Neil Tesser
{{Short description|American journalist and radio host}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Neil Tesser
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1951|9|30}}
| birth_place = New York, United States
| occupation = Author, journalist, radio host
}}
Neil Tesser (born 1951) is a Grammy Award–winning American journalist, radio host, music critic, and author. In 2015, he received the Jazz Journalists Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz Journalism.
Biography
Born in New York, Tesser grew up on Long Island.{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/sonido-isleno/Content?oid=917183 |title=Sonido Isleno |website=chicagoreader.com |date=November 4, 2004}} He attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. Tesser resides in Chicago.
Career
Tesser's career has spanned over five decades, and has included work as a journalist, music critic, radio host and author.
Tesser was a long-time jazz critic at the Chicago Reader, beginning his work there in the 1970s. Earlier in his career he wrote Reader's Hot Type column, covering sports among other topics.{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/02/04/chicagos-neil-tesser-wins-grammy |title=Chicago's Neil Tesser wins Grammy |website=chicagoreader.com |date=February 4, 2014 }} As a radio host, Tesser has hosted the nationally syndicated programs Miles Ahead and Listen Here!,{{cite web |url=http://news.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-journalists-association-honors-its-own-chicago-writer-broadcaster-neil-tesser-wins-2015-lifetime-achievement-in-jazz-journalism-award.php |title=Jazz Journalists Association Honors Its Own: Chicago Writer-Broadcaster Neil Tesser Wins 2015 Lifetime Achievement In Jazz Journalism Award |website=news.allaboutjazz.com |date=June 19, 2015 }} as well as Chicago-based jazz shows on WNIB, WBEZ, WSBC, WCFJ.{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/02/04/chicagos-neil-tesser-wins-grammy |title=Chicago's Neil Tesser wins Grammy |website=chicagoreader.com}}"[https://radionetwork.wfmt.com/people/our-producers/neil-tesser/ Neil Tesser], WFMT Radio Network. Retrieved February 18, 2019. He currently hosts the Chicago portion of "Jazz Across America" which airs and streams at [https://www.jazz88.org/programs/Jazz_Across_America-_Chicago/ KSDS -FM] in San Diego.
As an author, Tesser wrote The Playboy Guide to Jazz, published in 1998 by Plume.{{cite web | url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/21009-the-playboy-guide-to-jazz-neil-tesser | title=Neil Tesser: The Playboy Guide to Jazz | website=jazztimes.com/}} He has composed liner notes for nearly 600 albums, which have garnered him one Grammy Award and another nomination. Artists for whom Tesser has written liner notes include Blood, Sweat & Tears, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Gil Scott-Heron, Kurt Elling, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea, Bill Evans and Patricia Barber.{{cite web | url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/neil-tesser-mn0000105215/credits | title=Neil Tesser – Credits | website=allmusic.com}}
Tesser is a member of The Recording Academy, formerly serving as vice chair of the board of trustees.{{cite web | url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/02/04/chicagos-neil-tesser-wins-grammy | title=Chicago's Neil Tesser wins Grammy | website=chicagoreader.com| date=February 4, 2014 }}
Awards and nominations
Tesser received a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards for his liner notes to Afro Blue Impressions (Remastered and Expanded) by John Coltrane.{{cite web | url=https://www.grammy.com/photos/neil-tesser-0 | title=56th Grammy pre-telecast: Neil Tesser | website=grammy.com}} He was nominated for a Grammy in 1986 for his liner notes to Stan Getz's The Girl from Ipanema: The Bossa Nova Years.{{cite web | url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/02/04/chicagos-neil-tesser-wins-grammy | title=Chicago's Neil Tesser wins Grammy | website=chicagoreader.com| date=February 4, 2014 }}
On June 16, 2015, Tesser was awarded the Jazz Journalists Association's (JJA) Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz Journalism.{{cite web | url=http://news.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-journalists-association-honors-its-own-chicago-writer-broadcaster-neil-tesser-wins-2015-lifetime-achievement-in-jazz-journalism-award.php | title=Jazz Journalists Association Honors Its Own: Chicago Writer-Broadcaster Neil Tesser Wins 2015 Lifetime Achievement In Jazz Journalism Award | website=news.allaboutjazz.com| date=June 19, 2015 }} In addition, Tesser received the first JJA award for Excellence in Broadcasting.{{cite web | url=http://www.jjajazzawards.org/p/nominees-2015.html | title=Nominees 2015 | website=jjajazzawards.org}}
He was also a recipient of an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for his work with Rhino Records.{{cite web | url=http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/deems-taylor/feature/years/2001.aspx | title=34th Annual ASCAP Deems Taylor Award Recipients | website=ascap.com}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/neil-tesser-mn0000105215/credits
- https://twitter.com/ntesser
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Category:American music journalists