The stars of Scotland’s burgeoning jazz scene were celebrated last night at the 2023 Scottish Jazz Awards.
Hosted by multi-award winning musician Seonaid Aitken, the sparkling ceremony took place at Glasgow’s Savings Bank and saw winners across six categories, including Rising Star, Vocalist, Instrumentalist, Band, Album and Critic’s Choice, honoured for their outstanding contributions to the genre.
Over 3,000 votes were cast for the shortlisted nominees in each category, while the brand new Critics’ Choice Award was chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, including press and promoters from across the country.
The winners of the 2023 Scottish Jazz Awards are:
Rising Star Award, sponsored by Musicians’ Union
Kimberley Tessa
Best Instrumentalist Award, sponsored by ESP Music Rentals
Ewan Hastie
The Fionna Duncan Best Vocalist Award, sponsored by Whighams Jazz Club
Marianne McGregor
Best Band Award, sponsored by PizzaExpress Live
corto.alto
Best Album Award, sponsored by Birnam CD
Marram – Matt Carmichael
Critics’ Choice Award, sponsored by Inhouse Event Productions
Rachel Lightbody
This year’s Rising Star winner, Kimberley Tessa is a Dundee-based multi-instrumentalist steadily making a name for herself within Scotland’s vibrant jazz scene. At just 21 years of age, her remarkable vocal talents, as well as her skill on the saxophone and flute, have grabbed the attention of peers and critics alike over the past year, earning her an enviable reputation as a musician to watch.
Ewan Hastie, 2023’s Best Instrumentalist Award winner, has enjoyed an incredibly successful couple of years. The talented bassist and composer was named BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year in 2022 and this year was awarded the Mark McKergow Prize for Jazz Improvisation. Already making his mark on the Scottish music scene and beyond, Ewan has performed with a number of the top musicians from all over the country and is on his way to becoming a defining force in the global jazz sphere.
This year’s Best Vocalist Award was renamed in honour of the late jazz singer Fionna Duncan, who sadly passed away in 2022. Fionna made great contributions to the Scottish jazz scene with her impeccable vocals and infectious enthusiasm for the music. Last night saw Marianne McGregor take home the Best Vocalist title for the second time, recognised again for her powerful vocals, improvisation skills and pure, emotive work.
The brilliant corto.alto, winners of the 2023 Best Band Award, are a Glasgow-based, genre-defying collective, known for pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz. Their debut album, Bad With Names, was released in October of this year and was met with widespread acclaim, cementing their reputation as trailblazers in the fusion of jazz, electronica and experimental soundscapes.
Matt Carmichael took home the prestigious Best Album Award for his record Marram, taking influence from the drama, moods and expansiveness of the coastal imagery of Scotland. A celebrated saxophonist and composer, Matt continues to move from strength to strength with his powerfully emotive blend of jazz and folk music. His second album, Marram perfectly blends the musician’s favourite aspects from both jazz and folk music styles.
This year’s new Critics’ Choice Award celebrated the musician who received the most votes overall from the nominating panel and was picked up by vocalist Rachel Lightbody. Rachel has forged an impressive path for herself within the Scottish music scene. Her influences are immersed in a broad range of styles and sounds, creating her genre hopping and fluid approach to writing and interpreting music. She is the vocalist in Scottish jazz/soul ensemble Mama Terra whose music is focused on positivity and friendship.
Jill Rodger, Director of Glasgow Jazz Festival and Producer of the Scottish Jazz Awards, said:
The resounding success of the 2023 Scottish Jazz Awards is a testament to the talent, drive and innovation within the genre. The Scottish jazz scene continues to inspire and push boundaries, and I am continually in awe of the capabilities of our musicians. I would like to say a huge thank you to our attendees, voters, performers and our wonderful sponsors, without whom these awards would not be possible. A special mention must also go to our nominees and, of course, worthy winners – your incredible achievements continue to elevate the richness and diversity of Scotland’s musical landscape.
Since their inception, The Scottish Jazz Awards have become a hallmark event on the Scottish cultural calendar, recognising and honouring contributions to the genre from some of Scotland’s finest vocalists and instrumentalists, while inspiring gifted newcomers to the scene.