The Scottish Jazz Awards ceremony, the tenth edition, was held last night 8 December 2022 at The Savings Bank in Bridge Street in Glasgow, just south of the Clyde. A record total of 3,300 votes were received in the categories open to a public vote. Here is the list of winners:

Rising Star Award sponsored by Musicians’ Union : Cara Rose

Best Instrumentalist Award sponsored by ESP Music Rentals  : Helena Kay

Best Vocalist Award sponsored by Whighams Jazz Club : kitti

Best Band Award sponsored by Inhouse Event Productions : Tenement Jazz Band

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Best Album Award sponsored by Birnam CD  : Fergus McCreadie, Forest Floor

Lifetime Achievement Award  : Alan Steadman

NOTES ON THE EVENT AND THE WINNERS FROM THE PRESS RELEASE

(Quote from press release begins): “Also recognised as part of this milestone event, was Scottish jazz royalty Fionna Duncan who sadly passed away earlier this week. Her musical partner Brian Kellock led a moving musical tribute to her as part of the night’s proceedings. Fionna was often described as a ‘national treasure’ and she started running Vocal Jazz Workshops at Glasgow Jazz Festival in 1996 which went on to become legendary on both the Scottish and wider jazz scene. Fionna was also the much loved host of the Glasgow Jazz Festival’s Late Night Jam Sessions for many years. 

This year’s Rising Star winner, 25-year-old Glasgow-based singer Cara Rose, started performing at a young age before going on to ​​study songwriting at Glasgow’s Academy of Music and Sound. She has since amassed over two million Spotify streams, with her 2022 single ‘Lovin’’ being featured on the platform’s New Music Friday playlist in October.

Helena Kay, 2022’s Best Instrumentalist Award winner, is a London-based tenor saxophonist who grew up in Perth. In 2015 she won the Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year, and in 2017 she won the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award. She used the prize money from this prestigious award to record and release her debut album Moon Palace. 

Best Vocalist Award winner kitti is a singer from Paisley. She also won Best Vocalist in 2020, and as well as winning the Scottish Music Awards ‘Best Female Breakthrough’ the same year. She supported Georgia Cecile at the Glasgow Jazz Festival this year as well as playing at the Edinburgh and Dundee Jazz Festivals. She also supported other greats such as Mavis Staples and Van Morrison.

Tenement Jazz Band, this year’s Best Band, are a traditional jazz outfit formed in 2018 in Edinburgh. This year they’ve delighted audiences at festivals across the UK, as well as performing at Edinburgh Jazz Festival.

Jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie was awarded this year’s prestigious Best Album Award for Forest Floor, which topped the UK Jazz and Blues Chart, and was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. This groundbreaking album was also crowned overall winner at the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award. 

Renowned jazz promoter and broadcaster Alan Steadman was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award to coincide with his retirement this year following an illustrious career supporting and promoting jazz within Scotland. Hailing from Broughty Ferry, Alan is also the voice of the Speaking Clock.” (Quote from press release ends)

LINK : Scottish Jazz Awards homepage.

The Awards are produced by the Glasgow Jazz Festival and Supported by Creative Scotland. LJN writers Patrick Hadfield and Mark McKergow were on the nomination panel, as was Fiona Mactaggart of Scottish Jazz Space.