The 2015 Parliamentary Jazz Award nominees have been announced.
Zara McFarlane, Jason Yarde, and Peter Edwards are just a few of the artists up for an award at the prestigious award ceremony, which returns for its 11th year in 2015.
The nominees were chosen by a panel of musicians, journalists, and jazz aficionados, who selected 3-5 nominees for each category from a web poll used by the British public to create a shortlist of candidates.
Check out the full list of nominees below:
Jazz Vocalist of the Year
Alice Zawadzki
Georgia Mancio
Norma Winstone MBE
Zara McFarlane
Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year
Jason Yarde
Laura Jurd
Phil Robson
Jazz Album of the Year
Partisans – ‘Swamp’
Julian Argüelles – ‘Circularity’
Tim Garland – ‘Songs to the North Sky’
Jazz Ensemble of the Year
Engines Orchestra
Loose Tubes
Partisans
Jazz Newcomer of the Year
Blue-Eyed Hawk
Elliot Galvin Trio
Peter Edwards
Jazz Venue of the Year
Manchester Jazz Festival
Spice of Life
St Ives Jazz Club
Jazz Media Award
Jazz on 3 (BBC Radio 3)
London Jazz News
The Jazz Breakfast
Jazz Education Award
Dr. Tommy Smith
National Youth Jazz Orchestra
Simon Purcell
Services to Jazz Award
Chris Hodgkins
Evan Parker
Mike Gordon
This list of nominees will now be passed on to the 100-or-so members of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG), which includes members of House of Commons and House of Lords across all major political parties, to select the winners in each category.
The award ceremony is usually held two months later. However, as a result of the general election on May 15, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards will now take place on March 10, 2015.The event will be emceed by television presenter Moira Stuart and feature performances by a range of artists, including James Pearson and The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars.
In a statement Michael Connarty MP, Co-Chair of APPJAG, said: “These shortlists demonstrate the wealth of talent and commitment that exists in the British jazz scene. Now in its 11th year, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards honours the best of British jazz. MPs and Peers in the All Party Group are delighted to host another ceremony in the House of Commons and we are extremely grateful to PPL for sponsoring the event.”
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