New England Conservatory faculty member and renowned jazz drummer Billy Hart has been given the highest honor bestowed on jazz musicians by the United States government: the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master title. In the 2022 awards, Hart joins Stanley Clarke, Cassandra Wilson and Donald Harrison Jr. in the achievement.
The honorees are each awarded $25,000 and will be celebrated during a tribute concert in 2022 at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco. “Jazz continues to play a significant role in American culture, thanks to the dedication and artistry of individuals such as these,” says Ann Eilers, acting chairman for the NEA. “We look forward to working with SFJAZZ on a concert that will share their music and stories with a wide audience next spring.”
Hart has recorded 12 of his own albums throughout his illustrious career and worked on more than 600 additional recordings. He’s known for his stylistic versatility, ranging from straight-ahead to avant-garde to pop. The drummer seemed meant for the music industry from day one. His maternal grandmother bought him his first drum set, and by age 17, he had been hired by a local saxophonist for an extended gig.
From his hometown of Washington, D.C., Hart moved to New York to immerse himself in the city’s famed jazz scene. He spent three years working with Herbie Hancock in a band now known as Mwandishi. He also collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner and Joe Zawinul, most of whom went on to receive the Jazz Master honor as well. In 1972, Hart appeared on Miles Davis’s influential album “On the Corner,” further solidifying his place in the industry.
Now, Hart works with a quartet featuring Ethan Iverson, Ben Street and Mark Turner and has authored a book titled “Jazz Drumming.” At New England Conservatory, Hart teaches jazz percussion. He also offers his educational expertise at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Western Michigan University.
The 2022 honorees mark the 40th anniversary of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships. Hart joins a list of the nation’s most influential Black jazz talents, including musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Bostonian Terri Lyne Carrington.
“I am surprised and delighted to become an NEA Jazz Master,” says Hart in a statement. “Many of my most beloved peers and some of my favorite musicians of all time have already been given this award, and I am honored to be included in this family.”
