Sonny Rollins, saxophone colossus, was the big winner of the 2012 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, announced this afternoon at a gala party at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.The tenor saxophonist was named Musician of the Year, his album Road Shows, Vol. 2 chosen as Best Record of the Year and he was judged Best Tenor Saxophonist, too.Horace Silver, who at age 84 is residing in an assisted care facility in upstate New York, was hailed for his Lifetime Achievement in Jazz.Amiri Baraka, author of the books Blues People and Black Music as well as plays, poetry and social criticism, was the recipient of an Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism; author Albert Murray, age 94, was honored with a "Words and Music" Award, co-presented by the JJA and the Jazz Foundation of America. Robin Bell-Stevens, executive director of JazzMobile, and Adrian Ellis, recently resigned executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, were celebrated as New York City "Jazz Heroes."AWARDS FOR MUSICLifetime Achievement in Jazz: Horace SilverMusician of the Year: Sonny Rollins Composer-Arranger of the Year: Maria SchneiderUp and Coming Artist of the Year: Ben Williams Record of the Year: Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records)Best Historic Recording/Boxed Set: Miles Davis, Bootleg Sessions, Vol. 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy) Record Label of the Year: ECM Large Ensemble of the Year: Mingus Big BandSmall Ensemble of the Year: Joe Lovano Us Five Best Male Vocalist: Kurt Elling Best Female Vocalist: Gretchen ParlatoTrumpeter of the Year: Ambrose Akinmusire Trombonist of the Year: Wycliffe Gordon Multi-reeds Player of the Year: Anat Cohen Alto Saxophonist of the Year: Rudresh Mahanthappa Tenor Saxophonist of the Year: Sonny Rollins Baritone Saxophonist of the Year: Gary Smulyan Soprano Saxophonist of the Year: Jane Ira Bloom Flutist of the Year: Nicole Mitchell Clarinetist of the Year: Anat CohenGuitarist of the Year: Bill Frisell Pianist of the Year: Vijay IyerKeyboard player of the Year: Gary Versace Bassist of the Year: Christian McBride Violinist of the Year: Regina CarterPercussionist of the Year: Poncho Sanchez Mallets Instrumentalist of the Year: Gary Burton Drummer of the Year: Roy Haynes Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz of the Year: Toots Thielemans, harmonicaAWARDS FOR JAZZ JOURNALISMLifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism: Amiri Baraka Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Writing in the Year 2011:Larry Blumenfeld Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting: Josh Jackson Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award for Photography: Herb Snitzer Print Periodical of the Year: JazzTimes Website of the Year: AllAboutJazz.com Blog of the Year: Marc Myers' Jazz Wax Book of the Year: Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice (University of California Press), by Tad Hershorn Liner notes of the Year: Francis Davis, Sonny Rollins' Road Show, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records) Photo of the Year: Chick Corea by Pavel KorbutShort Form Jazz News Video of the Year: Victory! - The Making of J.D. Allen's Album by Mario Tahi LathanP.S. Ovviamente al Blue Note non ci sono andato, e l'invito che ho ricevuto era in realtà un invito esteso a tutti i bloggers partecipanti al Jazz Day, ne consegue che io ne ho ironicamente approfittato per farne un post ma Howard Mandel non ha la più pallida idea di chi io sia....