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Legendary vocalist to be honoured at ceremony on Thursday October 28th 2021

Courtney Pine CBE to be presented with The Gold Award and Nubya Garcia, Celeste, SAULT, Jon Batiste, Floating Points, Emma-Jean Thackray and Gary Bartz amongst nominees

US vocalist Tony Bennett will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this month’s Jazz FM Awards with PPL and PRS for Music. The legendary singer, who has sold over 50 million records during the course of an illustrious 70-year career, will be presented with the award at the ceremony at Under the Bridge in West London on October 28th.

Also being honoured at this year’s ceremony will be revered UK saxophonist Courtney Pine CBE, who is the recipient of The Gold Award. Pine and Bennett join a long list of illustrious artists to have received one of Jazz FM’s Special Awards including the likes of Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Dame Cleo Laine, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Georgie Fame and Ahmad Jamal.

Jazz FM Content Director Nick Pitts:

“We are absolutely thrilled that the legendary Tony Bennett, one of the true greats of jazz whose music has touched so many millions of people around the world, has agreed to receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the meantime, we can’t wait for the world to see this year’s ceremony which is not only topped off by this Award for Tony alongside the Gold for Courtney Pine, but there will be some real surprises in the room along with some stunning performances. Roll on 28th October.”

This year’s Jazz FM Awards ceremony will be hosted by Jazz FM presenter Anne Frankenstein and British jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch and can be watched live on the station’s Facebook page. 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.

Plus, for the first time, the event will be followed by a NOLA themed afterparty for the winners and special guests hosted by LouisianaTravel.com with a special DJ set by Jazz FM’s Big Easy presenter, DJ Lil’Koko.

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

Tony Bennett

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.