Carlos Santana, Buddy Guy Set for Honors at ‘Great Night in Harlem’ Benefit at Apollo

Chris Willman
·2 min read

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Carlos Santana and Buddy Guy have been named as the honorees at this year’s “A Great Night in Harlem” benefit at the Apollo Theater, the annual fundraiser for the Jazz Foundation of America.

The benefit will take place at the Apollo April 14, with drummer and producer Steve Jordan set to return as musical director. Guest performers have yet to be announced. Ticket information for the organization’s annual gala can be found here.

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Blues great Guy will receive the the 2020 JFA Lifetime Achievement Award, while rock legend Santana will be the recipient of the JFA’s first-ever Claude Nobs Award, named for the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Last year, it was Tony Bennett and Harry Belafonte being saluted at the same event and storied venue, with Patti Smith, Common, Savion Glover, Bettye LaVette and Bruce Willis as well as Bennett himself among the performers. The JFA also does an intimate west coast benefit at L.A. Vibrato club in November each year, the most recent of which was a tribute to Joni Mitchell and Wayne Shorter starring Chaka Khan, Wendy & Lisa and others.

Also being feted at the Apollo will be Jazz Foundation founder-director Wendy Oxenhorn, who is getting the Quincy Jones Q & You Award as she steps aside from leading the organization to serve as vice chair. Oxenhorn previously won the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy in 2016.

“Wendy has been the heart and soul of the Jazz Foundation for 20 years,” JFA Executive Director Joe Petrucelli said in a statement. “Her spirit of generosity and selflessness have shaped the culture of the organization and touched the lives of everyoneassociated with it, not just the musicians but our supporters, board, and staff. These values are her legacy and will continue to inspire our work as she moves on to the next chapter in her storied life of service.”

The Jazz Foundation supports musicians in need, with examples cited as the most recent benefit including those who fell victim to the hurricanes in New Orleans and Puerto Rico, as well as 1100 individual cases a year that include employment support, health care and even the replacement of damaged instruments for indigent musicians.

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