The awards recognised the outstanding achievements and exceptional talent of the nominees after months of judging by the Australian Jazz Academy’s 180 members. This is the first year the selection of applicants was undertaken by the Academy, which was founded last year to enhance the voting process of the Awards.
Named in honour of one of the greats in Australian jazz – the late Graeme Bell, MBE AO, The Bells feature a prize pool of $40,000, with each category title rewarding the winner (or collective winners) with $5000 prize money.
The 2016 Australian Jazz Bell Award winners are:
2016 Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album - sponsored by TarraWarra Estate Winery
•Kristin Berardi – Where Or When
Best Australian Instrumental Jazz Album – sponsored by Bird’s Basement
•Barney McAll – Mooroolbark
Best Produced Album - sponsored by Alfi Records
•Mike Nock / Laurence Pike – Beginning And End of Knowing
Best Australian Small Jazz Band – sponsored by Brand Partners
•Allan Browne Quintet – Ithaca Bound
Best Australian Jazz Song of the Year – sponsored by APRA/AMCOS
•Barney McAll – Nectar Spur (Mooroolbark)
Best Australian Jazz Ensemble – sponsored by Monash University
•Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra – 2015 Live Performance Compilation
Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year – sponsored by Fender Katsalidis Architects
•Olivia Chindamo
Graeme Bell Hall of Fame – Joe Chindamo
Albert Dadon AM, Chairman of the Awards said, “This year marks a milestone for the Australian Jazz Bells Awards as we have opened up the voting process for the first round to include members of the Australian Jazz Academy. In doing so we have made the Nomination process more transparent and democratic.”
