September 25, 2009

2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition and Gala Concert featuring all-star tribute to Blue Note Records at Kennedy Center October 11

Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Wayne Shorter, Bobby McFerrin, Kurt Elling, Ron Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terence Blanchard, McCoy Tyner, Terri Lyne Carrington, Earl Klugh, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Jimmy Heath, Nicholas Payton, and many others to perform

Washington, D.C.-The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz today announced its 22nd annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and all-star Gala Concert will take place at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 11.

A special feature of this year's Competition, the Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Gala Concert will bring together the biggest names in music, showcasing Blue Note recording artists past and present, including Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Wayne Shorter, Kurt Elling, Bobby McFerrin, Ron Carter, Terence Blanchard, McCoy Tyner, Earl Klugh, John Scofield, and Joe Lovano.

President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama will serve as the honorary chairs of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition and Gala Concert. This year's Gala co-chairs include Madeleine Albright, Herb and Lani Alpert, Quincy Jones, Debra Lee, Bill and Carolyn Powers, and Joseph E. Robert Jr.

Bruce Lundvall, president and CEO of EMI Music's legendary jazz label Blue Note Records, will be presented with the 2009 Maria Fisher Founder's Award, a highly coveted award that honors individuals who have made valuable contributions to jazz and jazz education. Past recipients include Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, George Wein, and Clint Eastwood.

The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, often compared in stature to classical music's International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, is widely regarded as the most prestigious jazz competition in the world. Each year, the competition features a different musical instrument and major scholarships and prizes are awarded to talented young musicians. Over the past 22 years, the competition has launched the careers of a number of major jazz stars including Joshua Redman, Jane Monheit, Marcus Roberts, Tierney Sutton and Joey DeFrancesco. These artists and dozens of others from past competitions have forged successful careers as performing and recording artists, as well as music educators to help preserve and perpetuate America's legacy of jazz.

The 2009 competition will feature the bass and 15 of the world's most outstanding young jazz bassists who have been selected to compete before a panel of jazz greats including David Baker, Ron Carter, Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, Bob Hurst, Christian McBride, and John Patitucci.

Scholarships and prizes totaling over $100,000 will be awarded to finalists with a first place award of a recording contract with Concord Records and $20,000 scholarship, second place award of a $10,000 scholarship, and third place award of a $5,000 scholarship. The scholarships are geared to help pay tuition for college-level jazz education studies and provide funds for private, specialized instruction.

The 2009 semifinalists are David Baron, West Hartford, Conn.; Matt Brewer, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Shawn Conley, Nu'uanu, Hawaii; Adam Cote, Poughquag, N.Y.; Corcoran Holt, Washington, D.C.; Daryl Johns, the Bronx, N.Y.; Raviv Markovitz, Lexington, Mass.; Ben Meigners, New York, N.Y.; Linda Oh, Australia; Harish Raghavan, North Brook, Ill.; Jorge Roeder, Lima, Peru; Ruben Samama, The Netherlands; Joe Sanders, Milwaukee, Wis.; Clemens van der Feen, The Netherlands; and Ben Williams, Washington, D.C.

The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition Semifinals will be held at 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium. The three finalists will perform with a group of jazz all-stars at Sunday's Kennedy Center concert, followed by the awards announcement.

The concert will also feature the winner of the Thelonious Monk International Composers Award, sponsored by BMI. This year's winner is Joseph Johnson of Kansas City, Mo., who will perform his winning composition, “Shepherd's Song.” The Composers Award, which carries a prize of $10,000, is presented to a composer who best demonstrates originality, creativity and excellence in jazz composition.

Proceeds from the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition and Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Gala Concert will help fund public school blues and jazz education programs throughout Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Delta.

Since 1999, Black Entertainment Television has produced and broadcast a documentary about the Competition, featuring performance clips and interviews with the contestants and judges.

United Airlines serves as the Official Airline of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and has generously donated the air travel for the participants of the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition and Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Gala Concert.

Editors please note:

Saturday, October 10, 2009, at 12 p.m.
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, 10th St. and
Constitution Ave. N.W.

Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition Semifinals

Tickets are free and will be distributed on a first-come basis beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Baird Auditorium. For general information, call 202-364-7272.

Sunday, October 11, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition Finals
Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Gala Concert
Thelonious Monk International Composers Award

Tickets start at $35 and go up to $1,000 for VIP orchestra seats, which includes admission to thepost-show cast party. For more information on VIP ticket packages, call 202-364-7272. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-444-1324, online at www.kennedy-center.org, and at the Central Box Office for all theaters located in the Kennedy Center's Hall of States. The performance run time is two hours, plus a 20-minute intermission.