Blue Note Records and Don Was to be honoured at the Jazz FM Awards
Aretha Franklin will also be saluted with a special tribute by Beverley Knight
It’s been confirmed that iconic US jazz label Blue Note Records and the label’s President - multi-Grammy-winning US musician, record producer and record executive Don Was will be presented with the PPL Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Jazz FM Awards, held at London’s Shoreditch Town Hall on International Jazz Day – April 30th and once again produced by Serious.
Celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2019, Blue Note has been synonymous with legendary jazz artists and landmark recordings since its inception, producing works which now represent the pillars of jazz history from the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, Cannonball Adderley and Art Blakey, and now with contemporary stars like Gregory Porter, Kandace Springs and Robert Glasper, Blue Note remains widely regarded today as the world’s most important jazz label, with Was at the helm.
Of receiving the award, Don Was said: “Jazz is what inspired me to become a musician many years ago, and it is incredibly rewarding and humbling to serve as the caretaker for this historic and hugely important label. It’s a responsibility I welcome and one that I take very seriously. This honour is especially meaningful coming from Jazz FM, who not only keeps the jazz legacy alive but carries the torch forward by recognizing and supporting the great jazz that is being created today.”
It’s also been announced that the Jazz FM Awards will feature a one-off tribute performance by UK soul-singer Beverley Knight celebrating her hero – the undisputed ‘Queen Of Soul’ Aretha Franklin. Aretha passed away in August and is seen as one of the most influential soul vocalists of her generation.
You can see full nominations list here.
The Jazz FM Awards 2019 is a partnership between Jazz FM and Serious and is sponsored by PPL, PRS for Music, Shoreditch Town Hall, Mishcon de Reya, Lateralize, Cambridge Audio, British Airways, Arqiva, Oanda, Warsteiner, Savile Row Gin, Denbies, GHS Global Hospitality, and Yamaha UK.