Still, if you'd asked in a pinch, this writer would have chosen 22-year-old Los Angeleno Kris Bowers, who displayed just the right combination of chops, taste, discipline, and flash (and a pretty fair grasp of Monkisms on "Blue Monk"). He'd done the same at the previous day's semifinals, and thrown in astonishing blues licks to boot. In the final, however, he one-upped himself, contributing the competition's only genuinely moving performance in his sensitive reading of "The Summer Knows."

The judges (pianists Herbie Hancock, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Moran, Danilo Perez, and Renee Rosnes) apparently agreed. Bowers, currently a Masters of Music student at Juilliard, won the world's most prestigious jazz competition last night, and along with it a $25,000 scholarship and a recording contract with Concord Music Group.

Joshua White, from El Cajon, Calif., took second place honors, and University of Miami student Emmet Cohen came in third. This was a bit of a surprise: White, whom NYT's Ben Ratliff accurately describes as "one of the competition’s most memorable musicians," had performed his two songs in layers of knotty chords and suddenly broke free in the midst of the first. It was a risky move—and it clearly cost him when the competition's house drummer, Carl Allen, got lost. This writer was expecting White to take third as a result; likely, though, the judges were impressed with his chance-taking, a vital component of any jazz musician worth his salt. Cohen, however, did quite well, even if his playing was comparatively safe.

Oh, yeah. It was also the Monk Competition's 25th anniversary, giving rise to a mammoth concert celebration with a tremendous cast of jazz stars. Included was a duet performance with Hancock and soprano saxophonist Wayne Shorter (who was not having a good night—"So sharp he was flat," said one observer); a Chaka Khan-led funk version of "A Night in Tunisia"; a magnificent ensemble performance of Shorter's "Footprints" with the great Gretchen Parlato on vocal; a medley of Monk tunes; and, as the centerpiece, a tribute to Aretha Franklin sung by Khan, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, and Jennifer Hudson. Franklin herself followed with a radiant performance of the jazz standard "Moody's Mood for Love." All of which was excellent, but it was the stars of tomorrow who made the evening.

MUSIC

The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition is the world's most prestigious jazz musicians competition, and one of its best talent factories; this year it spotlights its namesake's instrument of choice, the piano. Last time the keys were on display, in 2006, all of its top three finishers—Tigran Hamasyan (first), Gerald Clayton (second), and Aaron Parks (third)—were able to parlay that success into the start of major careers. Before that came such pianists as Orrin Evans, Eric "ELEW" Lewis, Jacky Terrasson, Bill Cunliffe, Harry Appelman, Marcus Roberts, and Joey DeFrancesco. The next great name on that long list will be decided tonight at the Kennedy Center. It will also comprise a gala concert that includes most of the past winners mentioned above, as well as an astonishing lineup of greats too numerous to list here. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater. $50-75. (Michael J. West)

True story: The first thing I ever wrote for this paper was a review of a Japandroids show in 2009. At that concert, at DC9, the duo probably used some form of the word "rock" at least a half-dozen times; they apologized for one song that rocked too hard, as well as for two that didn't seem to rock hard enough. Funny thing is: Their cocky throwback rock is pretty damn well calibrated. Tonight at Red Palace. $14.

Look for Mike Paarlberg's review of the Washington National Opera's Tosca later this week and for now take pleasure in this post, in which the production's premiere was attended by anti-elitist Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.

Local electronica artist Yoko K is one of this year's artists in resident at Strathmore; she'll have a pair of concerts there in October, but she's also got something more intimate planned tonight: One of the Pink Line Project's Salon Contra events, where she'll play selections from her new album and discuss its making. Only a few spots left, however, so make haste emailing info@pinklineproject.com. 7 p.m. at Pink Line Project HQ.

FILM

Goethe-Institut's "Looking at the Other" film series continues with a program of short films from Pakistan

DC Shorts continues. Look for more reviews on Arts Desk.

