NEWS
Yamaha artist Gwilym Simcock receives Mercury Music Prize nomination
Yamaha jazz piano artist Gwilym Simcock’s album Good Days at Schloss Elmau was recognised as one of the 12 best records of 2011 when it received a Mercury Prize nomination in July. Released in January it presented him as one of the country’s greatest musical talents, attracting huge praise for the 30-year-old’s technical and compositional abilities. Good Days At Schloss Elmau
was recorded at the eponymous Bavarian hideaway, a luxury hotel and resort with a long tradition of inviting the world’s best musicians to perform and record. The product of Gwilym’s stay there is an album that seamlessly embraces a wealth of contemporary musical ideas. It demonstrates a now mature and captivating blend of Gwilym’s
classical and jazz roots. As a prodigious young classical pianist, studying at Chetham’s School of Music, with a sparkling career ahead of him, Gwilym changed tack in his mid-teens to study jazz, attracted by the greater creative freedom he sought. It is this blend which now gives him a distinctive musical voice. A long-time Yamaha piano
artist, Gwilym regularly conducts workshops and events on behalf of the company and was also featured on the 2009 Jazz Scholars’ CD.
This is the second successive year that a Yamaha piano artist has been nominated. In 2010 Yamaha jazz scholar Kit Downes and his trio were nominated for the record Golden. Kit’s double- bassist on Golden Calum Gourlay
is also a Yamaha jazz scholar, further evidence that Yamaha artists and scholars are really making a mark at the highest level. That musicians not working in the mainstream receive a nomination at all is testament to the Mercury’s acknowledgement of the UK’s vibrant music scene, though it would be very unusual for a jazz artist to walk away with the prize!
This year it was singer-
songwriter PJ Harvey who had that honour, the first person to win the prize twice. However, that takes nothing away from Gwilym’s nominated album, which is a well-deserved acknowledgement of his achievements so far and is sure to raise his already enviable profile even further.
Jamie Cullum to perform at Chappell’s
As part of its two-hundredth anniversary celebrations, Chappell of Bond Street (now actually in Wardour Street, London), will host international artist Jamie Cullum in the final of a series of special close-up-and-personal concerts in the store’s beautiful and intimate recital room, to raise money for the Centrepoint charity for the homeless.
Jamie Cullum is a Yamaha artist and the biggest-selling British jazz artist of all time. He has won an enviable reputation as a magnetic live performer, playing free-wheeling concerts with spontaneity and improvisation at their heart and which rarely employ a pre-determined set list. This one is not to be missed. Jamie’s performance will be at 7:30 pm on 1 December. Former Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship winner, the renowned recital pianist Freddie Kempf, and international pianist Artur Pizarro represented performed at the first of Chappell’s centenary concerts this year, followed by an appearance by The Kit Downes Trio in September. The trio’s album Golden was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize, leading to performances on BBC Jazz on 3, BBC 6 Music, on Jamie Cullum’s BBC 2 show, while also chalking up a string of performances in European jazz festivals in the past year. Chappell’s is now Yamaha’s flagship UK store, founded in 1811 by Samuel Chappell, who was active in forming the Philharmonic Society two years later. As the 2011 series shows, the current business remains true to the vision of the founder. Chappell’s is a small venue so everyone will
get the best seats. Tickets can be booked by phoning Centrepoint on 0207 423 6866.
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Yamaha extends Piano Upgrade Bonus Scheme to educational and charity sectors
Owning a beautiful new Yamaha piano just got a whole lot easier since Yamaha Pianos has extended its highly successful piano upgrade scheme to the educational and charitable sectors. Now in its third year, the programme has previously been available only to private customers. Offering guaranteed trade-in values of up to £2,500 toward a new Yamaha piano, for a limited time only, the Yamaha Piano Upgrade Bonus Scheme, which went live in September 2011, will end on 31 January 2012. This year Yamaha has made a few changes to the programme, which for the first time now includes Yamaha’s CP-1 professional stage piano alongside its acoustic counterparts. Yamaha’s Leanne Barrell
comments: ‘This years Piano Upgrade Scheme is set to be the most successful ever. The inclusion of the CP-1 stage piano, combined with the educational and charitable aspect, will see far more opportunities for participation. It’s never been easier to trade up to a new Yamaha piano. Customers can simply get a guaranteed trade-in valuation by visiting their local dealer. So owning a new Yamaha piano is now a reality for many more people and organisations.’
For more info please visit:
uk.yamaha.com/pianopromotions Follow Yamaha Pianos on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/Yamaha Pianos
Yamaha U1 Upright – one of Yamaha’s best selling pianos to schools and colleges
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