By suggestion from another thread, I am putting together a poll via a survey website for the jazz loving community and jazzhouston.com members specifically to give local musicians a chance to be recognized by our peers. For the next few days through the weekend, I will make note of your suggestions for nominees for the following categories, then I will post the poll link starting next week. For album and artist of the year categories, I will attempt to limit each to albums released since last August. I hope everyone will participate openly and honestly! This could turn out to be a cool thing! Here are the categories for the poll:

Jazz Artist of the Year

Jazz Album of the Year

Best Jazz Group

Best Big Band (does such a thing really exist anymore? Maybe a write-in ballot...)

Trumpet

Trombone

Soprano Saxophone

Alto Saxophone

Tenor Saxophone

Baritone Saxophone

Flute

Clarinet

Piano

Guitar

Accoustic Bass

Electric Bass

Drums

Percussion/Vibes

Miscellaneous Instrument (write-in ballot here)

Male Vocalist

Female Vocalist

Composer

Recording Studio/Local Label

Hall of Fame (Can we have a section on this website to induct people into each year? Maybe with a bio and photos? That would be cool! Maybe limit the inductees to 5 a year like DB or Baseball HOF?)


This is what I've come up with for categories so far. At this point, it would be cool if you all throw out some names for nominations. Also, if I left out an important category, please let me know and add some nominees and I'll make sure to add it. I already have a lot of names for the categories, but if it's just me doing the nominating, I'm sure to leave a ton of people out by accident.

I'll take a compilation of the nominations listed in this forum or you can email them anonymously to me at paul@paulpeacockmusic.com if you're not comfortable openly nominating people. Use "JazzHouston Poll" in the subject and I'll be sure to address it. I will only accept pro-nominations. Please don't ask me to exclude anyone. Depending on the response, I'll make up the list according to the most common submissions. Feel free to nominate yourselves, but when it comes time to vote, please cast your vote for whom you feel is most deserving instead of just you.

There are a lot of very fine musicians on this site. Everyone on the scene deserves a big pat on the back for their contributions. That said, this poll is to designed to recognize those who have been most contributive to the overall Houston jazz scene as players, recording artists, and composers in the past year. It's difficult to not make it a popularity contest for your friends, but please try to keep it professional. Thanks! Looking forward to your input!

Also, on the topic of Hall of Fame, should it be just post-humous or would it be better to have 2 entries here? Just wondering.

Maybe a Lifetime Achievement Award?

Also, should there be a separate category for funk/fusion/beyond? (i.e. Funk Factory, Aunt Nasty, Mark Dini Group, Brotherhood, etc.)

What about Blues? Classical Musicians? Crossover groups? Student groups? College programs? Educators? A poll of national musicians similar to DB, but to gauge what the locals are thinking?

I'm open to adding some categories as long as they make sense to add and won't necessarily be a monopoly every year.

Would it make sense to do two polls every year, one for "readers" (i.e. general jazz public) and one for "critics?" (i.e. a panel of JH editors)

An aside... with ladies like Lou Scott still around, it would be great to get the likes of Lou, Bob Morgan, Larry Slezak and others to weave together a history of the pro music scene in H-town.

I agree Dana. I think the greatest value of such a poll would be simply to acknowledge and document the fascinating history in those who have been on the scene, so to speak, for more than, say, four decades.

Another angle would be to honor musicians for things they do beyond playing gigs --LIKE...

best text messages
best iPod break playlists
neatest car backseat
fastest post-gig equipment tear down (John Calderon)
best "come-to-my-gig" email
best reason given for subbing out a gig at the last minute
most active facebook page
hardest to reach
worst fake tux

etc.

Now THAT would be a fun poll.

Hall of Fame - post-humous only! 5years minimum.

I don't know about the Jazz Houston Jazz Poll but I have long -decades- thought of having a Jazz Walk of Fame on the sidewalk around the Market Square. Each honoree would have a star or maybe his ax- sax, mic, keys, drums, etc. on it.

post-humous 5years minimum

Again, and I stress, this poll isn't meant to be a popularity contest but a way to recognize the achievements and contributions of some of our great musicians over the past year. I think it'd be a nice way for the local musicians and peers to recognize the work of the winners and nominees. It's also a good way to recognize the leaders in the jazz community.

I still haven't gotten any suggestions for nominees after 2 days. Therefore, I have made a separate poll to use for nominations. These will be completely anonymous and you can nominate as many people as you like.

There are so many fine players in town, I think it's about time we recognize them en masse. I'm even willing to make some cool certificates to give to the winners so they can frame them. But it's no good without some participation!

Here is the link to the nominations poll:

freeonlinesurveys.com

Take our Online Survey

Andrew, I really like your categories, "hardest to reach" is a close favorite to "worst fake tux."

I think a JH awards should also include awards for actual Jazz Houston postings. Most informative, most dramatic, most grammar/spelling errors, best/worst use of HTML, darkest, and the like.

Put Percussion/Vibes in separate categories because very few percussionists play vibes and they are such a unique instrument- and yes they are percussion but so is a piano.