Jazz breaking news: trumpeter Reuben Fowler wins Peter Whittingham Jazz Award 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Talented young trumpeter and composer Reuben Fowler (pictured left), has been announced as this year's winner of the prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award.
Wakefield-born Fowler has already created a stir this year while still an undergraduate at the Royal Academy of Music, impressing as part of the Troyk-estra band – a one-off link up between Troyka and the RAM Big Band – who performed in March at Ronnie Scott’s as part of the Jazzwise 15th anniversary festival. In June he also scooped the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize, which is awarded by Edition Records and the Royal Academy of Music for excellence in both performance and composition. Graduating this summer Fowler has also worked with the likes of Stan Sulzmann, Gareth Lockrane and Jim Hart.
Fowler joins an illustrious list of previous winners who have all gone on to make waves on the wider UK and international music scene – not least the Whittingham Award’s string of musicians and bands who’ve all gone on to receive Mercury Music Prize nominations including Soweto Kinch, Gwilym Simcock, Led Bib and most recently Roller Trio who rocketed into the limelight after being awarded the prize last year – while fiery modern jazz quartet Empirical went on to win a MOBO award in 2010.
Fowler impressed the panel of judges – which included Denys Baptiste, Liane Carroll, Clark Tracey and Steve Rubie – who selected him as their unanimous choice to win the prize of £4,000, which he will use to fund a recording project to be released in 2013. Commenting on his win, Fowler said: “I am thrilled to have been offered this prestigious award – it’s a fantastic opportunity and I am grateful to the panel and the Musicians Benevolent Fund for their support.”
Judging panel chairman Clive Shelton, Peter Whittingham’s son-in-law, commented on this year’s prize: “The Peter Whittingham Award has launched the careers of many of the UK’s top jazz musicians. As always there were some strong contenders but the panel unanimously agreed that Reuben was the stand-out candidate.”
The panel also commended drummer and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama graduate Ollie Howell, who will receive a Peter Whittingham Development Award.
For more info go to www.helpmusicians.org.uk
– Mike Flynn