Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition winners announced
The winning compositions were performed at a celebratory prize-giving concert at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music in Greenwich.
The 2016 Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition winners were revealed on March 1st at the 300 seater Laban Theatre in Greenwich, South East London.
In a showcase of emerging young talent the Small Band award went to Billy Marrows, a jazz guitarist who wrote a piece called ‘Destarata’. Bassist Matthew Read won the Big Band section with his composition ‘A Pun for Simon.’ Winners were chosen by this year’s jury of established jazz musicians Denys Baptiste, Tim Garland and Nikki Iles. Jacqui, Alec and Emily Dankworth all attended.
The Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition offers £1,000 prizes for original jazz compositions. This year they were performed at the event for the very first time by Trinity Laban’s acclaimed jazz ensembles under the direction of Malcolm Earle-Smith and 2016 Jazz FM Award nominee Mark Lockheart. The Prize was established by British businessman and jazz musician Art Mead in 2007.
Previous award winners have included Jazz FM Award nominated trumpeter Laura Jurd, bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado and trombonist Tom Green.