Reuben Fowler wins 2012 Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Young trumpeter and composer Reuben Fowler has been announced as the winner of the 2012 Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize. Further details attached.

We have received the following press release from Edition Records;

PRESS RELEASE: 
 
Edition Records and The Royal Academy of Music are pleased to announce that the 2012 winner of the ?Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize? is the outstanding trumpeter and composer Reuben Fowler.

The Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize is awarded each year to a young artist who is able to demonstrate excellence in both performance and composition, chosen from all graduating jazz musicians at the Royal Academy of Music, and the Edition record label will release the debut recording of the winner. The second recipient of this exciting award, Reuben Fowler, will release his debut album in Summer 2013.

The judging panel met on June 18th, consisting of Edition Records boss Dave Stapleton, the Academy’s Head of Jazz Nick Smart, and lifelong collaborator of Wheeler’s, saxophonist Evan Parker. The official announcement will be made at the Academy’s graduation ceremony on June 29th and Kenny Wheeler personally contacted Reuben Fowler to pass on his congratulations.

Evan Parker said: ?It was a pleasure to be involved again in this prestigious and important prize, though the decisions are not getting any easier! Reuben has that extraordinary combination of abilities that are entirely appropriate for this prize in Kenny’s name: great composer, masterful orchestration, commanding soloist and an overall vision for a most ambitious project.?

Edition Records boss Dave Stapleton also commented: ?The Kenny Wheeler Prize is an incredible opportunity for a young musician to kick start their career and release an album on to the international stage and it is a huge privilege for Edition to be involved in such a prestigious prize. In this year’s selection process, Reuben stood out as a young musician who not only had great command of his instrument but also demonstrated a maturity in his composing and imaginative orchestration. To put forward a big band project in this current climate is ambitious but clearly shows that Reuben has great drive and determination and I, for one, am looking forward to hearing the results?.

REUBEN FOWLER
Reuben began playing jazz at 15 with the Doncaster Jazz Association, with whom he toured New York and played at the Royal Albert Hall as a featured soloist. During his teens he commuted regularly to London to take a chair with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. With NYJO he played at various venues and festivals throughout the UK, including Ronnie Scott’s. In 2008 he gained a place on the jazz course at the Royal Academy of Music. As well as writing for and playing in his own projects- including a group featuring world renowned guests Stan Sulzmann and Jim Hart, Reuben has played as part of various ensembles including the Gareth Lockrane Big Band and the Andy Panayi Big Band in many of London’s most prestigious venues.

EDITION RECORDS - For more information visit - http://www.editionrecords.com
ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC ? Jazz Department - For more information visit - http://www.ram.ac.uk