De NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships vun de NEA, National Endowment for the Arts, wurrn jeds Johr an bit to söben (etableert) Jazzmusiker vergeven, as Anerkennung för hör bitherig Levenswark. Dat is de hööchste offiziell Ehrung för Jazzmusiker in de USA. Se sünd aber ok an den Grünner vun dat Newport Jazz Festival, George Wein, an den Agenten John Levy un an bither twee Kritiker (Nat Hentoff un Dan Morgenstern) vergeven.
- 1982: Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Sun Ra
- 1983: Count Basie, Kenny Clarke, Sonny Rollins
- 1984: Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Max Roach
- 1985: Gil Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Jones
- 1986: Benny Carter, Dexter Gordon, Teddy Wilson
- 1987: Cleo Patra Brown, Melba Liston, Jay McShann
- 1988: Art Blakey, Lionel Hampton, Billy Taylor
- 1989: Barry Harris, Hank Jones, Sarah Vaughan
- 1990: George Russell, Cecil Taylor, Gerald Wilson
- 1991: Danny Barker, Buck Clayton, Andy Kirk, Clark Terry
- 1992: Betty Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Sweets Edison
- 1993: Milton Hinton, Jon Hendricks, Joe Williams
- 1994: Louie Bellson, Ahmad Jamal, Carmen McRae
- 1995: Ray Brown, Roy Haynes, Horace Silver
- 1996: Tommy Flanagan, J. J. Johnson, Benny Golson
- 1997: Billy Higgins, Milt Jackson, Anita O’Day
- 1998: Ron Carter, James Moody, Wayne Shorter
- 1999: Dave Brubeck, Art Farmer, Joe Henderson
- 2000: David Baker, Donald Byrd, Marian McPartland
- 2001: John Lewis, Jackie McLean, Randy Weston
- 2002: Frank Foster, Percy Heath, McCoy Tyner
- 2003: Jimmy Heath, Elvin Jones, Abbey Lincoln
- 2004: Jim Hall, Chico Hamilton, Herbie Hancock, Luther Henderson, Nancy Wilson, Nat Hentoff
- 2005: Kenny Burrell, Paquito D’Rivera, Slide Hampton, Shirley Horn, Artie Shaw, Jimmy Smith, George Wein
- 2006: Ray Barretto, Tony Bennett, Bob Brookmeyer, Chick Corea, Buddy DeFranco, Freddie Hubbard, John Levy
- 2007: Toshiko Akiyoshi, Curtis Fuller, Ramsey Lewis, Jimmy Scott, Frank Wess, Phil Woods, Dan Morgenstern
- 2008: Candido Camero, Andrew Hill, Quincy Jones, Tom McIntosh, Joe Wilder, Gunther Schuller
- 2009: George Benson, Jimmy Cobb, Lee Konitz, Toots Thielemans, Snooky Young, Rudy Van Gelder
- 2010: Muhal Richard Abrams, George Avakian, Kenny Barron, Bill Holman, Bobby Hutcherson, Yusef Lateef, Annie Ross, Cedar Walton
- 2011: Hubert Laws, David Liebman, Johnny Mandel, Orrin Keepnews, un de Marsalis Familie (Ellis Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis un Jason Marsalis)
- 2012: Jack DeJohnette, Von Freeman, Charlie Haden, Sheila Jordan, Jimmy Owens
- 2013: Mose Allison, Lou Donaldson, Lorraine Gordon un Eddie Palmieri
- 2014: Jamey Aebersold, Anthony Braxton, Richard Davis, Keith Jarrett
- 2015: Carla Bley, George Coleman, Charles Lloyd, Joe Segal
- 2016: Gary Burton, Wendy Oxenhorn, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp
- 2017: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ira Gitler, Dave Holland, Dick Hyman, Dr. Lonnie Smith
- 2018: Pat Metheny, Dianne Reeves, Joanne Brackeen, Todd Barkan
- 2019: Abdullah Ibrahim, Maria Schneider, Stanley Crouch, Bob Dorough
- 2020: Roscoe Mitchell, Dorthaan Kirk, Reggie Workman, Bobby McFerrin[1]
- 2021: Henry Threadgill, Tootie Heath, Terri Lyne Carrington, Phil Schaap
- 2022: Billy Hart, Donald Harrison, Stanley Clarke un Cassandra Wilson[2]
- 2023: Kenny Garrett, Louis Hayes, Regina Carter un Sue Graham Mingus[3]
- 2024: Gary Bartz, Terence Blanchard, Amina Claudine Myers, Willard Jenkins
- ↑ N.E.A. Jazz Masters Include Roscoe Mitchell and Dorthaan Kirk in The New York Times (2019)
- ↑ Mitdeelen bi NPR
- ↑ USA: NEA Jazz Masters 2023. Jazz thing, 19. Juli 2022, afropen an’n 20. Juli 2022.