Montclair Music Maven Honored For Contributions To Jazz World

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A music maven from Montclair was recently honored for her contributions to the jazz world at 92NY’s “Extraordinary Women Awards.”

Melissa Walker, the founder of Montclair-based nonprofit Jazz House Kids, earned an “Inspiration through the Arts Award” at the annual ceremony, which took place for 2024 at 92NY’s David Geffen Stage in the Kaufmann Concert Hall.

Now in its ninth year, the Extraordinary Women Awards celebrates trailblazing women who make a profound impact on the community and change the world for good. Past recipients have included Misty Copeland, Roxane Gay and Valeria Luiselli.

Here’s what earned Walker a nod, according to a news release:

“As the brainchild behind the New Jersey/New York-based community arts nonprofit Jazz House Kids, Walker leads the nation’s preeminent jazz organization and is developing as a major jazz presenter. Jazz House Kids serves as an instrument for change, transforming young lives by creating avenues of access, learning, career development and community building.”

The organization also spearheads an enormously popular free jazz festival that takes place annually in Montclair. See Related: Montclair Jazz Fest Attracted 25,000 Music Fans This Year (VIDEO)

As part of the awards, 92nd Street Y named a yearly scholarship in Melissa Walker’s name for a student jazz vocalist.

Walker expressed her thanks to 92NY for being bestowed the award in her acceptance speech. She also thanked her husband – nine-time Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride – the nonprofit’s board members, its supporters and the rest of the Jazz House team.

Walker credited her late mother, Dr. Jeanne Marani Walker, for being the first “extraordinary woman” she met and introducing her to the power of the arts.

“I believe there are no accidents in life and one’s course is a set of accumulated events,” Walker said. “After my father passed away when I was seven, my mother would take my sisters and me on an annual trip from Alberta, Canada to New York City in our motorhome – our four-day journey would find a new home in the city, where we immersed ourselves in arts and culture that uplifted and broadened our view and challenged our perspective. There I found joy and inspiration in rich cultural institutions like 92NY, setting in motion my life’s work.”

A Brown University graduate and Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist, Walker has been recognized by NJBiz as one of New Jersey’s “Best 50 Women in Business,” and received a Jazz Journalists Association's Jazz Hero Award. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award, which recognizes unsung heroes who demonstrate their passion and unstoppable commitment to giving back to their communities and serving the most vulnerable.

Watch Walker speak about her latest award and her work with Jazz House Kids here.

In addition to Walker’s Inspiration of the Arts Award, the other 2024 92NY Extraordinary Women Award honorees were Zibby Owens, Champions Award; Erin Pond Friedman, Community Award; Marcella Hymowitz, Next Generation Leadership Award; and Sally Tannen, Impact Award in Memoriam.

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