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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 to Sun Ra’s passing in 1993, and taking over the leadership of the Sun Ra Arkestra for the past 30 years.

Marilyn Crispell has become one of the most original and sought-after avant-garde jazz pianists and composers since emerging on the scene in the late 1970s. Her adventurous and distinctive style was influenced by her first loves in jazz, John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor, but it is a style all her own that continues to grow and expand.

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 both as a solo artist and bandleader, Valdés has fused elements of the Afro-Cuban music tradition, jazz, classical music, rock, and more into his distinctive style.

Recipient of the 2025 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, Gary Giddins has been one of the leading critics in the field of jazz for more than 50 years, having written highly acclaimed 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. The A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy is given to those who have made major contributions to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the American jazz art form.