Full List of Nominations Announced for the Jazz FM Awards

The full list of nominations for the second Jazz FM Awards was announced today. Taking place on 10 June 2015 at London’s Vinopolis, one of the most glamorous nights of the jazz, soul and blues calendar will feature a very special performance from Hugh Masekela, who will also receive the Lifetime Achievement award. Rebecca Ferguson will also perform as part of a celebration of Billie Holiday’s centenary.

Despite the shock that Antonio Sanchez’s Birdman soundtrack was disqualified for an Oscar nomination, the album’s composer and drummer Antonio Sanchez receives a nomination for International Jazz Artist. He is joined by the only previous Jazz FM award winner, Gregory Porter whose album ‘Liquid Spirit’ continues to reach the UK top 10 album chart. New York based instrumental fusion band Snarky Puppy, complete the trio of nominees. The wider Jazz FM playlist is also celebrated this year with the inclusion of Soul Artist and Blues Artist awards. Soul Artist nominations include D’Angelo (also nominated for Album of the Year) who after a 12 year break returned with a new album and sold out two UK shows, California’s Jarrod Lawson whose meteoric rise saw him sell out two nights at Ronnie Scott’s and the Grammy award winning queen of power and vulnerability, Lalah Hathaway. Blues Artist nods at the legendary Dr John and Otis Taylor, as well as overnight UK hit Valerie June.

Kicking off the British nominations, Manchester’s GoGo Penguin receive their second nomination (also up for the public voted UK Jazz Act of The Year) in the Breakthrough Act category. They are nominated following the release of their critically acclaimed second album ‘v2.0’ in September 2014 and will compete with pianist, composer and bandleader Peter Edwards whose debut album ‘Safe and Sound’ was among MOJO magazine’s top 10 jazz albums of 2014. The category is completed by pianist, keyboard player, composer, producer and arranger Bill Laurance who, alongside his work with Snarky Puppy (also nominated for an award), released the critically acclaimed album ‘Flint’.

London females entirely dominate the British Vocalist category as East London’s Zara McFarlane receives a nomination alongside London vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki and London based vocalist and composer Lauren Kinsella.

The final British only category is the Instrumentalist Award. Pianist, organist and composer, Alexander Hawkins; trumpeter, composer and improviser, Laura Jurd; and saxophonist, band leader and composer Shabaka Hutchings all receive their first Jazz FM Award nominations. Shabaka is also nominated in the public voted category UK Jazz Artist of the Year with his project Sons of Kemet.

Jazz Innovation recognises artists whose compositions are pushing boundaries of the music and features nominations for saxophonist and flautist Henry Threadgill, pianist Jason Moran and trumpeter Theo Croker. 

Three other Audience Vote Awards: Live Experience of the Year, UK Jazz Act of the Year and Album of the Year were announced previously with voting open until 10 May via www.jazzfmawards.com/vote.

The Jazz FM Awards 2015 is a partnership between Jazz FM and Serious and is made possible with the support of Yamaha, Aberdeen Asset Management, Taylor’s Port, Mishcon De Reya, Arqiva, CityJet, Audemus Gin and Vinopolis.

Full Nominations are:
Album of the Year (Public vote): Ambrose Akinmusire (“The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint”), D'Angelo (“Black Messiah”), Dianne Reeves (“Beautiful Life”), Chris Potter Underground Orchestra (“Imaginary Cities”), Polar Bear (“In Each and Every One”), Troyka (“Ornithophobia”) 

Live Experience of the Year (Public Vote): Loose Tubes at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Blue Note 75th Birthday at EFG London Jazz Festival, Jamie Cullum at Love Supreme Jazz Festival 

UK Jazz Act of the Year (Public Vote): GoGo Penguin, Polar Bear, Sons of Kemet

Breakthrough Act: Bill Laurance, GoGo Penguin, Peter Edwards

Instrumentalist: Alexander Hawkins, Laura Jurd, Shabaka Hutchings

Vocalist: Alice Zawadzki, Lauren Kinsella, Zara McFarlane

Jazz Innovation: Henry Threadgill, Jason Moran, Theo Croker

International Jazz Artist: Antonio Sanchez, Gregory Porter, Snarky Puppy

Blues Artist: Dr John, Otis Taylor, Valerie June

Soul Artist: D’Angelo, Jarrod Lawson, Lalah Hathaway

Lifetime Achievement Award: Hugh Masekela