The nominations for the 31st edition of the British Jazz Awards have been announced. Now in their 31st year, the awards were set up to help the best musicians, bands and album releases get the recognition they deserve.
Our panel of 14 experts from the jazz community put their heads together to produce the following list of nominees:
Best Trumpet Player: Bruce Adams, Enrico Tomasso, Freddie Gavita, Laura Jurd
Best Trombone Player: Adrian Fry, Dennis Rollins, Ian Bateman, Mark Nightingale
Best Clarinet Player: Alan Barnes, Julian Stringle, Mark Crooks, Peter Long
Best Alto Saxophone Player: Alan Barnes, Derek Nash, Nigel Hitchcock, Soweto Kinch
Best Tenor Saxophone Player: Alex Garnett, Art Themen, Karen Sharp, Robert Fowler
Best Guitarist: Jim Mullen, Martin Taylor, Nigel Price, Remi Harris
Best Pianist: David Newton, Gareth Williams, Nikki Iles, Zoe Rahman
Best Double Bass Player: Alec Dankworth, Andrew Cleyndert, Dave Green, Simon Thorpe
Best Drummer: Clark Tracey, Matt Home, Steve Brown, Winston Clifford
Best Vocalist: Claire Martin, Clare Teal, Georgia Mancio, Tina May
Miscellaneous Instruments: Alan Barnes (Baritone Saxophone), Jim Hart (Vibraphone), Karen Sharp (Baritone Saxophone), Ross Stanley
Best Small Group: Brandon Allen Six, Digby Fairweather’s Half Dozen, Nigel Price Organ Trio, Tipitina
Best Big Band: Beats and Pieces, Echoes of Ellington, NYJO, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra
Rising Star: Alexandra Ridout, Camilla George, Nubya Garcia, Rory Ingham
Best New CD: Explore Records for Golden Moments by Bruce Adams/Craig Milverton; Gearbox Records for Journey To The Mountain Of Forever by Binker & Moses; JVG Productions for It’s Always 9:30 In Zog by Dave O’Higgins; Woodville Records for The Lowest Common Denominator by Gilad Atzmon and Alan Barnes
Best Reissue CD: Acrobat Music for Helter Sketler by Joe Harriott; Harkit Records for Change of Setting by Tubby Hayes and Paul Gonsalves; Lake Records for Dusting Off The Archives by Humphrey Lyttelton; Rhythm and Blues Records for The Songbook by Harry South
You can vote online until 31st October at tiny.cc/britishjazzawards17/ – leave your email address, and you’ll be entered in to a prize draw for £100 worth of Big Bear CDs. Results will be announced here and on the British Jazz Awards Facebook page the following week.
And last of all, thanks to our nomination panel:
| Chris Hodgkins | Musician and Broadcaster |
| Cole Mathieson | The Concorde Club |
| Dave Cottle | Swansea International Jazz Festival |
| David Nathan | National Jazz Archive |
| Denny Ilett | Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival |
| Fred Lindop | Swanage Jazz Festival |
| Jill Rodger | Glasgow Jazz Festival |
| John Billett | JBGB Events |
| Lance Liddle | Bebop Spoken Here |
| Laurie Burnette | Jazz London Radio |
| Peter Vacher | Jazz Writer |
| Phil Meadows | Musician, Educator and Band Leader |
| Ron Simpson | Jazz Rag |
| Sue Edwards | Manager and Festival Organiser |
