I
f you want to put your finger on the pulse of the British jazz
scene, then look no further than the annual BBC Jazz Awards,
hosted by BBC Radio 2 and 3. This year the showcase event was
JAZZ
held in The Mermaid Theatre in London and was presented by
radio personality Paul Gambaccini. Each year a panel of experts
compile an extensive list of nominees, announced this year in a
special ceremony hosted by Gambaccini in Ronnie Scotts’ jazz club
in June, and during the next month, fans were invited to vote for
their favourite artists, either by post or on-line.
Here’s your Propergandist picks of the crucial winners on the
night, with a special mention also due for Alan Bates, who won
the Services To Jazz Award, preseneted on the night one of many
artists whose career he undoubtedly fostered, Jamie Cullum.
Album of the Year – All Is Yes by The Blessing
Just to confuse things, The Blessing announced they were
changing their name to Get the Blessing right after accepting their
award which was presented by DJ and producer Goldie. The band
then took the stage to play Cake Hole, livening up the audience
with their engaging and upbeat blend of jazz, punk and post-rock.
Best Vocalist – Christine Tobin
Irish born singer/songwriter has lived in London since 1987,
and has recorded six albums for the Babel label. Her semi-
biographical album Secret Life of a Girl is reflective and rich
in original melodies and sharp observations on the human
condition. Currently touring the album, The Guardian raved,
“There are no weak spots in this excellent collection.”
Best Instrumentalist – Tony Kofi
Saxophonist Tony Kofi has always sounded like an award winner,
his emotional intensity and knowledge of the jazz tradition
marking him out from the very beginning of his career. His latest
album The Silent Truth is his homage to the organ and sax combos
of the Fifties and Sixties in general and jazz legend Dr. Lonnie
Smith in particular, “The album will take you on a historical musical
journey, a journey of my own life experience, future passed,” he says.
Jazz Line-Up Band of the Year – Tom Cawley’s Curios
Curios comprises Tom Cawley on piano, Sam Burgess on bass
and Joshua Blackmore on drums. Playing original compositions
by Cawley, who is also keyboard player in the critically acclaimed
Acoustic Ladyland, this exciting piano trio narrowly missed picking
up the Best Album of the Year award last year for their debut
album Hidden. Their recently released Closer has been described
by Time Out magazine as “state of the art.”
JAZZ
Jazz on 3 Innovation Award – Fraud
Fraud, a quintet that boasts two drummers, was formed by multi-
instrumentalist James Allsopp and drummer Tim Giles. Their
current album eponymously titled album, released last year, mixes
free, improv, punk and electronica which they call “experimental
jazz/thrash” and “abbatoire improv meets ruthlessly trimmed funk”
on their MySpace site. It earned them a nomination for Album of
The Year in the 2007 BBC Jazz Awards and much praise from the
jazz press.
BBC Jazz Awards 2CD Set
Of course for the complete overview of the process you can
do no better than snapping up this annual treasure trove of a
compilation. It features all of the nominated artists,with 22 tracks
over two discs. For the merely curious to the outright buff there
BBC JAZZ AWARDS
is something here to suit all tastes, with every single shade of the
blue notes represented. That is the great joy of this music after all,
it never stands still and nor should it.
Stuart Nicholson
29 Properganda 10
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