Bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado wins Kenny Wheeler Music Prize

The prize is open to graduating musicians at the Royal Academy of Music and was judged by Edition Records label boss Dave Stapleton, trumpeter and RAM Head of Jazz Nick Smart and leading UK saxophonist Evan Parker, with the prize including the release of an album on Edition. Now in its fourth year the prize aims to highlight ‘a young artist who demonstrates excellence in both performance and composition’, with previous recipients including saxophonist Josh Arcoleo, trumpeter Ruben Fowler and singer Lauren Kinsella, with the latter set to release her debut for Edition later this year with her group Blue-Eyed Hawk.

Bassist Mullov-Abbado is the son of the revered Italian conductor Claudio Abbado, who sadly died in January this year, and internationally acclaimed violinist Viktoria Mullova. He has studied with the likes of Jasper Høiby, Michael Janisch and Tom Herbert as well as being a busy performer as a bandleader and sideman in and around the capital’s jazz venues and international tours.

Mullov-Abbado is also the winner of the 2014 Dankworth prize for jazz composition and his music is heavily Influenced by Brad Mehldau and Pat Metheny as well as the likes of Bach, Stravinsky and Bartok and it was his strength as a writer that was a deciding factor in his winning the prize. Evan Parker commented: “Misha's writing and playing, along with his sense of overall form meant that there was a maturity that communicated very powerfully. His range of musical reference points means that he can go anywhere from here and it will be exciting to follow what is clearly the beginning of a journey of an outstanding individual.”

At present Misha Mullov-Abbado's debut on Edition is slated for autumn 2015.

– Mike Flynn