Nils Wogram’s Root 70 ensemble are the winners of the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2011. “Two horns and more“ was the slogan of this year’s competition, which featured a total of six bands performing their own musical compositions at BMW Welt.
The final – which sold out weeks in advance – took place on Saturday, 9 April and saw the two bands Wanja Slavin Lotus Eaters and Nils Wogram’s Root 70 pitting their musical skills against one another in the BMW Welt auditorium. Beate Sampson, jazz editor at radio station BR Klassik, hosted the evening with her customary charm and expertise. Among the guests attending was Munich’s Head of Cultural Affairs, Dr Hans-Georg Küppers.
The judges justified their choice of Nils Wogram’s Root 70 as follows: “The jury was extremely taken with the way that exceptional individual virtuosity gave rise to a homogeneous band organism. It was thrilled by the balance of power and elegance and totally persuaded by the courage with which the old – indeed, the archaic when it came to the blues – was turned into something completely new and individual. And, not least of all, it was delighted by something that often gets short shrift, and which Horace Silver once postulated in the title of one of his last albums: Jazz has a sense of humour. And so we heard a band playing that not only had an intellectually stimulating and emotionally moving impact on both the jury and the audience, but also delivered a whole lot of fun. And that is why the winner of the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2011 is Nils Wogram and Root 70.“
Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of the Board of BMW AG, and Oliver Hochkeppel, Chairman of the Jury, had the honour of presenting the trophy to the the winner. Head of Cultural Affairs Dr Hans-Georg Küppers joined in the congratulations and handed over the winners’ certificates. The first prize came with a purse of 10,000 euros, while second-placed band Wanja Slavin Lotus Eaters received 5,000 euros.
Frank-Peter Arndt expressed his delight for the winning band: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Nils Wogram’s Root 70! What we have experienced in tonight’s final has been a continuation of the high quality of the matinee concerts. My thanks go to all those involved for their tremendous commitment, enthusiasm and passion, without which the BMW Welt Jazz Award would not have established itself – in just two years – as one of the major prizes in the European jazz scene. We already look forward to the next round in 2012.”
This year’s audience award, sponsored by the cultural hotel Schloss Elmau, went to the band Rosario Giuliani 5et featuring Flavio Boltro. By voting for them, the public gave these musicians the chance to stage an exclusive concert at Schloss Elmau with on-site rehearsal facilities and three nights’ accommodation.
A total of six bands were invited to take part in the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2011. Wanja Slavin Lotus Eaters, Rosario Giuliani 5et featuring Flavio Boltro, Matthias Spillmann’s mats-up, Nils Wogram’s Root 70, SUBTONE and the Christof Lauer Trio all put their best jazz foot forward at the Sunday matinee concerts.
In 2012, the Jazz Award will be staged under the banner of “Jazz and the city”.