Composers Renell Shaw and Charlie Bates win at Ivors Composers Awards 2020
Renell Shaw, who helped launched Jazz Voices, was among the recipients
Last updated 2nd Dec 2020
Who won at the Ivors 2020?
Jazz Composition for Large Ensemble
Crepuscule by Charlie Bates
Who is Charlie Bates?
Charlie grew up in Hertfordshire and began learning the piano aged 9. He was classically trained until he was introduced to jazz in his late teens by his grandparents.
Bates who began learning piano at nine years of aged, pursued a classical training initially, switching to jazz studies in his late teens, graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he studied Jazz Piano and Composition. He graduated from the Conservatoire in 2017 with first class honours while also winning the Composition Prize (2016), Jazz Performance Prize and Deans’ Award for Exceptional Achievement (2017). He was a chair holder with MYJO (with whom he performed live on BBC2 in 2015) and NYJO.
His debut album for Big Band, 'Silhouettes'' was released in 2017. He's also been commissioned by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Carwow.
His arranging skills have been married-up with the voices of Claire Martin OBE and Clare Teal. Last year, he secured the prestigious Dankworth Award for Jazz Composition and spent a year as the composer-in-residence for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra - whom he directed at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club in January 2020.
Discover more about Charlie Bates compositional approach creating Crepuscule
Jazz Composition for Small Ensemble
The Vision They Had by Renell Shaw
Renell Shaw who featured as the first guests of our Jazz FM Voices secured the award for Jazz Composition for Small Ensemble with the track The Vision They Had - one of the five tracks from touching, often poignant Windrush Suite.
Discover more about how Renell Shaw wrote 'The Vision They Had'
"The goal was simple," explained Renell, "Tell my grandparents story authentically. And honestly, I didn't want to just talk about Caribbean people who come to England.
I wanted to talk about the deepest stories I wanted to talk about love and loss triumph, adventure, and success, all of these things that I've heard for the stories that he told me over the years, so my job was to find ways to take these emotions that some are quite personal, because without them I wouldn't be.
I wanted to take those emotions take those stories and take those feelings, but find a way to translate it into something musical."
Who is Renell Shaw?
Renell is famed for his collaborations with Orphy Robinson MBE, Rudimental, Jess Glynne, Skepta, and Nitin Sawhney CBE, in addition to Maverick Sabre, DJ Spinal, Anne-Marie, Aloe Blacc, Speech Debelle, Sharon D. Clarke MBE and Carleen Anderson.
His music has been heard at the Southbank Centre, and been played by Britten Sinfonia, London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra. His theatre credits include Brief Encounter Directed by Emma Rice, A Midsummer Night’s Madness Directed by Susie McKenna, Cage Street Memorial Directed by Tim Hopkins and Kneehigh’s Ubu Directed by Carl Grose & Mike Shepherd.
Innovation Award
British-Bahrani trumpeter Yazz Ahmed was secured the Innovation Award. The award represents peer recognition for achievement, and an innovative approach to composition. The Academy has recognised Yazz for “her unique creative voice that smashes the boundaries between jazz and electronic sound design by drawing on her heritage to create intoxicating musical worlds.”
2020 has been a huge year for Yazz Ahmed, as she was awarded two awards at this year's Jazz FM Awards. You can watch her performance from the evening below.
Academy Fellowship
Julian Joseph OBE was awarded the an Academy Fellowship, the highest honour The Ivors Academy can give, recognising his excellence and impact in creating music. The Academy said, “We’re delighted to honour Julian for his incredible achievements in music as an educator and as a truly unique and exceptional voice in jazz and classical composition.”