Trio LBT with their award Photo credit: Ralf Dombrowski

The winners of the 10,000€ BMW Welt Jazz Award 2018 are the Munich-based trio LBT (Leo Betzl Trio, consisting of pianist Leo Betzl, Sebastian Wolfgruber on drums and Maximilian Hirning on bass), reports Ralf Dombrowski. In Ralf’s words, the trio “works with the dramaturgy of long arcs, creating a fusion of techno motifs and improvisation, and has been doing so for a year or two”. Their Facebook page is HERE

Ralf was equally impressed by the runners-up at Saturday’s final who receive 5,000€, the duo BartolomeyBittmann progressive strings vienna with their unusual combination of mandola and cello. They also won the audience prize and a concert at Schloss Elmau.

The full list of the six bands in contention for the award was:

LBT
Jukka Eskola Soul Trio
Puerta Sur – Tangomoods
Andi Kissenbeck’s CLUB BOOGALOO
Beady Belle
BartolomeyBittmann progressive strings vienna

LINK: Ralf Dombrowski’s full report of the final in German for the Jazzzeitung is HERE