The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival are delighted to announce that Tommy Smith was presented with the 2009 'Scottish Jazz Expo Award' at a ceremony held last night at The Hub in Edinburgh. The award is given to those who have made an outstanding artistic contribution to Scottish Jazz.

Tommy - a long term Yanagisawa Soprano player - has been and continues to be a leading performer on the Scottish Jazz scene. He has had an excellent 12 months that have significantly contributed to the fabric of Scottish Jazz: the critically acclaimed album 'Live at Belleville' with Arild Anderson and Paolo Vinaccia, the launch of the first ever full time conservatoire level jazz course at the RSAMD, which is headed up by Tommy, and his continued success with the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, his own solo projects and his exciting and innovative collaborations.