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NAMES & FACES

End Notes

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· Seven jazz luminaries, including Tony Bennett and Chick Corea , were honored Friday night in New York at the annual NEA Jazz Masters Awards concert.

"This is amazing. I'm overwhelmed. It's music that I love so much from all of these magnificent artists," said Bennett as he accepted his award. "More than anybody else I'd like to thank Count Basie for teaching me how to perform," he said.

The other honorees were Latin percussionist Ray Barretto , composer and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer , trumpeter Freddie Hubbard , clarinetist Buddy DeFranco , and John Levy , a bassist credited with being the first African American to work in the music industry as a personal manager.

· U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says that cellist Yo-Yo Ma will be the United Nations' latest peace envoy.

Annan met the world-renowned musician last week and told reporters that Ma, 50, would be joining Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel , boxing great Muhammad Ali , actor Michael Douglas , scientist Jane Goodall and others in what Annan says is the world's most important task: promoting peace.

-- Compiled by Michael Cotterman from wire reports

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