Terri Lyne Carrington, founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, made history this month as the first woman instrumentalist to win best jazz artist in the DownBeat Critics Poll. Carringtons band Social Science, which features alumni vocalist Debo Ray '13 and guitarist Matthew Stevens B.M. '04, was voted best jazz group, and their 2019 release, Waiting Game, was named the years top album.
Berklee alumni were recognized across numerous categories for their artistic output from the past year, including Anat Cohen B.M. '98 (clarinet), Rudresh Mahanthappa B.M. '92 (alto saxophone), and Bill Frisell '77, who won Beyond Album of the Year for 2019s Harmony. The Maria Schneider Orchestra, which currently features alumni Keith O'Quinn '73 on trumpet and Richard Margitza '81 on tenor saxophone, was voted best big band. Two alumni took home Rising Star awards: Yuval Cohen B.M. 96 (soprano saxophone) and Lage Lund B.M. 00 (guitar).
Kris Davis, associate program director for the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, tied for top pianist with Kenny Barron, who received an honorary doctorate from the college in 2010. Other Berklee honorary doctorate recipients who won in the DownBeat poll include Zakir Hussain '19H (percussion), Charles Lloyd '15H (tenor saxophone), Herbie Hancock '86H (keyboard), and Frisell '17H.
Professor Ralph Peterson and his Gen-Next Big Band won in the Rising Star-Big Band category. Petersons ensemble consists entirely of current Berklee students and recent graduates, including lead vocalist Chloe Brisson M.M. '18; trombonists Kuumba Frank Lacy, Brandon Lin, Stephan Tenney B.M. '20, Dean Scarlett, and Ethan Santos B.M. '19; trumpeters Robert Vega-Dowda '17, Yuta Yamagichi B.M. '19, Milena Casado Faquet B.M. '19, Will Mallard B.M. '20, and John Michael Bradford; saxophonists Eric Nakanishi B.M. '19, Craig Jackson, Solomon Alber, Tim Murphy, Gabe Nekrutman, Morga Faw, and Joe Melnicove B.M. '18; drummers Christian Napoleon and Samuel Bolduc; bassists Youngchae Jeong B.M. '18 and Nikos Chatzitsakos B.M. '20; pianist Ido Hammovich B.M. '18; and percussionist Manfredi Caputo B.M. '20.
Read the full list of Berklee-affiliated 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll winners:
Jazz Artist Terri Lyne Carrington, Founder and Artistic Director, Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice
Jazz Album Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science, Waiting Game (Debo Ray '13, Matthew Stevens B.M. '04)
Jazz Group Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science (Debo Ray '13, Matthew Stevens B.M. '04)
Big Band Maria Schneider Orchestra (Keith O'Quinn '73, Richard Margitza '81)
Alto Saxophone Rudresh Mahanthappa B.M. 92
Tenor Saxophone Charles Lloyd 15H
Clarinet Anat Cohen B.M. 98
Piano Tie: Kenny Barron 10H and Kris Davis, Associate Program Director of Creative Development, Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice
Keyboard Herbie Hancock 86H
Percussion Zakir Hussain 19H
Beyond Album of the Year Bill Frisell '77 '17H, Harmony
Rising Star-Big Band Ralph Peterson's Gen-Next Big Band (Ralph Peterson, Professor, Percussion Department; Various Students and Alumni)
Rising Star-Soprano Saxophone Yuval Cohen B.M. 96
Rising Star-Guitar Lage Lund B.M. 00
Related categories:
News
Most Popular
The Shape of Jazz to Come A new institute aims to create a more inclusive bandstand.
Latest
Terri Lyne Carrington Earns History-Making DownBeat Critics Poll Win Carrington took home three awards in this year's poll as Berklee alumni, faculty, and students were recognized across multiple categories.
What to Expect of the Online Experience This Fall Regardless of the modality students choose this fall-remote or hybrid-a good amount of class time is going to be online. Heres what you should know about that experience.
Songs for Social Change Contest Winners Announced The annual contest, presented by Berklees Songwriting Department and Songs for Social Change initiative, encourages students to write songs that promote positive change.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
07/05/2026
Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision
Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...
07/05/2026
Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...
07/05/2026
Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...
07/05/2026
Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...
07/05/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...
07/05/2026
Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...
Terri Lyne Carrington, founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, made history this month as the first woman instrumentalist to win best jazz artist in the DownBeat Critics Poll. Carringtons band Social Science, which features alumni vocalist Debo Ray '13 and guitarist Matthew Stevens B.M. '04, was voted best jazz group, and their 2019 release, Waiting Game, was named the years top album. 
