Nguyen Le (left) and Ngo Hong Quang have been nominated for Echo Jazz 2018 awards. (Photo: thanhnien.vn).

The winners will be announced on May 31 in Hamburg, Germany.

Nguyen Le (real name Le Thanh Nguyen), 59, is a French Vietnamese. He has been nominated in the International Guitar Artist category.

Ngo Hong Quang, 35, has been nominated for the Instrumentalist of the Year, Various Instruments category. He is a graduate of the Traditional Instruments Department of the Vietnam Music Academy and has a master’s degree in contemporary composing from the National Music Academy in the Netherlands.

Both musicians have been nominated for their joint album, Hanoi Duo, released in January 2017.

The logo of echo jazz 2018.

The album includes 10 of their newly composed songs, some of which bear deep traditional Vietnamese characteristics. The album was re-mixed by Nguyen Le in modern style and was recorded in France.

ACT is considered one of the finest curators of progressive jazz and creative music.

With a roster that boasts some of the most influential contemporary jazz recordings in recent years, including the epoch-defining sound of the sorely missed EsbjörnSvensson Trio and a wide range of leading jazz instrumentalists and singers since its foundation in 1992 by music manager and producer Siggi Loch, German label ACT has grown to become a global force.

Source: VNA