Craig Taborn wins Paul Acket Award 2012

Craig Taborn was born in Golden Valley, Minn., and grew up with the likes of Reid Anderson and Dave King. He left Minnesota years ago for New York and the world at large, but we still claim his as our own. Many of us were pleased to learn that earlier this week he received the Paul Acket Award. 


The press release:


Every year, the North Sea Jazz Festival hands out the Paul Acket Award to an artist deserving wider recognition for their extraordinary musicianship. The winner of the Paul Acket Award 2012 is the American composer and pianist, Craig Taborn.



Craig Taborn is an American pianist and composer, who started his career in the 1990s. He plays in a broad context of music, ranging from straight-ahead jazz to far beyond. Taborn plays with both young jazz musicians and established veterans as well as techno producers. According to jury member Ken Pickering of the Canadian International Jazz Festival “Craig Taborn is unquestionably one of the most important pianists of his generation. In great demand, Taborn improves every band he plays in, whether he's on piano or keyboards. He is a complete musician and a great talent.” Frank van Berkel of the Jazz International Rotterdam is also enthusiastic. “With his music, Taborn creates a link from jazz to contemporary music. Naturally, there have been more artists doing this, but Taborn finds a way of shining in adventurous traditionalism together with James Carter, but also in full concert halls and released on the label ECM.“


The Paul Acket award is supported by the Foundation BNP Paribas. Jean Jacques Goron, vice president of the foundation: “As a longstanding partner of jazz music, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been helping numerous musicians to forge their career. This is why, as main partner of the Paul Acket Award, we wish to congratulate Craig Taborn. Besides being a piano, organ, and Moog synthesizer player, primarily in jazz, Craig Taborn is also a great composer and talented improviser. His last album, Avenging Angel, released in 2011, is a distinguished contribution to the great solo piano tradition and shows a very personal approach to his instrument. We wish him all the best.“ 


Craig Taborn will receive his price at the festival where he will also perform with PRISM, also featuring Dave Holland, Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland, on Saturday July 7.


Paul Acket Award With this award, the North Sea Jazz organisation wants to highlight talented jazz musicians at the beginning of their career. These artists are already known within the jazz scene, but not yet recognized by a wider audience. Besides a trophy, the winner of the Paul Acket Awards also receives a cheque of 5000 euro, meant to push his career even further. Former winners of this award are amongst others Arve Hendriksen (2011), Christian Scott (2010), Stefano Bollani (2009), Adam Rogers (2008), Gianluca Petrella (2007), Conrad Herwig (2006) and Ben Allison (2005).