Top German honour for jazz impresario Loch

Polish born, German based music producer Siggi Loch has received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Loch heads up his own prolific and growing jazz label ACT who have signed musicians from all over the world.

This is not the first time he has been honoured for his commitment to jazz. In 1998 he was given the lifetime achievement award from the German Record Critics' Award Association. In 2010 he was awarded the knighthood of the Royal Order Of The Northern Star by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden for his work for Swedish Jazz and in 2012 he received the Skoda Jazz Award in Bremen. German jazz fans have also elected ACT label of the year four times in a row at the ECHO Jazz, Germany’s most important music prize. Siggi Loch started ACT 22 years ago after years at the top of the music industry working for WEA Europe where he was president, based in London for 4 years.

Loch received his latest, Germany’s highest national award, from the German head of state Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck. It was given, “in recognition of his merits for the country and the people” in Berlin on November 3rd.

ACT’s impressive roster includes Gwilym Simcock, Jacob Karlzon, Michael Wollny, Marius Neset, Manu Katché, Nils Landgren, Jerry Léonide, Bugge Wesseltoft, Christian Muthspiel, Esbjörn Svensson trio, Joachim Kühn, Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa  and many more.