Friday, September 9

There are so many things about The Cookers that scream "All-Star Band." The truth, though, is that they are an All-Should-Have-Been-Stars Band. Organizers David Weiss (trumpet) and Craig Handy (sax) gather together a group of the finest, most underrated jazz musicians to develop in America during the past half-century. Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper and trumpeter Eddie Henderson both came of age, creatively speaking, in the treacherous 1970s, playing fusion, free, and spiritual jazz after the Coltrane model; they worked together through the '80s and '90s (mostly under Harper's name), blending the spiritualism into more traditional hard-bop stylings. Along with Weiss and Handy, they're supported by the impossibly brilliant rhythm section of pianist George Cables, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer and D.C. native Billy Hart—all of them, like Harper and Henderson, known and endlessly revered by jazz insiders, but never receiving the recognition from the larger fandom that they've deserved for so long. There are few gigs, however, that are more exciting this fall. The Cookers perform at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. at Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th Street NW. $35.

Saturday, September 10
The Petworth Jazz Project, a monthly neighborhood outdoor concert series that began in May, wraps for the summer this week. Each month on the second Saturday, jazz has come to the lawn of Petworth Playground, four blocks from the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station, beginning 90 minutes before sunset so that concert and daylight ended at the same time. There's a dicey proposition to this final week, it must be said. It's a doubleheader: The regularly scheduled performer is the much discussed Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, the scene's most reliable (and reliably good) ensemble performer. Every Monday you can see them at Bohemian Caverns, but their "road gigs"—relatively speaking—are few and far between. Here's a good shot. Also on the bill is the great local singer Akua Allrich, a rich alto voice with hornlike cadences who's jazz at the core, but with a generous helping of neo-soul. Here's the caveat: Allrich is on the bill as a reschedule of her original set, August 27, that was canceled due to inclement weather. There is a good-to-excellent chance of inclement weather this weekend as well. Nonetheless, this is a great way to spend your Saturday evening if it's a clear one. They perform at 5 p.m. at Petworth Playground, 8th and Taylor streets NW. Free.

Sunday, September 11
Yes—it's THAT day. THAT anniversary. There is little more to add to what's already being said and thought about it all over the country and the world, and no shortage of ways it will be marked. This writer chooses to mark it in a way that returns some joy and pleasant surprise to the day: With another in CapitalBop's ongoing winning streak, also known as its DC Jazz Loft series. Mindful of the forthcoming demise of the Lofts' heretofore favorite venue, the Red Door, the CapitalBop gang is in a sense pulling out all the stops with this edition. The lineup features the mighty bass clarinet sound of Baltimore's Todd Marcus; the post-bop/hip-hop/free-improvisation combo, Cricket Fusion, featuring special guest Tedd Baker along with its usual ensemble of heady experimentalists; steaming alto saxophonist Brent Birckhead, in a rare appearance at the head of his own quartet; and, of course, the Lofts' trademark evening-ending jam session, in this case led by DC powerhouse saxophonist Brian Settles. (CapitalBop suggests the tone will be both free and meditative.) For God's sake, 9/11 needs a little bit of artistic triumph to its name. The DC Jazz Loft begins at 7 p.m. at the Red Door, 443 I St. NW. $10 (suggested donation).

Monday, September 12
Now let's talk about an important date this week that's nothing but artistic triumph. Yes, it's once again time for one of the most important jazz events of the year: the annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. It's the world's most prestigious jazz musicians' competition, and one of its best talent factories; this year it spotlights the instrument of choice for its namesake, the piano. Last time the keys were on display, in 2006, all of its top three finishers—Tigran Hamasyan (first), Gerald Clayton (second), and Aaron Parks (third)—were able to parlay that success into the start of a major career of their own. Before that came such pianists as Orrin Evans, Eric "ELEW" Lewis, Jacky Terrasson, Bill Cunliffe, Harry Appelman, Marcus Roberts, and Joey DeFrancesco. The next great name on that long list will be decided on Monday night at the Kennedy Center. Oh, and that night will also comprise a gala concert that includes most of the past winners mentioned above, as well as an astonishing lineup of greats too numerous to list here. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $50-75.

