Joyce Hellmann Bizot, 2009
Joyce Hellmann Bizot, a life-long jazz fan and supporter, conceived and created the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 1981 and chaired it until 200. Since 1983, the competition has been a part of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. For ten years, she was an associate producer with jazz competitions sponsored by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies. At the University of North Florida, Joyce served as a charter member and chair of the Advisory Board of the Music Department's Jazz and American Music Program (JAMS). She is also a member of the Northeast Florida Jazz Association of Jazz Educators.
Before retiring from the City of Jacksonville, Joyce served for more than three decades as an urban planner and administrator in community and neighborhood development divisions. For her dedication to the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and her support of music and arts programs in our city, Joyce Hellmann Bizot was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
Dr. Bill Prince, 2008
Dr. Bill Prince is a professor emeritus of music at the University of North Florida and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a major in Theory and Composition from the University of Miami. His compositions and arrangements have been performed and/or recorded by jazz ensembles throughout the United States and Canada. Music has taken him to all 50 states and approximately 75 countries in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Australia and Asia.
One of Bill's most unique talents is his ability to perform professionally on several instruments including trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, flute, clarinet, saxophone, piano, and electric bass. He also produced his own CD, Happy Thoughts, on which he composed, arranged and performed all parts. Dr. Bill Prince was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame for contribution to jazz education, his legacy as a performer and supporter of jazz in Jacksonville.
Von Barlow, 2007
Von Barlow is inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame for his commitment to sustaining the sounds of jazz in Jacksonville and his dedication to the annual Jacksonville Jazz Festival and The Great American Jazz Piano competition. Barlow has performed at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival several times and played in The Great American Jazz Piano Competition rhythm section four times, including the first year when Marcus Roberts and Harry Connick, Jr. were finalists. He has also performed with the late O.C. Smith at the famous Woodstock Festival of 1969 and has played with Mose Allison, Lou Rawls, The Ray Charles Trio, Eddie Harris, Bobby Hutcherson, Bunky Green, Roy Ayers, Etta James and many other jazz greats.
Teddy Washington, 2006*
Teddy Washington was well known not only as a highly-talented trumpet player, vocalist and band leader, but also as the author of his autobiography "LIFE THE PUZZLE." In 1999, Teddy participated in the re-opening of the Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum. That same year, he also produced and hosted the first Follies Awards at the Florida Theatre, an awards show where he recognized 23 Jacksonville unsung heroes of jazz and entertainment. Teddy played the Jacksonville Jazz Festival twenty times, and performed with the likes of B.B. King and James Brown. For his many contributions to the jazz community and his efforts to keep jazz alive in Jacksonville, Teddy Washington was selected as a 2006 member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
Longineu Parsons, 2006
Longineu Parsons is a musician and composer who is hailed internationally by critics as one of the world's finest trumpet players. Parsons is a master of trumpet, a composer, a multi-instrumentalist, a singer and a stage performer. Over his career he has performed in over 30 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and has shared the stage with the likes of Branford Marsalis and Cab Calloway. Longineu is an Associate Professor of Trumpet at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida. Locally, Longineu has participated in the Jacksonville Jazz Festival on 10 occasions. For his contributions to our festival and for his commitment to the education of future generations of jazz, Longineu Parsons has been selected as a 2006 member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
Cecil Cole, 2005*
During his 27-year career in orchestra management, Cecil S. Cole Jr. earned the respect and admiration of countless people in the music industry. As Artistic Administrator of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, he played a key role in determining programming and guest artists. He was instrumental in the success of many symphony endeavors, including three grand opera productions, the creation of the Fresh Ink Florida Composers' Competition, the Jacksonville International Piano Competition, the installation of the Bryan Concert Organ in Jacoby Symphony Hall and the inception of an organ recital series. Always generous with his musical knowledge, Cecil served on the board of directors of the Ritz Chamber Players and the Beaches Fine Arts Series. He was a lifelong fan of jazz, and through his work with various orchestras, he worked with and presented many jazz greats, including Mel Torme and Doc Severinson. It is for his outstanding contributions to jazz and to all types of music that he is being inducted into the 2005 Jacksonville Jazz Hall of Fame. Cecil quietly departed this life after a long illness on Feb. 22, 2005, but his many friends and fans in Jacksonville will always remember his joie de vivre and his motto: "It's all about the music!" It is for his outstanding contributions to all types of music that he is inducted into the 2005 Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
Dick Brown, 2004
Dick Brown was first hired by WJCT in 1968 as executive producer for an innovative public affairs TV series. His involvement with the Jacksonville Jazz Festival began in 1987 with a TV program made during the festival. The program was broadcast nationally by PBS, and received a major award from the New York Film and Television Festival. Brown continued as executive producer for the program, which became an annual PBS staple and was broadcast internationally, giving Jacksonville and the Jazz Festival worldwide promotion. Dick also produced The WJCT Jacksonville Wine Experience, the oldest wine festival in North Florida. Two years ago, the event moved to the World Golf Village where Dick continues as executive producer. For his efforts to showcase the First Coast the to the world, Dick Brown was selected as a 2004 member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
Vic Digenti, 2004
In his 36 years with WJCT, Vic DiGenti was responsible for all special events including the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, the Jacksonville Wine Experience, the Jacksonville Spring Music Festival and was the executive producer of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. During his eight years as producer of the festival, he worked with a staff and nearly 1,200 volunteers and added several key elements, such as Jazz on the Run 5k and the Backstage Cafˇ to enhance the overall festival. In his last position with WJCT, Vic was vice president of Community Support, which generated more than $2 million in revenue for the public broadcasting station. Vic DiGenti was selected as a 2004 member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame for his dedication to the event.
