Guitarist Timmy Allan came through a tightly competitive final to win the BBC Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician 2024 at a session held at the corporation’s Pacific Quay HQ and broadcast live on air.
Allan, a 28-year-old fourth year student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, performed his own fast-tempo composition Hush and a smart arrangement of the standard Tea for Two,in an accomplished and assured set with the house trio of pianist Paul Harrison, bassist Roz MacDonald and drummer Max Popp to impress the judges.
Pianist Fergus McCreadie, who chaired the judging panel alongside jazz singer Niki King and singer-harpist-composer Corrina Hewat, praised all three finalists for their strong engagement with the jazz tradition. He added that, having made the judges’ decision very difficult, they were all winners in their own way.
Allan’s fellow finalists, singer Sam Hancock (20) from St Andrews and bassist Laurie Moore (22), from Glasgow both gave impressive performances. Hancock showed maturity, ambition and scatting chops in his delivery of On the Street Where You Live and the Broadway ballad Guess Who I Saw Today, and Moore brought command of his instrument and a big, firm tone to three selections including bassist Oscar Pettiford’s challenging Laverne Walk.
Speaking to presenter Seonaid Aitken afterwards, Timmy Allan said he was pleased to win such a prestigious title and looked forward to adding it to his C.V. As well as a bespoke trophy, he wins a recording session and appearance on Radio Scotland’s ‘The Afternoon Show’; the winner’s performance at next year’s BBC Young Scottish Jazz Musician event; and a concert appearance organised by the Glasgow Jazz Festival or an equivalent prize.
