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Congratulations to the first-ever winner of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland's Young Jazz Musician award, Ben Shankland. You can listen to the winning performance and the full programme on Sounds.

More about the six talented jazz musicians to make it through to the Finals on Sunday 26th November 2023.

Sam began teaching himself jazz guitar at the age of 11 by using YouTube tutorials and listening to the family record collection. At 14 he gained a bursary to study at Chetham’s School of Music, studying jazz guitar along with piano and composition. He went on to study jazz guitar at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he is currently in his fourth year.

Sam has played numerous gigs across Scotland as a member of Tommy Smith’s Youth Jazz Orchestra and performed professionally with many musicians on the Scottish jazz scene. In 2022 he was selected to play at the European Jazz Workshop at the Elbejazz festival. This year Sam performed on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland’s Jazz Nights programme , showcasing original music by jazz students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was selected for the 2023 Siena Jazz Workshop, as one of 12 successful guitar applicants globally, playing with professional musicians from around the world.

Sam grew up in a household where listening to a wide variety of music was a part of everyday life. His musical influences are very varied and stretch across many genres and include guitarists Bryan Baker and Pat Marino, Bartok, Sonny Clark, Lennie Tristano, Faust and The Art Ensemble of Chicago.

William Ewins’ love of jazz ignited at a young age when he first picked up the bass guitar at nine years old.

Having already been playing drum kit for three years, he progressed quickly, always keeping in mind the importance of the drum/bass relationship. Under the mentorship of Mario Caribé, he began to specialise in jazz bass, inevitably adding double bass to his instrumental portfolio. Influenced by legends such as Scott LaFaro and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, William’s unique playing style landed him in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra, and the Mackenzie-Ewins-Wright Trio, which he co-founded alongside Finlay Mackenzie and Douglas Wright whilst studying at the City of Edinburgh Music School. In addition to bass, William dedicates his time to the study of percussion, which has allowed him to tour with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and spend his summer studying at the Juilliard School in New York. Furthermore, William was a Hattori Foundation Award winner in 2023. As the future unfolds, William eagerly anticipates performing at both the Edinburgh and Dundee Jazz Festivals with the Mackenzie-Ewins-Wright Trio, as well as performing solo at Edinburgh’s prestigious Usher Hall in 2024.

Aberdonian tenor saxophonist Matthew Kilner is an active performer and educator now based in Glasgow.

Since graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2021 Matthew has continued to develop as a performer having played across the UK and Europe with highlights including Pizza Express Live in London and the 2023 Regensburg Jazz Festival. As an educator, Matthew delivers workshops for a number of organisations including Live Music Now Scotland and Féis Rois. He is passionate about delivering high-quality music and jazz education to children of all different backgrounds

Joe was born in Kirkwall (Orkney), before moving to Dollar (Clackmannanshire).

Encouraged by his family to learn music from an early age, Joe picked up the clarinet before picking up saxophone in High School. Joe first took an interest in Jazz when he went along to the Stirling Youth Jazz Ensemble on Tuesday nights. Later, he attended the RCS Juniors Jazz Program in Glasgow, where he really developed his interest in jazz and was encouraged to pursue it as a career. Joe has just graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire in Greenwich, where he learned from the likes of Martin Speake, Julian Siegel and Tony Kofi. Joe is active on the London Jazz Scene, where he has played with some of the city's finest jazz musicians. He is a member of the Windy City Weatherbirds, a Chicago-style Trad Jazz band who are set to record their first album in October. Joe is delighted to return to Scotland for the opportunity to perform in the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland Young Jazz Musician 2023 Final, and is looking forward to sharing the music he loves to listeners across the country.

Ali Watson is a bass player from Glasgow.

After graduating in London from the Guildhall School the now 24-year old has moved back to his home city, where he has started up a new quartet featuring Matt Carmichael, Alan Benzie and Greg Irons, performing his original compositions. As well as leading his own band, Watson also plays regularly as part of saxophonist Matt Carmichael's quintet and regularly performs down in London with various ensembles. Although perhaps best overall placed in the realm of contemporary jazz, Watsons compositions also have a flavour of Scottish Folk and at times Impressionist classical overtones. With a strong value for melody, Watson likes to think that his music remains easy to connect to from the perspective of the listener despite often containing various complexities.

Edinburgh-born pianist and composer Ben Shankland is, despite his young age, already gaining recognition on the UK jazz scene.

He began his musical journey studying classical piano and bassoon, which greatly developed his general musicality before finding an interest in jazz in his teens. Before long, he was hooked and began honing his craft as a member of Scotland’s finest youth jazz orchestras, with mentorship from pianists John Turville and Alan Benzie, and saxophonists Tommy Smith and Mike Williams. Currently, he performs with his trio regularly around the country, exploring his original compositions with Ewan Hastie and Chun-Wei Kang. He is also active as a solo pianist, an interest which developed out of his classical background and inspiration from the music of Fred Hersch. In addition to his work as a leader, Ben has performed and recorded as a sideman in various bands with fellow young musicians. Alongside his primary focus in improvised music, Ben continues to perform in the classical world. Notably, he recently accompanied ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Young Musician 2022 percussionist Jordan Ashman in an award-winning recital, and was the soloist in performances of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra.