Any project designed to put music journalists out of work can hardly expect a ringing endorsement from this magazine, yet the idea of a jazz poll and awards conducted exclusively by professional musicians might well catch on.

Organised by Global Music Foundation’s Stephen Keogh with support from Jazz Services, many musicians and jazz industry figures packed the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho on a grey Monday evening in mid-August for the inaugural London Festival Fringe Jazz Awards that got progressively more convivial as the evening wore on. Produced in association with the London Festival Fringe, a rival for the Edinburgh Fringe, and including the London Young Poets group, it awarded slim Oscar-like statuettes to Young Poet of the Year, Jazz Singer of the Year and Jazz Instrumentalist of the year. Voting must have been tight because the list of nominees was as long as the judging panel.

So now with no further ado let’s tear those envelopes open and announce the winners: Pianist John Turville, poetess Carrie Etter, singers Norma Winstone and Cleveland Watkiss, the last two sharing the award after polling failed to separate them, presumably after a second recount. House wines and pizza slices were distributed as invited guests relaxed to the swinging sounds of pianist Barry Green, bassist Mark Hodgson and youthful drummer Eddie Hick, the latest discovery from the Young Tomorrow’s Warriors stable. The winners then recited, sang or played their thing. Norma Winstone, backed impeccably by Steve Melling, taught younger singers a lesson or two on ‘Joy Spring’, a stylish performance which seemed to be the signal for a whole plethora of guest players and singers to leap onstage.

Jammers included bass guitarist Patrick Bettison as well as drummers Asaf Sirkis and Gary Husband, whose accompaniment to Jazzcotech dancer Perry Lewis was particularly sympathetic. Don’t be surprised to see this event become an annual fixture.

Jack Massarik