Willard Jenkins

Willard Jenkins is a journalist, broadcaster and festival/concerts presenter/curator/artistic director based in the Washington, DC metro area. He is a 2024 recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master designation & fellowship. In 2024 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater Kent State University ('73), and recipient of numerous awards & citations. Jenkins co-authored African Rhythms (2010), the autobiography of NEA Jazz Master pianist-composer-bandleader Randy Weston. He is the editor of the 2022 volume Ain't But a Few of Us (Black music writers tell their story). African Rhythms and Ain't But a Few of Us are published by Duke University Press. Jenkins is a contributor to the 2024 anthology The Jazz Omnibus, "photos and writings by members of the Jazz Journalists Association, of which Jenkins is a co-founder and recipient of the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award.