It is announced today that legendary British saxophonist Courtney Pine is to receive the prestigious Gold Award at this year’s Jazz FM Awards with PPL and PRS for Music. Pine, one of the most celebrated UK jazz musicians of all time whose glittering three-decade career has included being awarded both an OBE and CBE for services to music, will collect the award in-person at the ceremony at Under the Bridge in West London on Thursday October 28th.
Pine will join a long list of illustrious artists to have received one of Jazz FM’s Special Awards including some of the true greats of the genre such as Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Dame Cleo Laine, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Georgie Fame and Ahmad Jamal.
Courtney Pine said “I would sincerely like to thank all the hard-working members of Jazz FM for recognising me in this way. An award of this stature to someone like me is amazing, I never thought that I would be acknowledged for trying to perform jazz in the United Kingdom in this way. I am deeply honoured and truly realise the significance of a youth from North West London being given this Gold Award during these times. UK stand tall.”
The Gold Award will be presented to Pine on the night by the Jazz FM Awards headline sponsors PPL and PRS for Music.
This year’s Jazz FM Awards ceremony will be hosted by Jazz FM presenter Anne Frankenstein and British jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch and nominees include star saxophonist Nubya Garcia, chart-topping singer Celeste, London soul collective SAULT, US pianist and singer Jon Batiste, fast-rising trumpeter Emma-Jean Thackray, producer and DJ Floating Points with the London Symphony Orchestra and Pharoah Sanders, neo-soul singer-songwriter Ego Ella May, revered British-Italian singer Georgia Mancio, and the legendary alto saxophonist Gary Bartz.
JAZZ FM AWARDS 2021 with PPL and PRS for Music: NOMINEES
BLUES ACT OF THE YEAR
Eric Bibb
Marcus Bonfanti
Ruthie Foster
BREAKTHROUGH ACT OF THE YEAR
Jas Kayser
Nathaniel Cross
Secret Night Gang
THE DIGITAL AWARD sponsored by Raisin UK
Bandcamp Fridays
jazz re:freshed
Kansas Smitty’s
THE INNOVATION AWARD sponsored by Mishcon de Reya
Blue Note Re:imagined
EFG London Jazz Festival
SAULT
INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
Amanda Whiting
Daniel Casimir
Ed 'Tenderlonious' Cawthorne
INTERNATIONAL JAZZ ACT OF THE YEAR sponsored by Travelzoo
Christian McBride
Gary Bartz
Maria Schneider
SOUL ACT OF THE YEAR
Ego Ella May
Jon Batiste
Omar
VOCALIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Hampstead Jazz Club Presents
Celeste
Ego Ella May
Georgia Mancio
PUBLIC VOTE CATEGORIES
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Fergus McCreadie: Cairn
Floating Points, London Symphony Orchestra, and Pharoah Sanders: Promises
Jon Batiste: WE ARE
Matthew Halsall: Salute To The Sun
Nubya Garcia: SOURCE
SAULT: UNTITLED (Black Is)
UK JAZZ ACT OF THE YEAR
Archipelago
Emma-Jean Thackray
Fergus McCreadie
GIFTED AWARD CATEGORIES
GOLD AWARD
Courtney Pine
IMPACT AWARD
TBA
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
TBA
The Jazz FM Awards 2021 is made possible with the support of PPL and PRS for Music, Mishcon De Reya, Travelzoo, Raisin UK, Hampstead Jazz Club Presents, Sky VIP, Denbies, David Arnold Music and Yamaha.
Launching this year on the Jazz FM Premium app is a Jazz FM Awards channel that celebrates the rich history of the Awards with non-stop, ad break free music from winners and nominees. Jazz FM Premium launched earlier this year and offers its subscribers 20 exclusive Jazz FM stations along with a host of additional content.
