Marshall Allen and Chucho Valdés included in 2025 class of NEA Jazz Masters
![Marshall Allen, who will be included in the class of Jazz Masters awarded by the NEA next year, performs onstage at the 2024 A Great Night In Harlem Gala at The Apollo Theater in New York City in March 2024](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5159x3248+310+131/resize/5159x3248!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6f%2Fb7%2F0d498be046e0a8e1a7a39b13a8dc%2Fgettyimages-2121158440.jpg)
A saxophonist of otherworldly gusto, two pianists of impulsive eloquence and a critic with a pen nearly as sharp as his ears are the latest selections for the the nation's highest honor for jazz.
(Image credit: Arturo Holmes)
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