Public vote opens for Scottish Jazz Awards 2025.
Tuesday, November 04, 2025
The public vote opens today, giving jazz enthusiasts across Scotland the opportunity to champion their favourites. Fans can cast their votes until Friday 21 November. Press release attached.
We have received the following press release;
Public vote opens for Scottish Jazz Awards 2025 as scene flourishes
A stellar line-up of nominees has been announced for the Scottish Jazz Awards 2025, showcasing the exceptional talent flourishing across Scotland’s vibrant jazz scene.
The glittering ceremony will take place at the Savings Bank, Glasgow on Sunday 7 December celebrating the country’s finest jazz musicians and industry contributors.
This year’s nominees reflect the vibrant and diverse jazz community in Scotland, spanning a range of talent from established names to emerging voices.
The carefully selected shortlist of over 25 musicians, acts, individuals and organisations across seven categories have been chosen by a panel of industry specialists, including media and promoters from across the UK, alongside last year’s winners who were ineligible to be nominated in the same category.
A new addition to this year’s awards is the Scottish Jazz Grassroots Promoter of the Year Award, sponsored by EmuBands. This new category aims to shine a spotlight on the independent promoters who champion fresh talent and recognise the vital role they play in nurturing emerging music and building new audiences for live jazz across Scotland.
The public vote opens today, giving jazz enthusiasts across Scotland the opportunity to champion their favourites. Fans can cast their votes until Friday 21 November at http://www.jazzfest.co.uk/awards.
Nominations for the Scottish Jazz Awards 2025 are:
Rising Star Award, sponsored by Musicians’ Union
● Ali Watson
● Finlay Mackenzie
● Niamh Corkey
● Pippa Blundell
● Timmy Allan
The Fionna Duncan Best Vocalist Award, sponsored by Whighams Jazz Club
● Gaïa
● Georgia Cecile
● kitti
● Marianne McGregor
● Rachel Lightbody
Best Instrumentalist Award, sponsored by ESP Music Rentals
● Colin Steele
● Harben Kay
● Matt Carmichael
● Norman Willmore
● Pete Johnstone
Grassroots Promoter Award, sponsored by EmuBands
● Jazz at The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen
● Jazz at The Glad, Glasgow
● LayLow, Glasgow
● Playtime, Edinburgh
● Whighams Jazz Club, Edinburgh
Best Album Award, sponsored by Rightsbridge
● Colin Steele Quartet - Jazz Interpretations of The Blue Nile Songbook
● Kai Reesu - KOMPROMAT vol. i
● Matt Carmichael - Dancing with Embers
● Norman&Corrie - Twa Double Doubles
● Rebecca Vasmant - Who We Are, Becoming
Best Band Award, sponsored by S.M. Lighting (Scotland) Ltd
● corto.alto
● Kai Reesu
● Mama Terra
● Norman&Corrie
● Tao
A Critics’ Choice Award sponsored by Inhouse Event Productions will be announced on the night.
Jill Rodger, Director of Glasgow Jazz Festival and Producer of the Scottish Jazz Awards, said:
“It’s been another fantastic year for Scottish jazz as artists and promoters alike continue to push boundaries, reach new audiences and showcase the very best of our genre. The 2025 nominees represent the incredible depth and diversity of Scotland’s jazz scene.
The rise in independent promoters has played a crucial role in supporting the Scottish jazz scene over the last 12 months so we’re delighted to launch a new category to highlight these dedicated teams who provide regular performance opportunities and help nurture the next generation. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the nominees who have truly earned their place in the spotlight and encourage jazz fans across Scotland to get voting.”
Clare Hewitt, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said:
“The Scottish Jazz Awards give people in Scotland the opportunity to celebrate the country’s creative and vibrant jazz community. This shortlist shows how alive jazz is to other genres, drawing from and influencing them in equal measure, creating bold new sounds. With support from The National Lottery, the platform provided by the awards is invaluable to all the shortlisted artists and promoters, and audiences can support the music they love by voting.”
The Scottish Jazz Awards are produced as an independent event by the organisers of Glasgow Jazz Festival and supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
Since their inception, The Scottish Jazz Awards have become a hallmark event on the Scottish cultural calendar, recognising and honouring contributions to the genre from some of Scotland’s finest vocalists and instrumentalists.
The Scottish Jazz Awards will be held at the Savings Bank in Glasgow on Sunday 7 December. To vote in this year’s awards, please visit http://www.jazzfest.co.uk/awards. Voting closes at 12pm on Friday 21 November.
Nominating Panel for Scottish Jazz Awards 2025
Alan & Carolyn Bonnyman Second Line Records
Collaborative UK Jazz News
Don Sharples Aberdeen Jazz Festival
Fiona Alexander Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Fiona Shephard Freelance Music Journalist
Gerard Mehigan Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Grace Black Langtoun Jazz Festival
Graeme Knox Whighams Jazz Club
Jill Rodger Glasgow Jazz Festival
Jim Gilchrist The Scotsman
Joe Rattary Freelance Promoter
John Youngs Jazz Scotland
Keith MacRae Jazz Scotland
Richy Muirhead Scottish Alternative Music Awards
Ros Rigby Jazz Promotion Network
Sushil Dade BBC Radio Scotland
Thomas Mackie & Calum Cunneen Regular Music
Plus last year’s main category winners
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at http://www.creativescotland.com. Follow Creative Scotland on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Glasgow Jazz Festival was founded in 1987, when Glasgow was bidding to become the European City of Culture for 1990. The city had studied the competition and worked out that all major cities in Europe had a jazz festival. If they had one, then so should Glasgow. From the very beginning, Glasgow Jazz Festival brought some of the biggest names of jazz to the City – 1987’s programme included singer Sarah Vaughan, Chick Corea, Taj Mahal, Benny Carter and Carol Kidd. Other top headliners include Miles Davis (during the European City of Culture year 1990), Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Guy, Michael Brecker and Tony Bennett. Follow @GlasgowJazzFest on social media for further information.