Gold Winner The Willem Paynter Trio
Silver Winner Gypsophilia
Bronze Winner Zoe Leger
The humble Paynter describes himself as “just a boy playing a bass” but your vote for Best Jazz Artist clearly has ambition, man. With a new record scheduled for release in late November—titled Wise Guy—Paynter has assembled a Voltron-like roster of some mega talented musicians on the album: Martin Davidson on sax, Tony Genge on piano, Brendan Melchin on drums and Matt Myer on trumpet. Both freelancing and performing every second Wednesday at Obladee (a bar he describes as “swoon-worthy”), Paynter’s plans for the new year involve work, work and more work. “It really means a lot to know that I have so much support,” Paynter says. “I’m going to keep grinding, playing and writing as much as possible.”
