ARMENIA’S TIGRAN HAMASYAN WINS FIRST PLACE IN 2006 THELONIOUS MONK INTERNATIOANL JAZZ PIANO COMPETITION

All About Jazz, PA
Posted: 2006-09-18

Helonious Monk Institute Of Jazz Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Music Legends Join Political Leaders For Star-Studded Gala

Stevie Wonder Honored By Former Secretaries Of State Madeleine Albright
And Colin Powell

Washington, DC–The world’s greatest jazz artists were on stage at
The Kennedy Center last night to honor the Thelonious Monk Institute
of Jazz and its two decades of music education. Herbie Hancock, Wayne
Shorter, Ron Carter, Patti Austin, John Patitucci, Terence Blanchard,
George Duke, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others joined a group
of young artists who have emerged from the Institute’s numerous
education programs over the years in a star-studded Gala Celebration
that was televised for broadcast on PBS and BET and will be broadcast
nationally over NPR and internationally over Voice of America.

The evening was the culmination of a weekend of festivities paying
tribute to the Institute, the world’s leading jazz education
organization. The weekend kicked off with President and Mrs. Bush
hosting a dinner and concert at the White House. The East Room concert,
hosted by Barbara Walters, will be telecast as an "In Performance at
the White House" PBS Special. Ms. Walters shared with the audience her
personal experiences and love of jazz through her father Lou Walters,
owner of the famed Latin Quarter jazz and music clubs located in Boston
(opened in 1937), Miami Beach (opened in 1940) and New York City
(opened in 1942). The concert included performances by Anita Baker,
Herbie Hancock, Nnenna Freelon, Clark Terry and many others.

The White House Concert was followed on Friday by a luncheon in the
United States Capitol hosted by Senators Ted Stevens and Thad Cochran
and Congressman John Conyers. All three of the legislators are major
advocates of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and have Institute
public school programs in their states and district.

Saturday featured the Semi-Finals of the Thelonious Monk International
Jazz Piano Competition at the Smithsonian Institution’s Baird
Auditorium. The Thelonious Monk Competition is the world’s most
prestigious jazz competition and has launched the careers of many
young jazz artists including pianists Marcus Roberts, Jacky Terrasson,
Joey DeFrancesco; saxophonist Joshua Redman and vocalists Jane Monheit
and Tierney Sutton. Saturday’s Semi-Finals featured 12 aspiring young
artists competing for major scholarships and the worldwide recognition
associated with participating in this annual internationally acclaimed
music event.

Last night’s 20th Anniversary Gala Concert featured the three
Finalists selected by the distinguished panel of judges, including
Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Danilo Perez, Renee Rosnes, Billy Taylor
and Randy Weston. Each of the three Finalists – Gerald Clayton,
Tigran Hamasyan and Aaron Parks – performed before a packed house
at The Kennedy Center. Following the Finalists’ performances, the
evening shifted to an All-Star concert featuring a series of historic
performances including pairings of Wayne Shorter and Joshua Redman,
Terence Blanchard with Patti Austin, Jane Monheit with Herbie Hancock
and Ron Carter, and Monk’s son T.S. Monk performing Thelonious Monk’s
"Four In One."

Honorary Co-Chairs of the 20th Anniversary Celebration Madeleine
Albright and Colin Powell shared with the audience their love of
jazz and support of the Institute’s global programs that range from
Calcutta, India to Lima, Peru and Cairo, Egypt. Albright and Powell
presented the Institute’s annual award, the Maria Fisher Founders
Award, to Stevie Wonder for his long time support of the Institute
and jazz education.

Albright and Powell were joined on stage by Quincy Jones and Herbie
Hancock for the presentation.

Hosts for the evening included Quincy Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Billy
Dee Williams. The 20th Anniversary Celebration was sponsored by General
Motors and Northrop Grumman. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz
Piano Competition was sponsored by G.M.A.C Financial Services.

The evening concluded with the announcement of this year’s Piano
Competition winners:

First Place: Tigran Hamasyan Second Place: Gerald Clayton Third Place:
Aaron Parks

ABOUT TIGRAN HAMASYAN Tigran Hamasyan was born in Gyumri, Armenia and
began playing piano at age 10. He currently attends the University
of Southern California where he is studying jazz piano. Influenced
by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum,
Miles Davis and Bud Powell, Hamasyan began writing his first piano
compositions at a young age. He recently won first prize at the Monaco
Jazz Soloist Competition and has performed at concerts, competitions,
festivals throughout Europe.

ABOUT GERALD CLAYTON Gerald Clayton was born in Utrecht, The
Netherlands and was raised in Los Angeles. He began playing piano at
the age of five. Currently, Clayton is pursuing a Bachelor of Music
degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California. In
addition to his studies, Clayton performs frequently and has played
with a host of well-respected musicians including Benny Green,
Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Baron, and Clark Terry. He recently appeared
on Back in the Swing of Things with the Clayton Brothers.

ABOUT AARON PARKS Aaron Parks was raised in Seattle, Washington and
began playing piano at age 10, learning mostly by ear.

He began is career in jazz at the age of 16 after leaving the
University of Washington to focus more intently on jazz studies at
the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Parks won first place in
the 5th American Jazz Piano Competition and is a Cole Porter Fellow
of the American Pianist Association. Currently, he tours with Terence
Blanchard and is featured on Blanchard’s CDs Bounce and Flow.