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Yesterday, the nominees for the 2018 JazzFM awards were announced. Jazz FM launched the Jazz FM Awards in 2013 with the aim of celebrating the work of jazz, blues and soul musicians. The Awards are a partnership between Jazz FM and Serious. They promote excellence, recognize distinction and commend those that have made an exceptional contribution to genres from rising stars to established British artists and international musicians.
Bassist extraordinaire Thundercat, formidable vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, genre-bending bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding, and pioneering trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah are all up for awards alongside the cream of the thriving UK scene including Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Jacob Collier and Yazz Ahmed, as announced at yesterday’s nominations event held in London at ‘Melomania at Cambridge Audio’.
Recognizing the best emerging new artists, contemporary jazz icons and established stars from across the worlds of jazz, soul and blues, the Jazz FM Awards are now in their fifth outing and will celebrate what has been a remarkable year for jazz which has seen the genre continue to enjoy widespread critical acclaim and a huge resurgence in popularity. The ceremony will take place at Shoreditch Town Hall on International Jazz Day on 30 th April.
As well as the awards presentation, which will be hosted by Jazz FM presenters Chris Philips and Jez Nelson, the night will feature several performances from a range of acclaimed artists led by rising star pianist and MD of this year’s Jazz FM Awards House Band, Ashley Henry. Cecile McLorin Salvant, who was recently honored at the Grammys, is the first artist confirmed to perform at the event and will showcase material from her 2017 release Dreams and Daggers. The US powerhouse vocalist has been nominated for two awards this year under the categories of International Jazz Act of the Year and Album of the Year, with the latter decided by public vote.
The recipients of the special award categories – PPL Lifetime Achievement Award, PRS For Music Gold Award and Impact Award – will be announced ahead of the ceremony. In previous years, these special award-winners have included Oscar-winning film director Damien Chazelle, Georgie Fame, Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and the late Hugh Masekela.
More information and to vote for your favorite Nominee visit the awards website.
Below is the full list of Nominees.
Breakthrough Act of the Year
Ezra Collective | Nubya Garcia | Rob Luft
Soul Artist of the Year – Sponsored by RCS
Jordan Rakei | Leroy Hutson | Moonchild
UK Jazz Act of the Year (Public Vote) – Sponsored by Cambridge Audio
Dinosaur | Ezra Collective | Kansas Smitty’s House Band
Digital Initiative of the Year
Esperanza Spalding: Exposure | Jacob Collier: I Harm U | Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club: Live Streaming
Instrumentalist of the Year – Sponsored by Grange Hotels
Evan Parker | Theon Cross | Yazz Ahmed
Blues Artist of the Year
Lucky Peterson | Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ | Robert Cray
Jazz Innovation of the Year – Sponsored by Mishcon De Reya
Carleen Anderson: Cage Street Memorial | Joe Armon-Jones and Maxwell Owin: Idiom | Shabaka Hutchings
Vocalist of the Year – Sponsored by Lateralise
Alice Zawadzki | Liane Carroll | Zara McFarlane
International Jazz Artist of the Year – Sponsored by Oris Watches
Cécile McLorin Salvant | Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah | Thundercat
Album of the Year (Public Vote) – Sponsored by Arqiva
Blue Note All-Stars – Our Point of View
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Dreams and Daggers
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Diaspora
Denys Baptiste – The Late Trane
Phronesis – The Behemoth
Thundercat – Drunk
Live Experience of the Year (Public Vote) – Sponsored by Rathbones
A Concert for Alice and John – Pharoah Sanders Quartet, Denys Baptiste and Alina Bzhezhinska – EFG London Jazz Festival at The Barbican
An evening with Dave Holland – Ambleside Days Festival at Zeffirellis Cinema
Jazz Re:Fest at Southbank Centre
Makaya McCraven featuring Theon Cross Trio and Jaimie Branch Fly or Die Ensemble –
CHICAGOXLONDON Day 1 at Total Refreshment Centre
Randolph Matthews – Jazz in the Round at Love Supreme Festival
Ronnie Scott’s presents Ezra Collective – EFG London Jazz Festival at Islington Assembly Hall
“PPL Lifetime Achievement Award“,”PRS For Music Gold Award” and the “Impact Award” at still to be announced.
Featured Image: Cécile McLorin Salvant, Photo by Hector Perez
Last modified: July 15, 2018
