Montreux Jazz Award
The 2019 Montreux Jazz Talent Awards go to British saxophone-drums duo Run Logan Run and Italian-Nigerian singer and pianist Afra Kane. Stanley Clarke, Chilly Gonzales, Carl Craig and Chucho Valdés were also involved in selecting the winners.
From June 29 to July 13, the Montreux Jazz Festival invited 16 artists to perform on the Coupole stage, as part of the Montreux Jazz Talent Awards. Coming from 13 countries and 4 continents, the candidates were carefully selected by Festival programmers to illustrate the boldness and diversity of today's jazz.
Candidates performed during the festival in front of a professional and public jury. An artists' committee made up of musicians close to the Festival (Stanley Clarke, Chilly Gonzales, Carl Craig and Chucho Valdés) then evaluated the performances on video and delivered their verdict in September.
In addition to a cash prize, the winners of the Montreux Jazz Talent Awards receive an artistic residency at La Becque on the shores of Lake Geneva (for the "Solo" winner) and personalized audio equipment (for the "Band" winner). They also benefit from the long-term artistic support of the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation and the Festival's extensive network of contacts.
Formed in Bristol, the Run Logan Run drum and sax duo impressed the jury with their mastery of improvisation and their exploration of contrasts, between spiritual jazz and noisy power.
Afra Kane hails from Vicenza, near Venice, Italy, and Nigeria. After living in Portsmouth, England, she moved to Neuchâtel four years ago, to further her musical studies at the HEM (Geneva) while completing a CAS in cultural project management. But above all, she is a citizen of the world. Trained as a classical pianist, in this new project she combines her three passions: piano, singing and songwriting.
