17.04.2012
Three ACT artists receive the ECHO Jazz Award 2012

Magnus Öström - © Per Kristiansen
The German “Phono Akademie”, the cultural institute of the association of the music industry (“IFPI / Bundesverband der Musikindustrie e.V.) has announced the winners of the ECHO Jazz Award 2012, the most important German music prize. Among them are the ACT artists Iiro Rantala, Joachim Kühn and Magnus Öström.

For Finnish pianist Iiro Rantala, the ECHO Jazz in the category “pianist of the year, international” for his solo album “Lost Heroes” (ACT 9504-2) is the peak of a success story. The album, on which Rantala pays tribute to his great late musical heroes, already received the annual German record critics’ award 2010 (“Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenindustrie”) and outstanding reviews. “Lost Heroes is a superb tribute, a giant of an album.” (All About Jazz)

The ECHO Jazz for “drummer of the year, international” goes to the Swedish drummer Magnus Öström for his album “Thread of Life” (ACT 9025-2). Öström reached worldwide fame as a part of the trio “e.s.t.”, which unparalleled career came to a sudden, tragic end with the death of pianist Esbjörn Svensson. The haunting, dark album “Thread of Life”, influenced by jazz, progressive rock, drum’n’bass and minimal music, is Öströms’ attempt to come to terms with a great loss and his way back to musical life.

Pianist Joachim Kühn without any doubt ranks among Germany’s most important jazz musicians and already received the ECHO Jazz lifetime achievement award together with his brother Rolf in 2011. With the ECHO Jazz for “big band album of the year” for “Out of the Desert Live” (ACT 9521-2), which documents the celebrated concert of the Joachim Kühn Trio and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band at the Berlin JazzFest 2010, Joachim Kühn once more substantiates his reputation as an outstanding player and arranger

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