentor: Matthew Stevens
DoYeon Kim (she/her): Gayageum performer
Bandleader: Kris Davis; Creative Mentor: Mark Dresser
Melissa Almaguer (she/her): Tap dance/feet percussion, multidisciplinary artist, educator
Bandleader: David Virelles; Creative Mentor: Susie Ibarra
Nora Stanley (she/her): Saxophonist, composer
Bandleader: Tyshawn Sorey; Creative Mentor: Ellen Arkbro
For full bios on each cohort member, read New Music USAs announcement.
With gender and racial justice as guiding principles, this group of Next Jazz Legacy awardees was chosen through an open application call followed by a meticulous review process by a distinguished panel of jazz luminaries, chaired by Terri Lyne Carrington, NEA Jazz Master and Next Jazz Legacy's artistic director. Once the awardees were selected, Carrington and the Next Jazz Legacy team worked closely with each musician to pair them with a master bandleader for a yearlong performance apprenticeship and a creative mentor, both aligned with the artist's unique interests.
The selection committee for the 2025 Next Jazz Legacy cohort also included Aja Burrell Wood, Angelica Sanchez, Caroline Davis, Liberty Ellman, Matthew Stevens, and Neal Smith.
This new cohort of Next Jazz Legacy artists represents a dynamic fusion of backgrounds, talents, and perspectives, embodying a commitment to innovation and artistic excellence within the jazz community. As a genre that has long embraced cultural diversity and creative exploration, jazz continues to evolve through the voices of musicians from all traditions. This year's cohort highlights that evolution, featuring artists who push boundaries, from the use of unconventional instruments such as the traditional Korean gayageum to Afro-Cuban percussion influences to a multidisciplinary tap artist. Beyond their musical achievements, these artists have overcome challenges including sexism, socio-economic barriers, and limited access to opportunities, further reinforcing the program's mission to foster equity and inclusion in jazz.
Cofounded by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, Next Jazz Legacy (NJL) has made a remarkable impact by providing invaluable experiences to its two cohorts of awardees and aiding in their artistic development:
100 percent of the NJL awardees state they have grown as an artist both as a side-person and as a performer.
100 percent state they have achieved their goals and have increased confidence.
86 percent are continuing their relationship with their assigned bandleader beyond the NJL program.
71 percent will continue their relationship with their NJL mentor.
100 percent of NJL awardees feel more connected to and have a stronger sense of belonging in the jazz community after participating in the program.
Awardees have performed at some of the most prestigious jazz events across the country, including Winter Jazzfest (New York City), Mary Lou Williams Festival (Washington, DC) and DC Jazz Festival, and Angel City Jazz Festival (Los Angeles). Next Jazz Legacy awardees have also had the chance to work and perform with some of the most acclaimed names in jazz including Makaya McCraven, esperanza spalding BM '05, Tia Fuller, Nasheet Waits, Moor Mother, Brandee Younger, Patrice Rushen, Craig Taborn, Nicole Mitchell, Marcus Miller, Regina Carter, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Helen Sung, Bobby McFerrin, the late Wayne Shorter, and two recent Grammy winners, Meshell Ndegeocello and Miguel Zen n BM '98. Next Jazz Legacy has gained national recognition from top media outlets like the PBS NewsHour, Billboard, Grammy.com, AllArts, and more.
Building on this success, the 2025 Next Jazz Legacy cohort will take the stage for the first time together in NYC on Wednesday, May 14, at the Jazz Gallery, with sets at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
By the end of this fourth year of the program, Next Jazz Legacy's impact will have grown to encompass the direct support of 29 emerging artists; the engagement of 87 bandleaders and mentors; 348 creative and business mentorship sessions; 1,174 apprenticeship sessions; 24 cohort learning sessions; and 14 showcase performances.
I'm very excited about Next Jazz Legacy moving into its fourth year, said Carrington. We have been working with some amazingly diverse improvisers in jazz, as well as seasoned veterans, toward a more inclusive jazz future. I have always felt that onstage apprenticeship was
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
Witbe brings its AI-native testing and monitoring infrastructure to Amsterdam: demonstrations on real devices, a peer-reviewed technical paper in the conference...
23/07/2026
Quickplay, Caretta Research, Evergent, and Yospace have announced that the renowned IBC Pride Happy Hour will once again bring the vibe and fun back to IBC on F...
23/07/2026
At IBC2026, Interra Systems will present this year's focus: operational AI at scale for QC, monitoring, and captioning workflows. The industry has moved pas...
23/07/2026
Illusionfx is finally coming!
Alex Perea July 23, 2026
0 Comments
The new website is now live to mark the occasion.
Since the last update, feedback h...
23/07/2026
Evergent (5.A86) will showcase its Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform for streaming services, sports leagues, pay-TV operators at IBC2026 (RAI Amsterdam, 11...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/07/2026
David Dvir, 2D founder (left), Sundeep Reddy (center), and Jean-Marc Bouchut (right), both of Zeiss...
23/07/2026
Screen Australia announces new national documentary accelerator program 23 July 2026
Screen Australia has today announced the Above the Line Documentary Accel...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial has today announced Centra as the official food partner once again of The Traitors Ireland, coming to RT One and RT Player later this year.
Ce...
23/07/2026
RT Commercial today announced Honda as sponsor of Today with David McCullagh RT Radio 1, weekdays 9am 11am.
Broadcasting directly after Morning Ireland in ...
23/07/2026
RT News is pleased to announce Barry Gallagher has been assigned as the new journalist covering news from Cork, Kerry and the wider Southern region
Working al...
23/07/2026
Lock in and load up the cloud. GFN Thursday brings fresh updates and new adventu...
22/07/2026
Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...
22/07/2026
The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...
22/07/2026
From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...
22/07/2026
TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...
22/07/2026
Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...
22/07/2026
Harmonic has announced a $25,000 donation to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) fo...
22/07/2026
Telemundo has announced it has acquired from UC3 exclusive U.S. Spanish-language...
22/07/2026
The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, ...
22/07/2026
Sports Studio has announced a partnership with TheSoul Group to distribute Free ...
22/07/2026
Daktronics has concluded its 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day hybrid event combining virtual sessions with hands-on host school visits across the countr...
22/07/2026
FOR-A America will exhibit at the MMCA Show in Pensacola, Florida (July 21-24), marking the company's first appearance at the house of worship AV event. FOR...
22/07/2026
The New York Yankees have selected Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) to connect Ya...
22/07/2026
Calrec will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47) with demonstrations of its IP-native audio ecosystem built around the Argo console range, and will announce two ne...
22/07/2026
Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format consoles in Italy, covering the Live, Broadcast, and Studio...
22/07/2026
FloSports has announced the launch of the FloSports Channel, a free ad-supported streaming channel premiering on Prime Video in the U.S. on July 21. The channel...
22/07/2026
Banana Ball TV (BTV), the broadcast operation of the Savannah Bananas, has insta...
22/07/2026
SiriusXM and Audacy have announced an agreement bringing 42 Audacy sports, news, and talk stations from 29 U.S. markets to SiriusXM. Twenty-three Audacy sports ...
22/07/2026
The collaboration produced more than 500 short-form videos across four cities th...
22/07/2026
At 2,600 sq. ft., the new home of digital content houses a main studio, podcast space, and an auxiliary control room
NFL franchises are accelerating their prod...
22/07/2026
Library now available in Engine Player
Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...
22/07/2026
All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled
Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...
22/07/2026
The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit
Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...
22/07/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Proven managed IP solution helps broadcasters confidently navigate the future of broadcast distribution
LTN announces it has completed successful satellite-to-...
22/07/2026
Today, Chaos announced V-Ray 7, update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Arti...
22/07/2026
An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app
Marc Levoy July 22, 2026
0 Comments
At left is the user interface of our Playground, running on an ...
New Music USA and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Announce 2025 Next Jazz Legacy Cohort The fourth year of the program, led by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, continues to advance jazz inclusivity.