Wednesday, September 14
Ever seen those gigantic precision air chisels? We're talking those big power tools with the strength to punch through rock, but the fragile attention to detail that allows it to sculpt the stone into fine shapes. That's as good an analogy as any for Will Vinson's alto saxophone sound. It can sometimes venture into the higher tones of the soprano sax, but without its more feathery edges; Vinson is all muscle, and with one of the most penetrating tones ever sounded on the alto. He's also got an insurmountable swing to his playing, and an extraordinary willingness to experiment with sonics. He's an ideal choice, therefore, to inaugurate the new jazz series at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, where he'll lead his quartet in what is also his own debut performance in our fair city. He plays at 8 p.m. at the Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. $25.

Los Angeles native Gretchen Parlato is among an elite group of musicians who made their breakthrough in Washington, D.C.: She was the winner of the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition for Vocals. Seven years and three albums later, Parlato is one of the most acclaimed and closely watched singers in jazz, and her star is still rising. Ahead of her two-night stand at Bohemian Caverns this weekend, Parlato talked to Washington City Paper about songwriting, playing with Terence Blanchard alums, and developing her unique sound.

Washington City Paper: On your new album, The Lost and Found, it seems you’ve branched out quite a bit in terms of composing your own material.

Gretchen Parlato: Yeah. That might be what allows this album to stand apart from the others. It just felt really good to release that.

WCP: Is it all new? Or something you’ve been working on for several years?

GP: A little bit of both. There are some songs that were composed specifically for this album, but there’s other songs and ideas that I’ve had for years that I just finished. I got in my own way for a long time in terms of finishing them—or in thinking that I could write at all.

WCP: Does that apply as well to the standards and other prewritten tunes that you’ve added lyrics to?

GP: Well, [Wayne Shorter’s] “Juju,” for example, those lyrics were the first attempt at writing that I ever tried. That was back in the Thelonious Monk Institute, so around 2001; the assignment from Terence Blanchard was specifically to write lyrics to “Juju.” And it was an assignment, so you kinda pretend you can do it even if you don’t know how. [Laughs] I said, “Okay, sure,” but I was terrified. And that’s what came out. So that was 10 years ago that I wrote that.

WCP: Is that an avenue you intend to pursue more fully?

GP: Yeah! There’s a handful of songs that have been composed by my friends and musical peers that are exquisite pieces of instrumental music that I hear words to—certain ones. It’d be a wonderful thing to collaborate with these other musicians.

WCP: Speaking of collaborations—and it’s interesting that you mention studying with Terence Blanchard—you seem to have a certain affinity for members and former members of Terence’s ensembles [pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Kendrick Scott and—most frequently—guitarist Lionel Loueke]. Is that a coincidence?

GP: Well, it’s definitely true. I met Aaron through Terence, and Derrick, too; I met Kendrick before Terence, but right around the same time that he started playing with Terence. I think it’s just kind of how life is; just before I moved to New York I was in the Monk Institute, connected with Terence Blanchard since he was the Artistic Director, and was in touch with all these musicians because we had heard his band often. I think of it more as meant-to-be—that things just sort of happen, and you live your life in a certain pattern and you look back on it and think, “Oh, of course! This is why things are the way that they are.”

WCP: Did you meet Lionel through Terence?

GP: No, I met Lionel at the audition for the Monk Institute. Terence was there as a judge, so I guess there was a connection there, but he wasn’t a part of Terence’s band yet. We were students together.

WCP: It was a surprise to find that Lionel wasn’t on the new record. You and he are such a sympathetic musical partnership.

GP: We definitely are! But, well, as life would have it, he’s so busy I can’t even keep track of his schedule. He’s playing with everybody, mostly Herbie Hancock. So it was harder for us to find the time to connect, but in a good way, that makes it even more special when we’re allowed to play together. It’s also good in that it got me to connect with Taylor Eigsti and form a quartet that was piano-based.

