Bryony Jarman-Pinto nominated Jazz FM Vocalist of the Year

We excited to share the news of Bryon’y Jazz FM awards nomination, alongside Alice Zawadzki and Lucy-Anne Daniels, which is best summed up by Bryony herself via a post on her socials:

I have been nominated as Vocalist of the Year at the #JazzFMAwards 2025! 💛 I’m so honoured and still can’t quite believe it. Thank you to @jazzfmuk for the nomination, and to all the DJs who have supported my music from the very beginning. Thanks to @tru_thoughts and @glowartists_ for their continued support. https://www.instagram.com/bryonyjarmanpinto/

Bryony’s nomination follows her second studio album ‘Below Dawn’. ‘Below Dawn’ traverses sentimental themes, from societal change and untapped emotions to the profound journey of pregnancy and motherhood, exuding an aura of intimacy. The album is produced by Ben Lamdin, aka label-mate Nostalgia 77, whose credits include writing and producing for artists such as Jamie Cullum, Alice Russell, and Jeb Loy Nichols. The emotional depth on the album is complemented by Bryony’s distinctive, harmonious vocals and the infusion of jazz-inspired melodies. ‘Below Dawn’ is a deeply personal and transformative musical journey, the title encapsulates this transition beautifully. “This album speaks about myself just before I gave birth and stepped into a new era, so the name reflects that underlying hidden catalyst” Bryony adds.

‘Below Dawn”s inception coincided with the initial stages of the pandemic, and the early songs capture the emotional turmoil of those times. These tracks served as a cathartic release for the tensions and frustrations experienced during lockdown. The album opens with Bryony’s heartfelt reactions to societal challenges, beginning with the uplifting, playful “Water Come”, an invitation to cleanse the residual fear, anxiety and ignorance induced by these external factors. As Bryony grapples with the disarray, she finds space to speak up on “O” as a therapeutic expression of stifled thoughts that often fall by the wayside. The fluttering chords and bass-line were written together with Dwayne Kilvington, recent Nala Sinphero collaborator, to pair with the ever-poetic lyrics that Bryony had been working on. “Leap” continues this conversation with herself and humanity, as she vocalises her observations of the BLM activism at the time and gives thought to her own experiences, highlighting that ignorance leads to inaction with the line “Closed eyes won’t see”.

Elsewhere, “Deep” blossomed from a vocal improvisation that Bryony took from a Jazz Workshop she ran through lockdown. Now a nocturne, the love song is dedicated to Bryony’s partner at the point that they decided to start a family, beautifully summed up by the line “we are golden light, about to dawn”, linking back to the title of the project.

Down the line, as life took a momentous turn with Bryony becoming a mother, the themes of her songwriting moved closer to home. The second half of ‘Below Dawn’ delves into her inner world, exploring emotions and relationships within her new family. “Frida-Rae” exemplifies this raw emotion in the form of a stripped-back lullaby that describes the excitement and endless joy of falling more and more in love each morning with your newborn, who the track is named after. Amid these familial reflections, the penultimate song, “Station Road” revisits fond, childhood memories as an ode to times spent with her Grandma. The slow, moving keys and rich double bass soundtrack Bryony’s warming, nostalgic sentiments which are revisited in the acapella version “Bathe Me In (Station Road Acapella)”, allowing listeners to revisit the gentle, hypnotic serenade.

The album has seen support across Jazz FM, where it was play-listed, and across BBC Radio 6 from Huey Morgan, Craig Charles, Deb Grant, Tom Robinson and Gilles Peterson, along with spins from Sian Eleri, BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, and Tina Edwards. The album also received ‘Album of the Week’ from Worldwide FM. Bryony performed at the Manchester Jazz Festival as part of Jazz North’s Northern Line roster and has celebrated the release at the Global Soul Showcase at Jazz Cafe, Northumberland Jazz Festival and also appeared live in session on Radio 2, and BBC Lancashire, as part of  Jo Whiley’s In the Park broadcast live from Preston.

‘Below Dawn’ was followed by a disco-ready Cosmodelica remix of feel-good track “Moving Forward” from the legendary Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy. The remix has been described as “killer” by Gilles Peterson and praised by Ross Allen, Patrick Forge, Seamus Haji, Yvonne Turner, and Marcia Carr. Bryony also teamed up with longtime collaborator, musician, and producer Werkha for a remix of Willow – with Werkha infusing the reworking with his distinctive soulful, electronic flair, featuring off-kilter, breakbeat-inspired rhythms and playful, quirky synths. Titled in homage to the memorable moments spent at Birch Community Centre, the track reimagines the original song that serves as a protest against the political landscape at the time of writing, with Bryony voicing her frustrations and calling for resistance against “ignorance and rumours”.

Listen to ‘Below Dawn’ here: https://bryonyjarman-pinto.bandcamp.com/album/below-dawn