KAMASI WASHINGTON AMONG JAZZ FM AWARDS NOMINEES

The nominees for this year’s Jazz FM Awards, which are produced by Serious, have been announced, and include a wide range of jazz names alongside blues and soul artists. The winners will be announced at the Bloomsbury Ballroom on 26 April and will feature a special live performance by jazz vocal starGregory Porter, who is set to receive the Jazz Impact Award. The nominees include a diverse cross-section of artists with LA saxophonist Kamasi Washington – who took 2015 by storm with his hugely successful album The Epic – nominated for both International Jazz Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. The latter category, which is voted for by the public also features resurgent trumpeter Christian Scott’s Stretch Music, Australian groove-crew Hiatus Kiayote’s Choose Your Weapon, acclaimed composer Maria Schneider’s The Thompson Fields, emerging vocal star Charenee Wade’s Offering and Brooklyn funk-fusion collective Snarky Puppy’s Sylva. 

There’s a strong contingent of UK jazz singers represented in the Vocalist of the Year category with Liane Carroll, Eska and Lauren Kinsella all receiving nominations, while edgier sounds from UK improv duoBlack Top, Christian Scott for his Stretch Music project and Cuban jazz pianist David Virelles all receive nominations in the Jazz Innovation of the Year award. London-born multi-instrumentalist/singerJacob Collier receives nominations in Breakthrough Act of the Year, alongside sax and drum duo Binker & Moses and all-female band Nejira, as well as in the new Digital Initiative of the Year (that recognises artists using technology to reach new audiences) alongside French pianist/filmmaker Chassol and cutting-edge Dutch trio Tin Men & The Telephone who are renowned for their high-tech live shows. 

The full list of nominees is as follows:

Breakthrough Act of the Year: Binker & Moses – Jacob Collier – Nerija

International Jazz Artist of the Year: Kamasi Washington –Marcus Miller –Maria Schneider

Blues Artist of the Year: Alabama Shakes – Buddy Guy –Gary Clark Jnr

Soul Artist of the Year: Jill Scott – Leon Bridges –Lizz Wright

Instrumentalist of the Year: Mark Lockheart – Theon Cross – Zoe Rahman

Vocalist of the Year: Eska – Lauren Kinsella – Liane Carroll

Jazz Innovation of the Year: Black Top – Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah – David Virelles

Digital Initiative of the Year: Chassol – Jacob Collier – Tin Men & The Telephone

Album of the Year (Public Vote): Christian Scott Stretch Music; Hiatus Kiayote Choose Your Weapon;Kamasi Washington The Epic; Maria Schneider The Thompson Fields; Charenee Wade Offering; Snarky Puppy Sylva

UK Jazz Act of the Year (Public Vote): Binker & Moses –Matthew Halsall – Sons of Kemet

Live Experience of the Year (Public Vote): Ice-T and Ron McCurdy – The Langston Hughes Project at the Barbican – Maria Schneider at Symphony Hall Birmingham – Taylor McFerrin at Rio Club Glasgow

Lifetime Achievement (Sponsored by PPL): TBA

– Mike Flynn

For more info and to cast your votes visit www.jazzfmawards.com

from www.jazzwisemagazine.com/