Ambrose Akinmusire wins Jazz Journalists’ Trumpeter of the Year Award
On June 1, 2026, the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) announced the winners of the latest performance and recording awards with highlights in three brass categories – trumpet, trombone, and brass specialist. For Trumpeter of the Year, the 2026 Award went to Ambrose Akinmusire.
Since 1996, professional journalist members of the JJA have made open nominations in a first-selection round. Those who received the most nominations advanced to the finalists’ ballot, and JJA’s professional members voted on them to arrive at these honorees. Finalists for the trumpet category included Ingrid Jensen, Adam O’Farrill, and Wadada Leo Smith.
Akinmusire was also named a Finalist for Record of the Year for his recent release, honey from a winter stone, on the Nonesuch Records label. This is his fourth acknowledgement from jazz journalists, having won the Trumpeter of the Year award in 2021, 2024, and 2025.
Click this link for a complete list of 2026 winners and honorees.
Photo by Michael Wilson
