John McLaughlin to receive the 30th Frankfurt Music Prize
Distinction for a world musician who transcends the boundaries of all genres
British guitarist John McLaughlin is to receive the Frankfurt Music Prize for 2012. McLaughlin, who celebrated his 70th birthday this year, has been a dominant influence on the European and international music scene with his guitar playing for over 50 years. The presentation of the 30th Frankfurt Music Prize will be held on the eve of the coming Musikmesse, 20 March 2012.
John McLaughlin to receive the 30th Frankfurt Music Prize
Distinction for a world musician who transcends the boundaries of all genres
British guitarist John McLaughlin is to receive the Frankfurt Music Prize for 2012. McLaughlin, who celebrated his 70th birthday this year, has been a dominant influence on the European and international music scene with his guitar playing for over 50 years. The presentation of the 30th Frankfurt Music Prize will be held on the eve of the coming Musikmesse, 20 March 2012.
The Frankfurt Music Prize is worth € 15,000 Euro and is sponsored by the Federal Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers (Bundesverband der Deutschen Musikinstrumenten-Hersteller e.V.) and Messe Frankfurt.
According to the jury of the Frankfurt Music Prize, John McLaughlin is a musician whose work, “has always been characterised by respect and openness with regard to many other directions, forms of expression and cultures, and not by genre borders and dogmatism”. For the jurors, John McLaughlin is a person who can be described as a world musician.
John McLaughlin
Covering a span of more than 50 Years, John McLaughlin’s career began in the sixties when he played with leading British blues musicians, such as Brian Auger and Georgie Fame. His debut solo album, ‘Extrapolation’ brought him to the attention of Miles Davis and led to his participation in the epochal Miles Davis albums, ‘In A Silent Way’ and ‘Bitches Brew’. Founded in the seventies, his Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti group were an expression of his orientation towards spirituality and Indian music, as were his albums with Carlos Santana.
In 1981, John McLaughlin joined forces with guitarists Paco de Lucía and Al Di Meola and recorded two albums – ‘Friday Night in San Francisco’ and ‘Passion, Grace & Fire’, both of which were highly successful commercially. John McLaughlin has published over 20 albums in the course of his career. With the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti, he has influenced entire musical epochs and can be heard on numerous productions by other artists. Today, he tours regularly with his new group, ‘4th Dimension’. His guitar playing has influenced innumerable guitarists and his music has been a source of joy for countless people.
Frankfurt Music Prize
The Frankfurt Music Prize was founded in 1980 and is awarded annually on the occasion of the international Musikmesse in Frankfurt by the Trustees of the Frankfurt Music Prize Foundation (Kuratorium Stiftung Frankfurter Musikpreis zur Internationalen Musikmesse Frankfurt) to personalities from the world of music for special achievements in the fields of interpretation, composition, musicology and teaching or services music making. The Frankfurt Music Prize is donated by the Federal Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers (Bundesverband der Deutschen Musikinstrumenten-Hersteller e. V. – BDMH) and Messe Frankfurt GmbH, and is presented annually on the eve of the Musikmesse.
The Frankfurt Music Prize is awarded annually in alternate years in the fields of classical and popular music (jazz, rock, pop). In 2013, it will once again be given for achievements in the field of classical music. The Board of Trustees of the Frankfurt Music Prize Foundation consists of three permanent members and up to four elected members:The Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main as ChairpersonMusikmesse Frankfurt am Main, 21 to 24 March 2012 The Chairperson of the Federal Association of German Musical Instrument Manufacturers (Bundesverband der Deutschen Musikinstrumenten-Hersteller e.V. – BDMH) as Deputy ChairpersonThe Chairperson of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt GmbH as Deputy ChairpersonTwo representatives of the German Music Council (Deutscher Musikrat) and Two representatives from German music academies.
Winners of the Frankfurter Music Prize:
1982 Gidon Kremer (violinist)
1983 Edgar Krapp (organist)
1984 Alfred Brendel (pianist)
1985 Brigitte Fassbaender (opera singer)
1986 Albert Mangelsdorff (jazz trombonist)
1987 Carl Dahlhaus (musicologist)
1988 Heinz Holliger (oboist)
1989 Ludwig Güttler (trumpeter)
1990 Chick Corea (jazz pianist)
1991 Aribert Reimann (composer)
1992 Georg Solti (conductor)
1993 Harry Kupfer (director)
1994 Brian Eno (musician and sound artist)
1995 Tabea Zimmermann (violist)
1996 Wolfgang Niedecken (singer and songwriter)
1997 Prof. Hans Zender (composer and conductor)
1998 Peter Herbolzheimer (arranger, interpreter and composer)
1999 Prof. Michael Gielen (conductor and composer)
2000 Klaus Doldinger (saxophonist)
Photo Source – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, Ina Behrend
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