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, drummer, composer, educator, producer, and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and Vanessa Reed, president and CEO of New Music USA, have designed Next Jazz Legacy (NJL), a program that expands opportunities for women and nonbinary artists historically underrepresented in jazz. 

In 2021, NJL was launched with major funding from the Mellon Foundation, which has confirmed support for another three-year cycle. 

Seven participants are in the 2024 cohort, including vocalist from D.C. and drummer from Rockville, Maryland. The application process for the is now open until November 12, 2024. 

The Birth of a Special Music Program

Next Jazz Legacy came together from conversations between Reed at New Music USA, a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing many forms of new music and , founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. Reed knew about Carrington’s jazz and gender justice work.

“At New Music, we looked at some of the inequities in our music community. We identified orchestral music, film scoring, and jazz when it comes to representation of women and people of color,” said Reed. “We brought our different ideas to the program and came up with something that we felt would deeply impact the participants.”

Conversations between Reed and Carrington began in 2020. The program’s initial objectives for participants were financial support, mentorship and coming together as a cohort for skills-building. Carrington, also the artistic director for NJL, was keen on apprenticeships with host band leaders at the program’s center.  

Jazz Talent from the D.C. Refine Their Skills

Dashiell, born in D.C. and raised in Greenville, North Carolina, has been a fixture in the D.C. area for several years. The vocalist, composer and educator graduated from Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music. She has spent time performing with and recently performed at Jazz en Tête in France. Her album “” was released last year. 

Dashiell’s time with NJL has been spent with an apprenticeship with Carrington and with composer and vibraphonist Stefon Harris, her creative mentor.

Salem started playing drums in the sixth grade. After middle school, she participated in a summer camp at the (JAM) in Silver Spring, Maryland, founded by saxophonist and educator , where she realized drumming was solidified in her future. She continued through graduation from Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville and then attended the University of Michigan. 

Salem’s exposure to jazz solidified her love for the music. She expressed how it hit her spirit, heart and soul.

“Everything was telling me that I have to follow this because it was really doing something to me that nothing has ever done before,” said Salem.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Salem moved to New York City, where she has been a freelance drummer. The NJL program is well-known, and she was accepted. 

Her creative mentor is drummer Cindy Blackman, and her apprenticeship has been with composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.

The 2024 Next Jazz Legacy cohort will wrap up their year by performing at , Jan. 9-15 in New York. 

For more information about applying for the 2025 Next Legacy Jazz cohort, visit .