Next Jazz Legacy Celebrates Five Years of Mentorship and Impact Across the Jazz Community
Partnership Between Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice & New Music USA has supported 35 emerging Artists through 400+ Mentorship Sessions and Partnerships with 110 Bandleaders and Mentors
From GRAMMY Nominations to Major Festival Performances, NJL Awardees Are Making Their Mark on the Jazz Landscape
New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice mark five years of their partnership through Next Jazz Legacy (NJL), a national apprenticeship and mentorship program built to elevate emerging artists and to achieve true gender representation in the jazz field. The program’s mission is to increase opportunities for musicians who will contribute to a vibrant and inclusive jazz future, and to create waves of lasting change that benefit the whole jazz community. Led by, and modeled on the experience of, NEA Jazz Master and NJL Artistic Director Terri Lyne Carrington, the program centers personalized apprenticeships that pair emerging artists with seasoned bandleaders and creative and business mentors. NJL also provides cohort learning opportunities, mentorship from industry professionals, financial support, and industry showcases.
Since launching in 2021, Next Jazz Legacy has grown into one of the jazz field’s leading platforms for advancing the careers of rising jazz artists, not only because of the performance and financial opportunities, but also through the relationships and confidence developed through the program. By the end of 2026, its fifth year, the program’s impact includes direct support of 35 emerging artists, 110 bandleaders and creative and business mentors, over 400 mentorship sessions, 21 cohort learning sessions, and 13 showcase performances. Awardees have performed at major festivals and venues including The Jazz Gallery, Winter Jazzfest, the Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center, the Angel City Jazz Festival, and the DC Jazz Festival, and have worked alongside artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Nicole Mitchell, Marcus Miller, Regina Carter, and the late Wayne Shorter.
The intergenerational relationships at the center of NJL have continued well past each cohort year, with many of the awardees, bandleaders, and mentors collaborating professionally beyond the program’s scope. Drummer Ivanna Cuesta (2022 cohort) recorded her debut album with mentor Kris Davis, while bassist Liany Mateo (2023 cohort) has gone on the road with bandleader Regina Carter. Trombonist Kalia Vandever’s (2022 cohort) fourth album, Another View, her debut with Northern Spy Records, was made with bandleader Mary Halvorson while pianist Anastassiya Petrova (2022 cohort) has performed and collaborated with bandleader Chris Potter. And this year, April May Webb (2025 cohort) joined bandleader Danilo Pérez on tour in Panama.
Next Jazz Legacy awardees have gained considerable attention on their own as well. Christie Dashiell has earned two consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album: first in 2025 for her sophomore album Journey in Black, and again in 2026 for We Insist 2025!, a collaboration with Carrington, who was her Next Jazz Legacy bandleader, released via Candid Records that reimagines Max Roach’s 1960 civil rights landmark We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite through gospel, neo-soul, funk, and blues influences.
Several NJL awardees have released widely praised recordings this year, often drawing on the same network of peers and mentors built through the program. Saxophonist Nicole McCabe released her third album in as many years, Color Theory, a shift toward a mostly acoustic sound produced by Jason Moran and featuring a new, largely female band built from her own NJL cohort: pianist Yvonne Rogers, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, and drummer Eliza Salem, with guest appearances from trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and fellow NJL cohort member, vocalist Christie Dashiell. Reviewers have pointed to the record’s collective chemistry as its defining strength, with Rogers’ voicings framing McCabe’s playing and the rhythm section moving fluidly between freedom and groove. Elsewhere, Rogers made her own solo debut with The Button Jar on Pyroclastic Records, produced by pianist Kris Davis; Alden Hellmuth followed her 2024 debut Good Intentions with a second album, Tether; and DoYeon Kim, who plays the traditional Korean gayageum, released her debut as a bandleader, Wellspring, on Tao Forms, and was profiled by the New York Times for her work bridging Korean tradition and jazz improvisation.
Beyond performance, NJL awardees have also expanded into advocacy work that broadens who gets seen and heard in jazz. Ciara Moser, a 2024 NJL awardee who has been blind since birth, moderated a panel at Jazz Congress 2026 called “Navigating the Jazz Scene as Blind and Visually Impaired Musicians.” The panel was presented with support from Next Jazz Legacy and New Music USA, and brought together blind and visually impaired jazz musicians to discuss their experiences as sidepeople and bandleaders.
The program’s impact on its awardees has been consistently strong: 100% of Next Jazz Legacy awardees report growth as artists and performers, increased confidence in achieving their goals, and feeling a stronger sense of belonging in the jazz community. 86% of Next Jazz Legacy awardees have continued their relationship with their assigned bandleader beyond the program, and 71% of awardees have continued their creative and business mentor relationships.
