The award was originally established in 2013 to perpetuate the memory of the influential British jazz musician, Edward Thomas ("Eddie") Harvey (1925-2012). He played piano and trombone in bands alongside Ronnie Scott, John Dankworth and Humphrey Littleton and arranged compositions for groups such as Jack Parnell's Orchestra. In the early 1970s he began to get involved in teaching, becoming Head of Jazz at the London College of Music and then teaching posts at the Guildhall and Royal Colleges.