"Nice." Jazz FM's Annual Awards Show the Genre Is Still Alive

Bathed within a glorious swell of free drinks befitting for its London Bridge location, Jazz FM’s second annual awards were awarded at Vinopolis to the industry’s standout names.

Hosted by the Fast Show’s self-confessed "jazz nut" John Thomson, whose John Balfour character was (of course) utilised in good measure, the awards celebrated some of the youngest – and oldest – names from the jazz community.

It was from either end of the spectrum that the evening’s standouts arrived; the baby-faced Jarrod Lawson and the age-defying Hugh Masekela both winning awards and delivering distinguished performances to those in attendance.

Lawson, who justifiably picked up the Soul Artist of the Year (beating the impressive D’Angelo in the process), was electric with his surprise rendition of Leon Russell’s ‘A Song For You’. It was Lawson’s first time back in the capital since his Ronnie Scott’s debut last October, and given the current levels of interest in the young Portland-based musician, it surely won’t be too long before he’s back touring Europe.

Masekela, the deserving Lifetime Achievement victor, praised Jazz FM when picking up his award for being “a prime centre of support since its inception”. The legendary South-African then thanked the broadcaster in the way he knows best by putting on a musical master class with renowned jazz pianist Larry Willis. The grizzled old-timers had performed earlier in the week at the Barbican theatre and their polished rendition of 'Nobody Knows You (When You're Down And Out)' was a solid reflection of how confident the pair are when on stage together.

The evening concluded with other awards being awarded to the Mercury nominated GoGo Penguin and genre-fusing Gregory Porter, who beat Birdman soundtrack curator Antonio Sanchez to the title of International Jazz Artist of the Year.

As Jon Snow compared brightly coloured tied with Masekela and the free gin cocktails kept on flowing, the evening drew to a close with Jazz FM surely the night’s biggest winner. Saved from the brink of folding under a decade ago, the respected station is now a bastion for jazz music and all those involved with it. 2016’s awards, and the works of those who will win there, are going to be hotly anticipated.

A full list of the evening’s winners is below:
Album of the Year (Public vote): 
Dianne Reeves – Beautiful Life
Live Experience of the Year (Public Vote): 
Loose Tubes at Cheltenham Jazz Festival
UK Jazz Act of the Year (Public Vote): 
GoGo Penguin
Breakthrough Act: 
Bill Laurance
Instrumentalist of the Year:
 Shabaka Hutchings
Vocalist of the Year:
 Zara McFarlane
Jazz Innovation of the Year:
 Jason Moran
International Jazz Artist of the Year:
 Gregory Porter
Blues Artist of the Year: 
Dr John
Soul Artist of the Year:
 Jarrod Lawson
PPL Lifetime Achievement: 
Hugh Masekela Words by Luke Forshaw

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