The Scottish Jazz Awards have announced the winners of this year’s prestigious honours at an annual celebration of the finest talent within the Scottish jazz scene. Hosted by actress and singer, Suzanne Bonnar, the 12th ceremony took place at The Savings Bank in Glasgow with the jazz community gathering to honour the incredible contributions of musicians across 2024.
The Scottish Jazz Awards aim to recognise and celebrate excellence across various categories, highlighting both established artists and emerging talents in the Scottish jazz industry. This year’s winners are a testament to the vibrant and diverse jazz landscape in Scotland. Thousands of votes were cast by the public for the shortlisted nominees in each category, while the Critics’ Choice Award was chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, including press and promoters from across the country.
The winners of the 2024 Scottish Jazz Awards are:
Rising Star Award, sponsored by Musicians’ Union – Laura Oghagbon
Best Instrumentalist Award, sponsored by ESP Music Rentals – Fergus McCreadie
The Fionna Duncan Best Vocalist Award, sponsored by Whighams Jazz Club – Niki King
Best Band Award, sponsored by S.M. Lighting (Scotland) Ltd – Matt Carmichael Quintet
Best Album Award, sponsored by Rightsbridge & EmuBands – Bad With Names by corto.alto
Critics’ Choice Award, sponsored by Inhouse Event Productions – Modern Vikings
The event featured performances from last year’s winners Best Vocalist Marianne McGregor and Rising Star Kimberley Tessa as well as the recent BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician of 2024 Timmy Allan, as well as inspiring speeches, and the camaraderie of the Scottish jazz community, reinforcing the significance of jazz music as a cultural touchstone in Scotland.
“Tonight, we celebrate not only the winners but the entire jazz community in Scotland,” said Jill Rodger, Director of Glasgow Jazz Festival and Producer of the Scottish Jazz Awards. “Each nominee embodies the spirit and talent that make our jazz scene so unique. We look forward to seeing how these artists continue to shape the future of jazz. The Scottish Jazz Awards serve as a vital platform to promote jazz music in Scotland, encourage collaboration among musicians, and support jazz education. 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.”
Rising Star Award winner Laura Oghagbon is a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist based in Glasgow. She currently studies Jazz Vocals at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She has performed for BBC’s ‘Songs of Praise’ and at the 2023 Edinburgh Jazz Festival.
Winner of the Best Instrumentalist Award, Fergus McCreadie is one of the most exciting jazz pianists on the world stage today. With a unique blend of Jazz and Scottish folk inspired by his country’s sublime landscapes, his music captures the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide, with an appeal that extends far beyond the constraints of genre. As well as being nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award this year, Fergus is also a 2022-24 BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist – the only non-classical artist in the current cohort.
Niki King took home the The Fionna Duncan Best Vocalist Award. The Edinburgh jazz singer previously won the Perrier Jazz Vocalist Award and has released four albums, opened for Al Green and been given a shiny seal of approval by Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson. Her latest album The Everlasting Energy of Love is out now.
Taking home the coveted Best Band Award, was the Matt Carmichael Quintet. Saxophonist Matt Carmichael is one of the brightest young talents on the Scottish scene. Creating rhythmically engaging, emotionally uplifting folk infused jazz, his quintet feature the talents of award-winning fiddle player Charlie Stewart, as well as Fergus McCreadie (piano), Ali Watson (bass), and Stephen Henderson (drums).
Having already been shortlisted for a Mercury Award and nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Awards this year, it was only fitting that the Best Album Award went to corto.alto for his 2023 release Bad With Names. corto.alto is the brain-child of award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer & producer Liam Shortall. Hailing from Glasgow, this genre-defying producer brings together influences from Hip-Hop, Broken Beat, Electronica, Dub and Punk with an informed Jazz sensibility.
This year’s Critics’ Choice Award went to Modern Vikings – a quintet formed by Stephen Henderson. Consisting of Henderson, Fergus McCreadie and bassist David Bowden, as the core, Modern Vikings have proven to be a formidable unit, both live and in their recorded work. In the quintet format, the musical gamut is widened as they are joined by fellow scots Konrad Wiszniewski on tenor saxophone and Graeme Stephen on guitar. Modern Vikings play music with a strong emphasis on melody with the added grooves, urgency and colours of the American jazz tradition. Their music reflects Henderson’s many influences and experiences from the beginning of his musical upbringing to present, creating a fresh sound that is unique, bold and emotive
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.