The Thibault Gomez Quintet of the Conservatoire de Paris has won the tenth edition of the Keep an Eye International Jazz Award. First runner-up was the Tommaso Perazzo Trio of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
The jury, consisting of guitarist Peter Bernstein, Mojo/North Sea Jazz Festival booking agent Sander Grande, Bimhuis director Mijke Loeven, and saxophonist Benjamin Herman, awarded the first prize, an amount of €2,500 to the Thibault Gomez Quintet. The Tommaso Perazzo Trio won € 1,500.
The Incentive Prize of € 750 was awarded to The Jelly Roll Morton Ensemble of The Juilliard School, New York. The Thibault Gomez Quintet of the Conservatoire de Paris won the prize for Best Strayhorn Arrangement (€ 500). Tommaso Perazzo from the Tommaso Perazzo Trio won the prize for Best CvA Soloist: participation in the Hudson Jazz Workshop New York 2018. The prize for Best Non-CvA Soloist, participation in the Summer Jazz Workshop Amsterdam 2018, was awarded to Immanuel Wilkins from the Jelly Roll Morton Ensemble.
The Keep an Eye International Jazz Award is a competition for outstanding young vocalists and instrumentalists from the USA, Europe and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. This year bands from Sibelius Academy Helsinki; Boyer College of Music and Dance - Temple University Philadelphia; Conservatoire de Paris; Juilliard School of Music New York and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam entered the competition.