The sixth Jazz FM Awards will take place at Shoreditch Town Hall in London on Tuesday, Apr. 30, coinciding with UNESCO’s International Jazz Day.
The awards are meant to highlight the range of talent across the worlds of jazz, soul, and blues, featuring both emerging artists and established stars. In the past, the event has recognized artists such as Quincy Jones, George Benson, Gregory Porter, Ahmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis, and Hugh Masekela.
The nominations, including U.K. Jazz Act of the Year, the Innovation Award, and Album of the Year, will be announced in the new year.
Some of 2018’s Jazz FM Award winners include Nubya Garcia (Breakthrough Act of the Year), Esperanza Spalding (Digital Initiative of the Year for Exposure), Evan Parker (Instrumentalist of the Year), Shabaka Hutchings (Jazz Innovation of the Year), and Cécile McLorin Salvant (International Jazz Artist of the Year).
“We’re thrilled to announce the return of the Jazz FM Awards in 2019,” Nick Pitts, content director of Jazz FM, the largest commercial jazz station in the world, says in a press release.
“Jazz, soul, and blues have continued to thrive over the last 12 months and have been bolstered further still by exceptional live performances and ground-breaking recordings,” Pitts adds in the release. “We’re excited to be returning to Shoreditch Town Hall for another celebration of the genre’s vibrancy and diversity along with many of our sponsors who make the awards possible and our new radio family at Bauer Media.”
