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The nominations for the 2016 Jazz FM Awards have been announced. The most prestigious ceremony in the jazz, soul and blues calendar is this year taking place on Tuesday 26th April at London’s Bloomsbury Ballroom and will feature a performance by Gregory Porter, who will also receive the Jazz Impact Award.
Once again the public will be able to vote for the winner of three categories Album of the year, UK Jazz Act of the Year and Live Experience of the Year. Voting will be open from 24th February to the 31st March via the Awards website. This year also sees the addition of a new award, the Digital Initiative Award, that has been created to recognise a musician who has harnessed the power of technology to engage with audiences.
This year’s nominees include Kamasi Washington who is up for two awards Album of the year and International Jazz Artist of the Year following the success of his 2015 album ‘The Epic’. US trumpeter Christian Scott has also received two nominations for Album Of The Year and Jazz Innovation of the Year after his genre bending work on the album ‘STRETCH Music’. Rounding off the trio of double nominees is prodigious newcomer Jacob Collier who is nominated for Breakthrough Act of the Year and the new Digital Initiative Award after independently gaining over 10 million views on Youtube.
Other categories include Soul Artist of the Year whose nominees include US vocalist Jill Scott, Leon Bridges fresh from the release of his debut album ‘Coming Home’ and Lizz Wright. Blues Artist of the Year will see Albama Shakes, Buddy Guy and guitarist Gary Clark Junior battle it out. Home-grown talent is once again celebrated in the UK Jazz Act of the Year category which sees nominations for Manchester based DJ, bandleader and trumpeter Matthew Halsall, London duo Binker & Moses and 4-piece jazz group Sons of Kemet.
“We are delighted to announce this year’s Jazz FM Awards nominees celebrating the extraordinary work from established international Grammy-winning superstars to up and coming homegrown talent, this is sure to be our biggest and best year yet” Jonathan Arendt, CEO, Jazz FM
The Jazz FM Awards 2016 is a partnership between Jazz FM and Serious and is made possible with the support of Grange Hotels, Mishcon de Reya, PPL, Yamaha, Arqiva, 7digital, and Denbies Wine Estate.
Full list of 2016 Nominees:
Breakthrough Act of the Year
Binker & Moses
Jacob Collier
Nerija
International Jazz Artist of the Year (Sponsored by Yamaha)
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 (Sponsored by Arqiva)
Mark Lockheart
Theon Cross
Zoe Rahman
Vocalist of the Year
Eska
Lauren Kinsella
Liane Carroll
Jazz Innovation of the Year (Sponsored by Mishcon de Reya)
Black Top
Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah
David Virelles
Digital Initiative of the Year (Sponsored by 7digital)
Chassol
Jacob Collier
Tin Men and 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)
(Sponsored by Grange Hotels)
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)
To be announced in due course
**Voting closes at 11.55on on 31st March 2016 and is restricted to one vote per person**
www.jazzfmawards.com