Reuben Bradley wins Tui for best jazz album

Photo / Herald on Sunday

The debut album from Wellington jazz drummer and composer Reuben Bradley has won the New Zealand Music Awards Tui for best jazz album.

Resonator, released in September last year, was up against Christchurch's Sumo Jazz for Throwing Salt and Tessa Quayle for Whisper Not with the award announced at the Tauranga National Jazz Festival over Easter.

The album was written following Bradley's return to New Zealand from New York where he was tutored by master jazz drummer Barry Altschul, who he says "changed his musical landscape forever".

Music Awards spokesperson and RIANZ managing director Chris Caddick says it has been a vintage year for jazz.

"The standard of performances in the jazz genre have been truly world class this year and bode well for the future. Reuben is a young musician and faced some worthy competition from Sumo Jazz and Tessa Quayle but his class has shone through in Resonator."

Bradley's win will also be acknowledged at the Music Awards in November.

-TimeOut