Music stars Dame Cleo Laine and George Benson will receive prestigious prizes at the 2018 Jazz FM Awards later this month.
British jazz vocalist Dame Cleo, 90, will pick up the PPL Lifetime Achievement Award, which she said is “an incredible honour”.
“Jazz continues to amaze me every day and I feel privileged to have been able to spend my life performing around the world and sharing music with many wonderful people,” she said.
“Thank you very much to Jazz FM for recognising my work.”
Dame Cleo, famed for her scat singing style, has enjoyed a career that has spanned more than six decades.
She has been a leading figure of the British jazz music scene along with her late husband, saxophonist Sir John Dankworth, for years and has released more than 100 albums, some of which include recordings with the likes of Duke Ellington and Ray Charles.
Peter Leathem, chief executive at music licensing company PPL, one of the event’s supporters, said: “It is an honour to present Dame Cleo Laine DBE with the PPL Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jazz FM Awards 2018.
“She is an icon in the jazz world and, as an artist with an illustrious career spanning seven decades, has been an inspiration to countless singers and musicians over the years. She has worked with an array of the all-time greats including not just her late husband, John Dankworth, but also Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme and Nigel Kennedy amongst many.
“She truly deserves to win this award and PPL wishes her many congratulations.”
American musician and 10-time Grammy winner Benson, 75, will take home the Impact Award.
Considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, the accolade will recognise the substantial contribution he has made across the jazz, funk, soul and disco genres.
The Jazz FM Awards will take place at London’s Shoreditch Town Hall on April 30.