Today was the semifinals of the TS Monk International Jazz Piano competition at Baird Auditorium located at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The competition was hosted by Thelonious Monk, Jr. The judging panel consisted of Herbie Hancock, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Moran, Danilo Perez. Accompanying the pianists were MSU's Rodney Whitaker on bass and Carl Allen on drums.
The competition began with Bobby Avey, the grand prize winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition. Bobby, with his trio including Tom Kneeland on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums, performed "Late November."
12 pianists from around the world then took the stage and performed 15 minutes of any material, including original compositions, they chose. The semifinalists included Hod Moshonov from Israel, Harold O'Neal of Tanzania but raised in Kansas City, Emmet Cohen from Miami, Justin Kauflin of Virginia Beach, Antonio Madruga from Pembrooke Pines, Florida, Glenn Zaleski from Boylston, Massachusetts and Brooklyn, Steven Feifke from Lexington, Massachusetts, Kris Bowers from Los Angeles, Pascal Le Boeuf from Santa Cruz, California, Beka Gochiashvili from the Republic of Georgia, Can Olgun from Marburg, Germany and New York, and Joshua White from Los Angeles.
The judges picked the 3 finalists who will perform tomorrow night at the Kennedy Center followed by an all star bash honoring Aretha Franklin. They are: Emmet Cohen, Joshua White, and Kris Bowers. Kris was my choice to win the competition.
