2011 Presenters
Bob Blumenthal
Bob Blumenthal began writing jazz criticism in 1969 while attending college. He was a contributing editor of The Boston Phoenix (1969-89) and a contributor to The Boston Globe (1990-2002), and he has also contributed to such publications as The Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Down Beat, JazzTimes and Jazziz. Between 2002 and 2009, he served as Creative Consultant for Marsalis Music, the record label founded by saxophonist Branford Marsalis. Blumenthal has also provided radio and television commentary, served as a panelist for several public and private arts organizations, and edited the booklet for the recently published Smithsonian Jazz Anthology. He has won two Grammy awards for best album notes for collections by John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Blumenthal's first book, Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America's Music, was published in 2007 and hailed as "the single best compact introduction to jazz currently available" by the Wall Street Journal. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Journalists Association in 2005. His second book, Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins, in collaboration with photographer John Abbott, was published in September 2010.
LINKS:
Profile of Bob Blumenthal from jazz.com
