The seven will receive their awards at a ceremony in January 2006 in New York City. Each will receive $25,000 and the opportunity to perform as part of the NEA's Jazz Masters on Tour program.
Eighty-seven musicians and advocates have been named Jazz Masters since 1982, including Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, and Art Blakey. The 2005 honorees were guitarist Kenny Burrell, clarinetist/saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera, arranger/composer Slide Hampton, vocalist Shirley Horn, big-band leader Artie Shaw, organist Jimmy Smith, and jazz impressario George Wein.