Yamaha Education News

Yamaha Jazz Scholars nominated for 2010 Mercury prize

Shortly after the Kit Downes Trio's Mercury nomination, Kit recorded this video interview with Yamaha's music education manager, Bill C Martin. A larger screen version can be seen here.

An album recorded by two Yamaha Jazz Scholars, Kit Downes (piano) and Calum Gourlay (double bass, pictured below), who along with drummer James Maddren comprise The Kit Downes Trio has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Mercury Prize, alongside artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Paul Weller and The XX. The winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced on 7 September.

Golden (Basho) was released to critical acclaim in November 2009, receiving four stars in the Guardian and Observer. The album was recorded by producer Andy Ross of Astar Studios, Yamaha's recording partner for the annual Yamaha New Jazz Sessions CD that showcases the UK's hottest new Jazz talent alongside established artists from the cover of the Christmas/New Year double-issue of Jazzwise Magazine. With 3,0000 copies circulated since its inception, the CD series has become one of the most significant contemporary jazz albums of the year and guest Yamaha artists to date have included Julian Joseph, Gwilym Simcock, Liane Carroll, Jason Rebello, Nigel Hitchcock and Ryan Quigley.

It was during the recordings for the 2008 Yamaha New Jazz Sessions CD that the Kit Downes Trio first came together to record in an early incarnation, after 2008 Jazz Scholar Calum Gourlay invited Kit Downes and James Maddren, then both fellow students at the Royal Academy of Music, to accompany him on his composition, Roots. Following that recording, Kit asked Andy Ross to record the trio's debut album Golden at Astar Studios, for which Yamaha provided a C3 grand piano.

In 2009 Kit returned to Astar for Andy to record his solo composition, William Cooper, for the 2009 Yamaha New Jazz Sessions CD, after he was himself selected as a 2009 Yamaha Jazz Scholar. The 2009 CD also featured drummer James Maddren on a track by trumpeter and fellow Yamaha Jazz Scholar, Mark Perry.

The Yamaha New Jazz Sessions CD is the result of Yamaha's unique partnership with Jazzwise magazine, the All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group, Jazz FM and the 606 Club, as part of a highly acclaimed scholarship programme, now in its fourth year, offering financial support with performance and recording opportunities to a new generation of young jazz musicians, nominated for special consideration by the Heads of Jazz at six of the UK's leading conservatoires.

After receiving news of the nomination, Kit Downes stated, "It's amazing, very unexpected but very enjoyable as well. I was very happy with the album. It's our first album, so everything's still a work in progress but it's a big surprise and very nice. It would be totally weird if we won it! Jazz music as a genre is about 10 percent of live audiences in the UK, compared to 90 percent pop music. The nice thing about the Mercury is they judge everything on what they think the music has. It's not a reflection on how many CDs you sell, how big your name is or how many magazine covers you're on the front of."

Andy Ross stated, "I'm overwhelmed and honoured to have recorded an album nominated for the Mercury Prize. This is fantastic news for Astar Studios, The Kit Downes Trio and Yamaha, but most importantly for jazz."

Yamaha's senior director Mike Ketley commented, "This is fantastic news. We wish to congratulate the Kit Downes Trio, an example of how these innovative scholarships demonstrate our commitment to promote the playing of jazz, and not only recognise the talent of outstanding young jazz musicians, but also provide the professional platform and showcase needed to help them make the transition from education to employment as full-time professional musicians. This complements our many other music education and student support initiatives."

(ends) A DJPR story

(Posted July 2010)