The 2025 Jazz FM Awards with PPL and PRS for Music took place at KOKO in London yesterday evening, celebrating the very best in jazz, soul, and blues.
Introduced by Gregory Porter and hosted by musician, actor and comedian Ben Bailey Smith (AKA Doc Brown), the ceremony on Thursday 24th April offered a powerful reminder of the richness, diversity and ongoing evolution of jazz, and shined a spotlight on both heritage and innovation across the musical landscape.
One of the evening’s standout winners was corto.alto, the genre-blurring Scottish ensemble led by trombonist Liam Shortall, who took home two awards: UK Jazz Act of the Year and The Innovation Award. Ezra Collective cemented their position at the forefront of the UK’s vibrant jazz scene by winning the coveted Album of the Year for their acclaimed release Dance, No One’s Watching, and New York-based saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin was named Interna6onal Jazz Act of the Year.
Ezra Collective:
“It’s such an honour to receive this recognition and to be welcomed by the jazz community. It means the absolute most. Thank you so, so much.”
The award for Breakthrough Act of the Year went to Ni Maxine, Alice Zawadzki was named Vocalist of the Year, while Mark Kavuma earned Instrumentalist of the Year. Jalen Ngonda won Soul Act of the Year, and powerhouse vocalist Shemekia Copeland was honoured as Blues Act of the Year for her continued innovation in the genre.
The Collaboration Award went to Women in Jazz, recognising their collective efforts to champion and support underrepresented talent across the scene. The prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Billy Cobham, the legendary drummer and jazz fusion pioneer whose career has spanned nearly six decades.
Cobham, widely regarded as one of the great drummers of modern times, joins the ranks of previous Lifetime recipients such as Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennet and Dame Cleo Laine.
Billy Cobham:
“It’s been a long, long journey – almost 60 years – and so I’m deeply honoured that I have been recognised in any way, shape or form for my contributions to the musical fabric of the jazz community.”
The evening also saw special recognition awards for Jamie Cullum, who was presented with the Impact Award for his influence on the genre and contribution to music broadcasting, while Melody Gardot was presented with the Gold Award, to recognise her artistry and global acclaim.
The full list of winners can be seen on the next page…