Applications for the sixth cycle are now open, and will be accepted through October 24, 2026. Interested artists can visit the program’s website for details and to apply.
Terri Lyne Carrington says,
“Five years in, Next Jazz Legacy has shown what’s possible when we invest seriously in mentorship across generations. I’m proud of what this community has built together, and I’m looking forward to welcoming a new group of artists into that legacy.”
New Music USA President & CEO Vanessa Rose adds,
“Five years of Next Jazz Legacy is a testament to the importance of sustained support through not just money, but also mentorship. We’re grateful to the Mellon Foundation for their support and for Terri Lyne Carrington’s vision, and brilliant ability to foster lasting relationships among artists across generations.”
2025 Next Jazz Legacy awardee April May Webb says,
“Next Jazz Legacy provides an incredible opportunity to grow, collaborate with, and be mentored by some of the best musicians in the industry. Through the program, I have been grateful to learn, expand my creative voice, and contribute to an evolving jazz community.”
Applications for the sixth cycle of Next Jazz Legacy, the 2027 cohort, are now open, through October 24. Interested artists can visit the program’s website for details and to apply.
2022–2026 Cohorts
The previous NJL cohorts have included a wide range of emerging talent from across the jazz spectrum.
The 2026 cohort includes Alden Hellmuth (saxophone), Allison Philips (trumpet), Destiny “Lé Queen” Diggs (bass), Devon Gates (bass/voice), Lily Finnegan (drums), Sequoia “REDWOOD” Snyder (piano), and Siya Charles (trombone).
2025: Alexandra Ridout (trumpet), April May Webb (voice), Brenda Navarette Guzman (percussion), Carmen Quill (bass), Chanelle Ignant (guitar), DoYeon Kim (gayageum), Melissa Almaguer (tap dance/feet percussion), and Nora Stanley (saxophone).
2024: Amyra León (voice), Christie Dashiell (voice), Ciara Moser (bass), Eliza Salem (drums), Kanoa Mendenhall (bass), Nicole McCabe (saxophone), and Yvonne Rogers (piano).
2023: Camila Cortina Bello (piano), Milena Casado (trumpet/flugelhorn), Liany Mateo (bass), Anaïs Maviel (voice), Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield (voice), Neta Raanan (saxophone), and Anisha Rush (saxophone).
2022: Anastassiya Petrova (piano/organ), Ivanna Cuesta (drums), Lexi Hamner (voice/trombone), Keyanna Hutchinson (guitar), Alexis Lombre (piano), Loke Risberg (guitar), and Kalia Vandever (trombone).
ABOUT NEXT JAZZ LEGACY
Next Jazz Legacy (NJL) is a national apprenticeship and mentorship program focused on elevating early-career jazz artists. Designed by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, the program’s mission is to increase opportunities for musicians who will contribute to a vibrant and inclusive jazz future, and to create waves of lasting change that benefit the whole jazz community. Next Jazz Legacy invests in its awardees through a comprehensive support package that includes intergenerational apprenticeships and mentorship, showcases, cohort learning, and an unrestricted grant that contributes to awardees’ creative and professional development. Next Jazz Legacy is made possible by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, with funding from the Mellon Foundation. GRAMMY-winning artist and NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington is the program’s Artistic Director, and is supported by Aja Burrell Wood, Managing Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and a New Music USA board member. The program is managed by New Music USA staff member Kendolyn Walker with support from the full staff and board. Next Jazz Legacy welcomes applications from musicians of all gender and sexual identities to achieve the goal of true gender representation in the field. newmusicusa.org/program/next-jazz-legacy
ABOUT NEW MUSIC USA
New Music USA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing a vibrant and inclusive community for artists and listeners. To us, that means welcoming all the artists, organizations, and audiences contributing to the sounds of today and tomorrow. In addition to providing grants and mentorship to support the many musical ideas being created and performed today, we encourage connections and curiosity to listen forward together. newmusicusa.org
ABOUT BERKLEE INSTITUTE OF JAZZ & GENDER JUSTICE
The Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice’s mission is to recruit, teach, mentor, and advocate for young musicians desiring to study jazz in a safe, egalitarian, and nurturing environment, with gender justice and racial justice as guiding principles. We share in the collective work to challenge systemic forms of oppression embedded in the art form. We believe a cultural transformation is needed and that the music itself will not reach its full potential until these issues are meaningfully addressed. Learn more at berklee.edu/jazz-gender-justice