Musician stunned by Mercury Award nomination

A WARRINGTON musician was “stunned” to hear that his band had been nominated for the prestigious Mercury Award.
The awards, hosted by the BBC, will be judged on November 1 and first prize is £20,000. Previous nominees have included stars such as Elbow and Adele.
James Mainwaring, a former Culcheth High School pupil, said his jazz band Roller Trio, were at a celebrity bash in London when the nominations were officially announced.
He said: “We were absolutely stunned. It is amazing.
“After the announcement everything went crazy and we were up late doing loads of television and radio interviews.”
Tenor saxist James has formed the group Roller Trio with friends Luke Wynter, guitar and Luke Reddin-Williams on drums.
The threesome picked up the prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award last year – an annual award for emerging musicians – and their debut album is on the F-ire label.
James says the band combines contemporary jazz and rock traditions, creating a powerful and accessible blend of conventional and experimental sounds.
He says: “Our original compositions consist of beautiful evocative songs, groovy riffs, thrashy noise and electronic soundscapes creating seminal and atmospheric music.”
The band earned praise from a range of critics earlier this year. The nomination means they will get major exposure in the music world.
James said: “For a jazz band to be nominated it amazing. We are really excited about our future.”
The BBC praised for their debut album, Roller Trio, for its “taut lines that have a staccato if not stuttering quality, yet unleash a sizeable energy rush through volleys of needling four-, six- and three-note phrases”.