Ari Hoenig Quartet from New York wins BMW Welt Jazz Award 2013. The concert series will continue in 2014 following the motto “Sense of Humour”.

Munich. Highlight and conclusion of the BMW Welt Jazz Award on Saturday evening was an explosive concert by the two finalists, the Franco-German-Swiss ensemble Samuel Rohrer Quartet – Daniel Erdmann w/ Frank Möbus & Vincent Courtois and the Ari Hoenig Quartet from New York. The ensembles competed against each other before an audience of 500 people at a completely sold-out BMW Welt Auditorium. During the event, the jury selected the quartet of jazzdrummer Ari Hoenig with guitarist Gilad Hekselman, Tivon Pennicott on the saxophone and bass player Orlando le Fleming as the winner of the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2013.
The BMW Welt Jazz Award 2013 celebrated its fifth anniversary following the motto “Leading Drums”. From January to March, a total of six renowned international ensembles demonstrated their abilities during Sunday matinees at the BMW Welt Double Cone. During the final concert it was announced that the successful series is to continue in 2014 following the motto “Sense of Humour”.
The jury under the chairmanship of Oliver Hochkeppel (music and culture journalist of the Süddeutsche Zeitung) and comprising Andreas Kolb (editor-in-chief of the “Jazzzeitung” and the “neue musikzeitung”), Roland Spiegel (music editor focusing on jazz at Bavarian Radio), Heike Lies (responsible for music and musical theatre in the culture department of the state capital of Munich) and Christiane Böhnke-Geisse (artistic director of the Jazzclub Unterfahrt Munich) explained their decision as follows: “The most recent innovations in Jazz come from outside. The Ari Hoenig Quartet plays amazing good old jazz, yet completely anew. Not only old and new blend together here, extraordinary technical precision liaises with deep emotion and warmth. All musicians possess unsurpassed individual strengths, orchestrated by a true 'leading drummer': Ari Hoenig plays the drums as melodic as no other.”

Munich Cultural Advisor Dr. Hans-Georg Küppers had the honour of presenting the winner’s trophy, which was designed exclusively for the event by BMW Design, to the winning quartet and the certificates to both ensembles. First prize is endowed with 10,000 Euros, whilst the runners up, Samuel Rohrer – Daniel Erdmann w/ Frank Möbus & Vincent Courtois, received prize money of 5,000 Euros.
Maximilian Schöberl, Head of BMW Group Coroporate Affairs, was happy for the winning ensemble: “I wish to cordially congratulate the exceptionally talented musicians Ari Hoenig, Gilad Hekselman, Tivon Pennicott and Orlando le Fleming. With their performance this evening they really lived up to the motto “Leading Drums”. The BMW Welt Jazz Award has established itself as one of the European jazz scene’s most significant prizes and I am happy that we are able to present it to the quartet. I wish to thank all those who participated for their enthusiasm and their commitment to the Jazz Award.”

In 2013, the audience prize donated by Schloss Elmau, goes to the Ari Hoenig Quartet. The ensemble receives an exclusive stay at the culture hotel. The final concert and the award ceremony was, as usual, charmingly hosted by Beate Sampson, Bavarian Radio jazz expert and editor, who had also hosted the matinees.

In addition to the two finalists, the ensembles Jim Black Trio feat. Elias Stemeseder & Chris Tordini, Terzic – MELANOIA, Alfred Vogel – Die glorreichen Sieben and Antonio Sanchez Migration took part in the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2013.

The BMW Welt Jazz Award was supported by BR KLASSIK, the JazzZeitung, the department store Ludwig Beck, the culture hotel Schloss Elmau and the Culture Department of the state capital of Munich. BR KLASSIK recorded the matinees and the finale and broadcasts excerpts during its programme.


Photographic material is available from the BMW PressClub (www.press.bmwgroup.com) and via LoeschHundLiepold Kommunikation GmbH on behalf of BMW Welt Corporate and Governmental Affairs (telephone: +49-89-720187-10, E-Mail: bmw-welt@lhlk.de). 

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