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Virtuosic History
Thelonious Monk Institute Turns 25
Opulent virtuosity was on full display during the 2011 Thelonious
Monk Institute’s International Jazz Piano Competition and 25th
anniversary gala celebration in Washington, D.C. The Sept. 12 competition,
judged by a panel that included Jason Moran, Herbie Hancock,
Ellis Marsalis, Danilo Pérez and Renee Rosnes, presented its semifinal
and final rounds at the Smithsonian Institution’s Baird Auditorium and
Kennedy Center, respectively.
Competition winner Kris Bowers’ harmonically jarring, stride-strutting
rendition of “Blue Monk,” underscored by the roadhouse thump of
drummer Carl Allen and bassist Rodney Whitaker, earned the 22-yearold
a place in the finals, where his original ballad “Hope” and devilish rendition
of Monk’s “Shuffle Boil” garnered him first prize. Bowers received
$25,000 and a recording contract with the Concord Music Group.
According to Moran, it was Bowers’ “polish” that placed him at the top.
“A lot of these musicians arrived with a certain kind of facility,” Moran said.
“[Bowers] put [his facilities] together in a way in which he would be
a name that people would want to listen to.” Moran also complimented
Bowers’ sense of touch, song choice and rhythm section interaction.
Pérez commented on the difficulty of judging a competition with so
many dazzling improvisers. “To have a competition [with pianists and
judges] coming from different places and aesthetics shows that there is
a taste for everybody there,” Pérez said. “It’s the Monk competition, so
there has to be a level of adventure and taking chances.”
Runner-up Joshua White, 26, roughed up Monk’s “Criss Cross” with
brute rhythmic force, and third-place winner Emmet Cohen, 21, kicked
off the finals with a soothing reading of Monk’s “Ugly Beauty” and a
jolting makeover of Monk’s “Bright Mississippi.”
Moran acknowledged the contestants’ extravagant displays of technique
but also spoke on the virtues of self-editing. “Playing fast does
not necessarily mean that it’s good. You have to consider how technique
enhances a song, or, most importantly, the melody. Or even how it is
enhancing the mood in the room—not just on the bandstand.”
In honor of the institute’s silver anniversary, the competition gave
way to a mammoth celebration at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower
Theater. The Maria Fisher Founder’s Award was presented to Aretha
Franklin, who rewarded the audience with a gracious acceptance speech
and a fiery rendition of “Moody’s Mood For Love.”
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chaka Khan, Jane Monheit, Dianne Reeves
and Kurt Elling also performed a rousing round-robin of tunes as homage
to Franklin.
Kris Bowers, winner of 2011 Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Piano Competition
“You want to sing every note that she sings, because you feel that’s
the way the song goes,” Reeves said. “Being able to sing for her and let
her know how much we appreciate her has been the best thing they could
have done for the 25th anniversary of the Thelonious Monk Institute of
Jazz. This is a night that I will always remember.”
For T.S. Monk, son of the legendary Thelonious Monk and board
chairman of the Monk Institute, the tribute was a personal highlight. “I
don’t think that we had ever been honored in that fashion before,” Monk
said. “[Franklin] has been such a supporter of jazz and of the institute.”
The institute reunited many of the winners of past Monk
Competitions, including Monheit, Gretchen Parlato, Joshua Redman,
Jacky Terrasson, Joey DeFrancesco and Ambrose Akinmusire, who
grouped up in different configurations for a medley of Monk tunes.
During the “Bebop Meets Hip-Hop” portion of the gala, rap legend
Doug E. Fresh partnered with institute students on a noble jazz-hiphop
interpretation of Cole Porter’s “What Is This Thing Called Love”
which featured some inspired beat-boxing and tasty riffs from turntablist
DJ Spark.
Tom Carter, president of the Monk Institute, likened the gala to a
cross between a class reunion and family reunion. “It was a true celebration
of all the work that we’ve done for the past quarter-century,” Carter
said. “So many of the previous winners were on hand as well as many
jazz greats. Another thing that was important to the institute is that all of
the people who participate in our programs, and most especially the
competition, are winners.” —John Murph
Getty Images
DECEMBER 2011 DOWNBEAT 13