The Honorable Elaine Brown, 2003
The Honorable Elaine Brown has worked tirelessly to serve her community for more than 20 years. She has served as Jacksonville City Council President and member as well as on various Boards of Directors, including I.M. Sulzbacher Center, Jax Pride and March of Dimes. Council President Brown has also volunteered for numerous community causes, including the Jacksonville Oceanside Rotary, the Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. (JCCI), "Walk America" and as a suicide prevention volunteer. She was a founding member of Kids Kampus, a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art educational park for Jacksonville's children. In addition to actively serving in her elected capacity on the Jacksonville City Council, Councilwoman Brown also serves as the Director of Corporate Relations for PRI Productions.
She was the first chairperson of the WJCT Jacksonville Jazz Festival Patron Party and helped to organize the first volunteers to work with performers, serving as chairperson for the host committee. For her dedication to and enthusiasm for the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, the Honorable Elaine Brown was selected as a 2003 member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
Marcus Roberts, 2003
Marcus Roberts was first exposed to music in the local church in Jacksonville where his mother was a gospel singer. A few years after losing his eyesight at age five, he began teaching himself to play piano, but did not begin any formal lessons until age twelve. As a jazz pianist, Roberts joined Wynton Marsalis' band, touring and recording with him for six years.
Roberts won the Jacksonville Jazz Festival's first Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 1983 and was honored with the Helen Keller Award for Personal Achievement in 1998. His most recent release, Cole after Midnight, celebrates the work of Nat 'King' Cole and Cole Porter and was selected by New York Times critics as one of the ten best jazz CDs of 2001. For his many contributions to Jacksonville's jazz and music culture, Marcus Roberts was selected as a 2003 member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame.
Ira Koger, 2000*
Ira Koger believed the quality of a community's cultural life attracts business, so business leaders should not regard the arts and music as "frills." He waswidely respected as a patron of the arts and devoted himself to cultural developments and events. Koger thrived at a variety of vocations and roles, including election to the South Carolina House of Representatives at age 21, President of O.P. Woodcock Company and Chairman and CEO of both Koger Properties and Koger Equity.
The Kogers funded a Distinguished Professorship in Music and endowed the School of American Music/Jazz at the University of North Florida and have been responsible for more than 300 scholarships at the Jacksonville school. Ira Koger was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame in 2000 for his philanthropic contributions to the arts in Jacksonville and across the Southeast.
Rich Matteson, 2000*
Rich Matteson was recognized nationally as one of our county's most exciting jazz soloists and clinicians, with a career which included public school music teacher, professional performer, conductor, arranger, composer and college professor. Matteson became involved with jazz education in 1968 and performed as clinician and guest soloist at high schools, colleges and universities throughout the world. In 1986, he was appointed the Kroger Distinguished Professor of American Music at the University of North Florida and as the university's distinction of Distinguished Professor Emeritus in 1992.
Matteson received various honors, including induction in the International Association of Jazz Educators, into the Jazz Educators Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Down Beat Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992. In 2000, Rich Matteson was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to jazz as an educator and musician.
The Honorable Jake Godbold, 1999
Jake Godbold served on the Jacksonville City Council for 13 years, including two as Council president, before being elected as mayor for eight years. During his terms as mayor, the Riverwalk, The Jacksonville Landing and Metropolitan Park were built.
Mayor Godbold helped bring 80,000 new jobs and 165 new companies to Jacksonville and was the overseer of $1 billion worth of construction in Jacksonville and Duval County. The Jacksonville Jazz Festival and Spring Music Festival, now a Memorial Day concert tradition in Jacksonville, began during his administration. In 1999, Mayor Godbold was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame for his countless contributions to the development of Downtown Jacksonville, the arts and the Jacksonville Jazz Festival.
Dan Kossoff, 1999
Dan Kossoff has produced, directed, written and developed thousands of films, commercials, television programs and special events. He began his career with WJCT in 1968 and began working with the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in 1981.
Kossoff produced and directed the PBS coverage of the Festival from that time forward and served as the Festival's Executive Director from 1984 to 1991, leading its development into a world-class event.
Dan Kossoff was inducted as a member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame in 1999 for his long service and unprecedented dedication to the event.
Mike Tolbert, 1999
Mike Tolbert is a self-employed strategic planning and communications consultant in Jacksonville, who represents corporate and political clients. He has worked with Mayors Jake Godbold, Hanz Tansler, Ed Austin, Congresswoman Tillie Fowler and Florida State Senator Betty Holzendorf. Tolbert helped produce the first five Jacksonville Jazz Festivals and introduced the Great American Jazz Piano Competition to the Festival. He played a key role in the agreement that led to the national and international telecast of the Festival on PBS for several years. In 1999, Mike Tolbert was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame for his role in the creation of and incomparable service to the Jacksonville Jazz Festival.
*Deceased
2010 Hall of Fame Nominations
Do you know someone who has made a positive impact on jazz in Jacksonville? Nominate them for the 2010 Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame! Nomination form.
It is with a heavy heart that we share that jazz musician and Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame Member Teddy Washington has passed away. He was a very talented trumpet player, vocalist and band leader with a career that spanned decades. Teddy was a passionate supporter of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and his contribution to the jazz community will be sorely missed.