The German music industry celebrated the ECHO Jazz Awards in the rustic setting of a Hamburg shipyard at the River Elbe on Thursday night, with seven U.S. jazz acts among the winners. The German Phono Academy, an institution of the music industry, awarded the ECHO in a total of 22 categories of jazz -- a genre that generates total sales equivalent to 2.1 per cent of the recording market, or 34 million euros per annum.
Saxophone player Klaus Doldinger, the 81-year-old German jazz legend, was awarded the ECHO Jazz for his lifetime achievements. In the past 20 years he and his band "Passport" have been on innumerable world tours and his music was featured in the 1981motion picture "Das Boot," dealing with a German submarine in World War II. During his live appearance on stage at the ECHO Jazz award celebrations, he received an ovation lasting for several minutes.
ECHO Jazz winners are chosen by a 12-person panel of experts.
"We wish to congratulate our Echo winners most cordially on their success," said Dirk Baur, managing director of Universal Music International. "Jazz is and remains a veritable gem in the field of music; its stars are role models for many musicians of all genres and give them inspiration. All four winners are masters of their discipline, and we our proud and feel privileged to release them at Universal Music."
International Winners:
- Ensemble: Branford Marsalis Quartet, "Upward Spiral," (Okeh/Sony Music)
- Singer: Norah Jones, "Day Breaks," (Blue Note/Universal Music)
- Instrumentalist, piano/keyboards: Kenny Barron, "Book Of Intuition," (Impulse/Universal Music)
- Instrumentalist, drums/percussion: Antonio Sanchez, "The Unity Sessions," (Nonesuch/Warner Music)
- Instrumentalist, brass: Cuong Vu, "Cuong Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny," (Nonesuch/Warner Music)
- Instrumentalist, guitar: Charlie Hunter, "Everybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth," (Ground Up/Universal Music)
- Bestseller: Singer Gregory Porter, "Take Me To The Alley," (Blue Note/Universal Music)
National Winners:
- Ensemble: Joachim Kühn New Trio, "Beauty & Truth," ACT Music
- Singer: Lucia Cadotsch, "Speak Low," yellowbird
- Instrumentalist, piano/keyboards: Michael Wollny, "Tandem", ACT Music
- Instrumentalist, saxophone/woodwinds: Daniel Erdmann, "Daniel Erdmann's Velvet Revolution", BMC
- Instrumentalistin international saxophone/woodwinds: Émile Parisien, "Sfumato", ACT Music
- Instrumentalist, drums/percussion: Diego Piñera, "My Picture", Octason Records
- Instrumentalist, bass/bassguitar: Eva Kruse, "On The Mo", Redhorn Records
- Instrumentalist, bass: Lars Danielsson, "Sun Blowing", ACT Music
- Instrumentalist, brass: Frederik Köster, "Canada", Traumton Records
- Instrumentalist, guitar: Arne Jansen, "Nine Firmaments", Traumton Records
- Instrumentalist, special instruments: Vincent Peirani, "Tandem", Act Music
- Large ensemble: Marius Neset & London Sinfonietta, "Snowmelt", ACT Music
- Newcomer: Anna-Lena Schnabel. "Books, Bottles & Bamboo", enja
- Special awards: Arne Reimer for "American Jazz Heroes", E.S.T. Symphony