Time to check out the best at jazz awards

Time to check out the best at jazz awards

The longlist for this year's Scottish Jazz Awards is now available for consideration on the website of the Scottish Jazz Federation, starting with the twelve releases that are in contention for album of the year, to be selected by an online public vote between October 9 and 11.

The artists in contention for that award are Breach, Havanan Swing, Tom Gibbs, Tom Bancroft's Trio Red, Das Contras, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Ali Affleck, Brass Jaw, Euan Stephenson and Konrad Wiszniewski, Euan Burton, Graeme Stephen, and Jonathan Silk.

Many of those names also appear in other categories in a very long longlist that totals 276 nominations, including 33 in the Emerging Artist category and 41 for Live Jazz Experience.

While this speaks funky volumes for the rude good health of jazz music in Scotland, it all adds up to an almighty task for the panel of 14 judges charged with picking the winners.

They include Glasgow Jazz Festival director Jill Rodger, Amy Pearce of London Jazz Festival, self-styled Jazz Ned of Starla Records Mark Robb, journalist Alison Kerr, Chris Hodgkins of Jazz Service in London and Svend Brown of Glasgow Music.

The panel is chaired by Scottish Jazz Federation Chair David Francis and the result of their deliberations will be revealed at a red carpet event in Dirty Martini in Le Monde in George Street, Edinburgh on October 21.

l scottishjazzfederation.com