NEA Jazz Masters: Joe Segal (2015)

Since 1947, Joe Segal—recipient of the 2015 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy—pursued his great love: presenting jazz musicians in performance in Chicago, Illinois. From his early days as a college presenter to decades spent as impresario of his Jazz Showcase club, Segal was integral to giving jazz greats a platform from which they can publicly share their art. Despite downturns in the popularity of jazz, downturns in the economy, even downturns in the real estate market, Segal prevailed—his Jazz Showcase still turned out jazz seven days a week, now under the auspices of his son Wayne. He carried the distinction of being the city’s longest-tenured jazz presenter, in addition to being one of the founders of one of Chicago’s preeminent jazz organizations, the Jazz Institute of Chicago, which promotes Chicago’s place in jazz history and endeavors to create new audiences for the music. More information: Visit the National Endowment for the Arts’ Jazz Masters Fellowships section to learn more about the recipients of our nation’s highest honor in jazz: