Bobby Sanabria, Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, Roger Taylor, Florian Alexandru-Zorn, Clem Burke, and more!

Jazz Education Network Names Bobby Sanabria 2018 Recipient of LeJENds of Latin Jazz Award

Bandleader, drummer/percussionist, educator, and seven-time Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria has been named the 2018 recipient of the Jazz Education Network’s LeJENds of Latin Jazz award. The honor was presented to Sanabria by JEN president Caleb Chapman during the organization’s ninth-annual conference in Dallas this past January. Established in 2014 by JEN’s board of directors, the award is bestowed upon outstanding performers and educators who promote jazz in all formats, encourage and inspire musicians and teachers, and demonstrate a passion for jazz, among other criteria.

“I’m honored to have been chosen for this special recognition from my peers for my work as a musician, performer, educator, and representative of the Latin jazz community,” Sanabria said in a statement. “Through these continued efforts, the genre’s legacy will continue to be documented and recognized, and it will inspire today’s and tomorrow’s up-and-coming artists and educators.”

Hal Blaine, Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, and Roger Taylor Among 2018 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Honorees

The Recording Academy recently announced its 2018 Special Merit Awards recipients. Among this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are studio legend and Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine, funk pioneer Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste of the Meters, and Roger Taylor of the iconic rock band Queen. A special presentation ceremony and concert celebrating the honorees will be held this coming spring.

“This year’s Special Merit Award recipients are a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have crafted or contributed to some of the most distinctive recordings in music history,” said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy. “These exceptionally inspiring figures are being honored as legendary performers, creative architects, and technical visionaries. Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their craft have created a timeless legacy.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording, and the Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees determines the honorees. Other recipients of this year’s award include Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, and Tina Turner.

Florian Alexandru-Zorn Launches International Version of OnlineLessons.tv

Drummer, educator, and author Florian Alexandru-Zorn recently announced the launch of an English version of OnlineLessons.tv, a music education resource that the drummer founded in 2012. The site features more than a hundred teachers and dozens of courses from international drummers.

For €10 a month, students gain full access to the site’s archive and at least two more courses per month from top international drummers such as Ray Luzier, Todd Sucherman, Jost Nickel, Will Kennedy, George Kollias, Dennis Chambers, John “JR” Robinson, Pete Lockett, Martin Verdonk, Hannes Grossmann, Keith Carlock, Ash Soan, Brian Frasier-Moore, Karl Brazil, and Alexandru-Zorn, among others. Alexandru-Zorn, who also teaches at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg University in Mannheim, Germany, worked out each course in detail with the teaching artists. For more info, head to onlinelessons.tv.