BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 Final line-up announced

Saxophonist and composer YolanDa Brown joins BBC Young Musician regular Josie d’Arby to present coverage of the final, which will be broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 25 November.

This year the final is hosted as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival and will be held at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. The event is supported by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and takes place on Saturday 24 November.

The finalists, who each made it through a rigorous selection process, are:

• Xhosa Cole (saxophone)
• Reuben Goldmark (piano)
• Fergus McCreadie (piano)
• James Owston (bass)
• Seth Tackaberry (bass)

Each finalist is tasked with playing a set of music that includes at least one piece they have written or arranged themselves. On the night they will perform with an outstanding line-up of jazz musicians consisting of Paula Gardiner (bass), Asaf Sirkis (drums) and led by Gwilym Simcock (piano), who in the lead-up to the final also provided valuable mentoring to each of the competitors.

The judges for the final are:

• Pianist Monty Alexander
• Composer and pianist Zoe Rahman
• Bassist Gary Crosby, founding member of Jazz Warriors
• Singer Zara McFarlane
• Saxophonist and composer Iain Ballamy

Past winner Alexandra Ridout will also be present to perform and cheer on the next generation of British jazz musicians. Since the 2016 final, Alexandra has performed around the country in festivals, concert halls, arts centres, music societies and major jazz clubs, and has had her music played on various Radio 3 shows and Jazz FM. She began studying at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in September 2017.

Jan Younghusband, Commissioning Editor, BBC Music and Events, says: “We’re thrilled that this year BBC Young Jazz Musician will be part of the wider EFG London Jazz Festival. This relationship is all about showcasing the very best of young talent working in jazz at the moment, and we’re very pleased to be associated with such a long-standing festival.

“Like the years previous, we have an incredibly impressive set of finalists here, and I know each will inevitably give it their all on the night of the final itself.”

Claire Whitaker, co-Director of the EFG London Jazz Festival says: “We are thrilled to be hosting the BBC Young Jazz Musician final this year. The Festival is proud of its reputation as a leader in nurturing and developing new jazz talent through our Talent Development programmes, as well as showcasing the most talented jazz performers early in their careers. Being chosen to present the BBC Young Jazz Musician final is a terrific new development in our relationship with BBC Music, and we are really looking forward to the final.”

In addition to the television coverage on BBC Four, BBC Radio 3 will be broadcasting highlights of the Final in J to Z - a weekly programme exploring new sounds with classic recordings and exclusive sessions - on Saturday 1 December.

BBC Young Musician and BBC Young Jazz Musician are run and produced by BBC Studios Entertainment and Music Wales.

JJ

Biographies of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 finalists

Xhosa Cole (saxophone)

Handsworth-born Xhosa has played saxophone in the Jazzlines Ensemble, Birmingham Schools Symphony Orchestra and Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra among others. While studying in sixth form, Xhosa attended courses with the National Youth Jazz Collective and National Youth Wind Orchestra. He performs regularly around Birmingham, writes for commissions by the Ideas of Noise Festival and is also involved in teaching the next generation of talent in his locality.

Reuben Goldmark (piano)

After brief flirtations with the violin and with opera, Reuben gained a place at Chetham’s Music School in Manchester, where he was encouraged to improvise and compose and collaborate with both students and professional musicians. Reuben is now studying as a scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, and has for the last three years worked with the National Youth Jazz Collective.

Fergus McCreadie (piano)

Hailing from Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Fergus has played with the likes of the Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra and National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, before going on to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Since graduation, he has led his own piano trio, whose debut album ‘Turas’ was widely acclaimed.

James Owston (bass)

From the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, James has played bass guitar since school and is currently in his fourth year at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. In January 2018, James began playing with the new Clark Tracey Quintet, alongside a number of former BBC Young Jazz Musician finalists, who have just released their debut recording ‘No Doubt’.

Seth Tackaberry (bass)

Initially inspired to pick up the bass by The Beatles, Seth has played in rock bands for some years before starting in jazz at the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior Jazz course. Seth studied there for four years, and is now in his second year at the Royal Academy of Music.

Biographies of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 presenters

Josie d’Arby

Josie is an RTS award-winning television, radio and live events presenter, specialising in music and the arts. Since graduating from RADA, she has worked extensively in the field of music broadcasting, across a number of genres from classical to contemporary. She has recently presented for Choir of the Year, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, and BBC Proms in the Park. She also presented the first two instalments of the BBC Young Jazz Musician Awards.

YolanDa Brown

YolanDa is a double MOBO award-winning musician who has presented shows for the BBC including Live from the Proms and her eponymous series for CBeebies, Yolanda’s Band Jam. She is also a regular co-presenter on Radio 4’s Loose Ends and has appeared on a range of other shows including the BBC Two programme Gareth Malone’s All Star Music Quiz.

Biographies of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 judges

Monty Alexander

Monty is a well-regarded and prolific jazz pianist, who initially came up as a rising star in the New York jazz scene. Since then, he has recorded a vast discography, rubbed shoulders with some of the most famed names in jazz, and won a dedicated audience for his music which borrows from both his Jamaican and American heritage and upbringing.

Zoe Rahman

Described  in  The  Observer  as  “a  remarkable  pianist  by  any  standard”, Zoe  has  firmly  established  herself  as  one  of  the  brightest  stars  on  the  contemporary  jazz  scene. She  won  a  MOBO  Award  for  best  Jazz  Act  in  2012  and  was  nominated  for  the  Mercury  Music  Prize  for  her  2006  album  Melting  Pot,  which  also  won  Jazz  Album  of  the  Year  at  the  UK’s  first  Parliamentary  Jazz  Awards. She has been a featured artist on a number of TV and radio programmes and has been invited to sit on high-profile panels including previous BBC Young Jazz Musician and the Mercury Music Prize.

Gary Crosby OBE

Gary is a considerable figure in jazz who has been consistently at the forefront of the British jazz scene throughout a career spanning 40+ years. He was a founding member of the seminal Jazz Warriors in the 1980s. A lot of Gary’s recent work has focussed on inspiring, nurturing and developing the next generation of jazz musicians, such as through establishing the Tomorrow’s Warriors Young Artist Development programme, offering free, high-quality learning and performance opportunities for young people interested in jazz.

Zara McFarlane

In  2010,  Zara  issued  her  self-produced  EP,  Until  Tomorrow,  catching  the  attention  of  Gilles  Peterson  who  released  her  debut  album  of  the  same  title,  the  following  year  on  his  label,  Brownswood  Recordings.  Her  next  album, If  You  Knew  Her,  in 2014,  showcased  work  drawing  from  many  influences. In September  2017  came  her  third  album,  Arise,  and  in  2018, Zara has  won  awards  for  Jazz  FM  Vocalist  of  the  Year  and  Worldwide  FM  Session  of  the  Year. 

Iain Ballamy

Iain has become internationally recognised as a saxophonist and composer. He has been described variously as urbane, original, melodic, freethinking and uncompromising. Listed in the BBC’s publication 100 Jazz Greats between Count Basie and Chet Baker, his work is contemporary with both strong jazz and classical references and yet unencumbered by both formality and tradition. In 2007 Ballamy was the first jazz musician to receive the prestigious Paul Hamlyn composer’s award.

Biographies of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 backing band

Gwilym Simcock (piano)

Gwilym is one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the European scene. He has performed with orchestras, choirs, big bands and dancers, as well as performing with musicians from diverse backgrounds including the classical, jazz, folk and rock traditions. He has toured extensively with a range of international artists including Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, Bobby McFerrin and Nigel Kennedy.

Paula Gardiner (bass)

Paula is best known for her work as a jazz bassist and composer yet began her career as a classical guitarist and composer for theatre. She has written extensively for theatre, radio and film and is currently Head of Jazz at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she set up and developed the current jazz courses.

Asaf Sirkis (drums)

Born in Israel, Asaf started his professional career as a drummer in the late eighties and played with some of Israel’s jazz luminaries, such as Harold Rubin and Alber Berger. A few years after the recording of his first solo album, Asaf relocated to the Netherlands, then France and finally settled in London around 1999 where he soon became one of the most active jazz drummers around. He has played worldwide and has recorded over a hundred albums as a sideman and leader, and played with many renowned jazz and world artists.

Related Media Centre Links

• BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 final to be hosted at EFG London Jazz Festival