A high note at the Thelonius Monk Jazz Competition
CUTTIN’THE CHORDS AT
THE KENNEDY CENTER
Washington Life was proud
to serve as the magazine
media sponsor for the 2005
Thelonious Monk International
Jazz Competition. The talent
raised the roof of the Kennedy
Center as young guitarists
competed for cash scholarships
and performed with some
of the world’s premier jazz
greats, including Terence
Blanchard, Wayne Shorter,
Peter Bernstein, Rodney Jones
and Vic Juris. Jazz icon Herbie
Hancock, Oscar winner for his“Round Midnight” fi lm score
and winner of 10 Grammys,
introduced the evening and fi lm
star Billy Dee Williams emceed.
JAZZ LEGENDS JAM
The incomparable Dee Dee
Bridgewater nearly stopped
the show as she sang a duet
with venerable trumpeter Clark
Terry, who left Duke Ellington
to join the NBC “Tonight
Show” band, (becoming
the fi rst African-American
musician to be employed
by the network.) Thelonious
Monk, Jr., the jazz and R&B
drummer and recording artist
who chairs the institute named
for his father, has worked
hard to preserve America’s
jazz legacy.
CREATING
FUTURE LEGENDS
Carter
said that thanks to corporate
sponsorship, the 19-year-old
institute is able to continue
its educational programs
around the country and the
world to bring jazz to millions
of people, despite drastic cuts
in government funding
for the arts.
PHOTOS BY JONAH KOCH
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