L-R: Maximilian Hirning, Leo Betzl, Sebastian Wolfgruber Photo credit Ralf Dombrowski

The winners of the 11th International European Burghausen Young Jazz Prize, worth EUR 5,000 are Trio LBT (Leo Betzl, piano, Maximilian Hirning, bass and Sebastian Wolfgruber, drums). 

The runners-up (EUR 3,000) were Weezdob Collective from Poland, and third place (EUR 1,500) went to Lobster from Leipzig. The soloist prize (EUR 1,000) went to Kacper Smolinski. 

Ralf Dombrowski comments:

“In the end it was the piano trio LBT from Munich who won the competition with their distinctive mixture of techno dramaturgy, club beats and jazz attitude. But the competition had been tough, ranging from song-oriented soul with indie influences (SiEA) and psychedelic jazz (Lorenzo Riessler Ensemble) to a modern saxophone-led band (Lobster) and energetic postbop (Weezdob Collective).

The musically virtuoso Polish harmonica player Kacper Smolinski also won the Soloist Award, and so with the final round of the 11th International European Burghausen Young Jazz Prize, the 50th anniversary edition of the Burghausen Jazz Week started off with a fascinating glimpse of the future.”

Ralf Dombrowski, a regular contributor to LJN, was a member of the jury for this award

Trio LBT Photo credit Ralf Dombrowski

LINK: Burghausen Jazz Festival website