News

This year’s ceremony takes place at Under the Bridge on October 28th and will be hosted by Anne Frankenstein and Soweto Kinch

Nubya Garcia, Celeste, SAULT, Jon Batiste, Floating Points, Emma-Jean Thackray and Gary Bartz amongst nominees

It is announced today that legendary British saxophonist Courtney Pine is to receive the prestigious Gold Award at this year’s Jazz FM Awards with PPL and PRS for Music. Pine, one of the most celebrated UK jazz musicians of all time whose glittering three-decade career has included being awarded both an OBE and CBE for services to music, will collect the award in-person at the ceremony at Under the Bridge in West London on Thursday October 28th.

Pine will join a long list of illustrious artists to have received one of Jazz FM’s Special Awards including some of the true greats of the genre such as Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Dame Cleo Laine, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Georgie Fame and Ahmad Jamal.

Courtney Pine:

“I would sincerely like to thank all the hard-working members of Jazz FM for recognising me in this way. An award of this stature to someone like me is amazing, I never thought that I would be acknowledged for trying to perform jazz in the United Kingdom in this way. I am deeply honoured and truly realise the significance of a youth from North West London being given this Gold Award during these times. UK stand tall.”

The Gold Award will be presented to Pine on the night by the Jazz FM Awards headline sponsors PPL and PRS for Music.

Peter Leathem, Chief Executive Officer, PPL:

“Courtney Pine CBE is a truly deserving winner of this year’s Gold Award. Since the 1980s he has been an instrumental figure in the UK jazz scene, releasing critically acclaimed solo work as well as regularly collaborating with his contemporaries in bands like Jazz Warriors. The lasting impact of these collaborations, which aimed to promote black jazz artists, can be seen today in the outstanding talents currently on the UK jazz scene, for whom Courtney and his peers blazed a trail. Congratulations Courtney and thank you for your contribution to UK jazz.”

Andrea Czapary Martin, CEO, PRS for Music:

“We are delighted to be a headline sponsor of the Jazz FM Awards this year, it is an important moment to recognise and celebrate the creative excellence of the UK’s jazz community. In particular, all of us at PRS for Music would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Courtney Pine for his Gold Award. With a career in the British jazz scene spanning over thirty years, Courtney continues to break new ground with a string of highly acclaimed recordings and numerous accolades.”

This year’s Jazz FM Awards ceremony will be hosted by Jazz FM presenter Anne Frankenstein and British jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch and nominees include star saxophonist Nubya Garcia, chart-topping singer Celeste, London soul collective SAULT, US pianist and singer Jon Batiste, fast-rising trumpeter Emma-Jean Thackray, producer and DJ Floating Points with the London Symphony Orchestra and Pharoah Sanders, neo-soul singer-songwriter Ego Ella May, revered British-Italian singer Georgia Mancio, and the legendary alto saxophonist Gary Bartz.

JAZZ FM AWARDS 2021 with PPL and PRS for Music: NOMINEES

BLUES ACT OF THE YEAR

Eric Bibb
Marcus Bonfanti
Ruthie Foster

BREAKTHROUGH ACT OF THE YEAR

Jas Kayser
Nathaniel Cross
Secret Night Gang

THE DIGITAL AWARD sponsored by Raisin UK

Bandcamp Fridays
jazz re:freshed
Kansas Smitty’s

THE INNOVATION AWARD sponsored by Mishcon de Reya

Blue Note Re:imagined
EFG London Jazz Festival
SAULT

INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR

Amanda Whiting
Daniel Casimir
Ed ‘Tenderlonious’ Cawthorne

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ ACT OF THE YEAR sponsored by Travelzoo

Christian McBride
Gary Bartz
Maria Schneider

SOUL ACT OF THE YEAR

Ego Ella May
Jon Batiste
Omar

VOCALIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Hampstead Jazz Club Presents

Celeste
Ego Ella May
Georgia Mancio

PUBLIC VOTE CATEGORIES

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Fergus McCreadie: Cairn
Floating Points, London Symphony Orchestra, and Pharoah Sanders: Promises
Jon Batiste: WE ARE
Matthew Halsall: Salute To The Sun
Nubya Garcia: SOURCE
SAULT: UNTITLED (Black Is)

UK JAZZ ACT OF THE YEAR

Archipelago
Emma-Jean Thackray
Fergus McCreadie

GIFTED AWARD CATEGORIES

GOLD AWARD

Courtney Pine

IMPACT AWARD

TBC

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

TBC

Public voting is open now at www.jazzfmawards.com/vote/ and will close on Friday September 24^th.

The Jazz FM Awards 2021 is made possible with the support of PPL and PRS for Music, Mishcon De Reya, Travelzoo, Hampstead Jazz Club Presents, Raisin UK, Louisianatravel.com and Yamaha.

Launching this year on the Jazz FM Premium app is a Jazz FM Awards channel that celebrates the rich history of the Awards with non-stop, ad break free music from winners and nominees. Jazz FM Premium launched earlier this year and offers its subscribers 20 exclusive Jazz FM stations along with a host of additional content.