WCP: So that quartet, is that going to be your touring band in D.C.?

GP: Yes, through next fall I’m with Taylor on piano and keyboards; Alan Hampton on bass, and he’ll also sing and play guitar so we can perform “Still,” the tune we wrote; and Kendrick Scott on drums—though specifically in D.C., the drummer is Mark Giuliana, who’s just awesome, and anyone who doesn’t know how awesome he is there’s lots of videos with live performances.

WCP: Alan and Taylor both have compositions on The Lost and Found, don’t they?

GP: Yeah. Taylor wrote a song, the last track, called “Without a Sound.” Well, it actually didn’t have a title. He wrote it for me, to write words to, for the album. I titled it after the lyrics were written. Alan’s piece “Still,” that again was just instrumental and written for me to sing.

WCP: You sound so different from just about anyone else in jazz. How did you develop that style?

GP: My father is a jazz bass player, so I grew up hearing him practice and going to his gigs, and his father’s a trumpet player and a singer. And my grandmother on my mother’s side, she always played records by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Frank Sinatra. So I grew up hearing jazz without knowing what it was.

But I think specifically that style you’re talking about, that’s understated and subtle, I think that just came out of hearing other singers do that. Like Bobby McFerrin. Like Joao Gilberto and bossa nova, and hearing that when I was really young and being completely moved and touched by the ability of these artists to draw you in, but without throwing the music at you. They have their palms up as an offering, and if you want to come into that world you’re welcome to, but it’s not forced upon you. It’s just the beauty of subtlety, of understatement, of something that is a quiet power, an intensity.

It’s also something that was just in my nature. I always say that if I had a voice that was a big belter, and I could sing like Aretha and do amazing ornaments and runs, I would. If that was my makeup I would do that. But it was a matter of learning what is the natural makeup of my instrument and my body, just accepting the voice that I have and learning what I could do with it. So there’s your very long answer! [laughs]

WCP: Were you aware going in that you had something original?

GP: No, I don’t think I ever thought of it that way. I grew up singing in choirs just like everybody else, and growing up with musical theater and imitation. I grew up on The Sound of Music and I wanted to be Julie Andrews when I was little. Or anything—it was the '80s, and I would sing along with Madonna and Whitney Houston. And before I found jazz I was singing in musicals, which is a kind of a belting tradition, and while I did do that to me it was like, “That’s a character when I do that. That’s not me singing, as an extension of how I speak.” I think that’s really the key. Singing shouldn’t sound like you’re trying to be anyone else.

I also like to challenge myself. I know that people often describe my singing as “whispering” and “hushed,” and I like that. I think there’s definitely an air surrounding my voice, but I believe it’s more than a whisper. In a whisper there’s no sound, no tone, and I try to reach the full capacity that I can. So I’m learning, let’s steer away from this breathy whisper, because if that’s all that people are hearing then they’re missing something.

Two things to remember:

(1) Singing is perhaps the most subjectively appreciated aspect of music (perhaps the most subjectively appreciated art).
(2) Singers hear things in other singers that you and I don't.

That's certainly the reasoning this writer fell back on, having guessed (and had that guess reaffirmed by an informal survey of acquaintances in the audience) that Brooklyn's Charenee Wade would win the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Competition, with her firm control and the subtle maturity of her delivery. It was a surprise indeed when the winner was Cecile McLorin Salvant, 21, a French-Haitian-American from Miami — who will now reap the benefits of a $20,000 scholarship and a recording contract with Concord Music Group.

Plus the small additional prize of singing "Blue Skies" onstage at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater alongside judges Dianne Reeves, Patti Austin, Al Jarreau, Kurt Elling, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, plus special guests Jane Monheit, Ledisi, and Gladys Knight.

Wade received second place honors (a scholarship worth $10,000), with French vocalist Cyrille Amie ($5,000) taking third.

The competition began Sunday with the semifinals, held at the National Museum of the American Indian's Rasmuson Theater. