Peggy Harvey (widow of Eddie Harvey) and Alec Dankworth (son of Sir John Dankworth) presented the winners of the Dankworth Prizes for Jazz Composition and the Eddie Harvey Jazz Arranger of the Year Award with their prizes at a ceremony at the jazz club at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on Monday 31 March 2025.
This was the first award of the Dankworth Prizes since the death of their instigator Art Mead (link to obituary below).
AWARD WINNERS
Dankworth Big Band Composition Prize 2024
Winner: Scottie Thompson – Skyline
Runner-up: Jonny Ford – Wheeler Lane
Dankworth Small Ensemble Composition Prize 2024
Winner: Lewis Sallows – Maritime
Runner-up: Joe Evans – The Absolute State of You
Harvey Award for Arranging 2024
Winner: Olivia Murphy – You Are There
Runner-up: Finn Genockey – Go
NOTES:
The Dankworth Prizes for Jazz Composition are awarded by The Musicians’ Company in association with Sir John Dankworth and his family, and The Wavendon Foundation, to encourage young composers to create original works. There are two music prizes for original compositions in original arrangements by the composer of music in the jazz idiom. Big Band prize – £1,500.00 / Small Ensemble prize – £1,000.00
The Eddie Harvey Jazz Arranger of the Year Award was established to perpetuate the memory of Eddie Harvey and to honour his expressed wish to try to ensure that arrangers of jazz compositions receive due acknowledgement of the importance of their contributions to jazz. To that end, The Musicians’ Company, with generous support from the Harvey estate, maintains The Eddie Harvey Jazz Arranger of the Year Award, value £1,500.00.
FULL CONCERT PROGRAMME – Musical Director Jeremy Price
Set 1: Jazz Orchestra- RBC Alumni set
Charlie Bates Good Things
Sean Gibbs Juggling Act
Tom Niblock Kurt Thing
Set 2: Octet and Nonet
Joe Evans The Absolute State of You
Lewis Sallows Maritime
Set 3: RBC Jazz Orchestra
Scottie Thompson Skyline (includes vocals)
Olivia Murphy You Are There (vocal feature)
Jonny Ford Wheeler Lane
Finn Genockey Go
