Countdown is on to 2018 Jazz FM Awards

2018 Jazz FM Awards | Monday 30th April | Shoreditch Town Hall

With under a month to go until the fifth Jazz FM Awards, which recognise the best emerging and established artists, stars and icons from across the worlds of jazz, soul and blues, the organisers have revealed the winners of two of its most prestigious awards. The PPL Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Dame Cleo Laine and this year’s Impact Award will be received by George Benson.

British jazz vocalist Dame Cleo Laine has achieved legendary status for her work in the music and entertainment industry. Now at 90 years of age, she has released over 100 albums and left an indelible mark on the jazz world thanks to her remarkable vocal range and scat singing prowess. Dame Cleo is a Grammy-award winner, and the only female artist to have been nominated for a Grammy in the jazz, classical and pop categories.

10-time Grammy-winning guitarist and singer George Benson will be presented with The Impact Award for his exceptional contribution to bringing jazz to wider audiences. One of the most successful jazz artists of modern times, Benson kicked off his influential career, which now spans over five decades, by working with heavyweight players such as Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard before going on to become a chart-topping, million-selling international superstar. 

Performing on the night will be 2018 Grammy® award winning US vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, a dual nominee this year in the International Jazz Artist of the Year and Album of the Year categories, accompanied by the Jazz FM House Band led by Musical Director Ashley Henry.