Vijay Iyer Photo: ECM Records

Peter Bacon reads the long list:

Pianist Vijay Iyer, bandleader Maria Schneider, vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant and label boss Manfred Eicher are the thoroughly deserving headline-grabbers in this year’s DownBeat International Critics’ Poll.

In the results announced last night, Iyer was named Jazz Artist and the Vijay Iyer Sextet was Jazz Group. Salvant won Female Vocalist and her Dreams And Daggers album (on Mack Avenue) topped the Jazz Album list. Schneider has become something of a full-time resident in the Big Band and Arranger categories, and so it was again in 2018. Eicher was named Producer of the year and ECM was the top Record Label.
 
Other winners I was interested to see (so often this list is predictable, and understandably so because talent is more enduring than the passsing of just another year) were: Ambrose Akinmusire (Trumpet), Anat Cohen (Clarinet), Nicole Mitchell (Flute), Mary Halvorson (Guitar) and Hamid Drake (Percussion). The late Muhal Richard Abrams was honoured in the Composer category, and the late Geri Allen was named Pianist.

For the full list of winners including the always-interesting Rising Stars categories, go to DownBeat Announces Winners of the 2018 Int’l Critics Poll

And look out for a Podcast with Cécile McLorin Salvant on LondonJazz News very soon!