We’re totally thrilled to share the news that our artistic director Gary Crosby OBE and Tomorrow’s Warriors have been nominated for the Jazz Education Award in this year’s Parliamentary Jazz Awards for the highly acclaimed programme Gary founded almost two and a half decades ago, which continues to go from strength to strength. According to the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) and sponsors PPL and JazzUK, the award is given to an educator or project for raising the standard of jazz education in the UK.
You may recall that Gary won the award in 2012, but this is the first time Tomorrow’s Warriors has been specifically mentioned in the nomination. Other nominees for this award are Dr Tommy Smith and Jamil Sheriff/Leeds College of Music. Massive congrats to all the nominees but especially to Gary and all of our Learning & Participation Team at Tomorrow’s Warriors!
As if this weren’t enough, following hot on the heels of the nominations for the JazzFM Awards in which five acts – made up of 12 Tomorrow’s Warriors alumni – feature, we’re delighted now to share news of our alumni nominations in the Parlies: Eska (Jazz Vocalist of the Year), Empirical (Jazz Ensemble of the Year), and Binker & Moses and Theon Cross (Jazz Newcomer of the Year).
And to put a mega-smile on our faces, ‘our bredrin dem’ at Jazz Re:freshed at Mau Mau, London have been nominated for Jazz Venue of the Year.
Congratulations to all the nominees! We look forward to seeing all of them at the House of Commons on 10 May to find out whose names will be engraved on the Parlies plaques!
Meantime, any budding young jazz musicians keen to get involved in Tomorrow’s Warriors and hang out with others like them who are shaping the future of jazz should check out our programmes or get along to our next jam session at RichMix – next session Saturday 7 May, 1pm-4pm.
Wonderful news. Well deserved.
Thank you both! Really appreciate you saying so. x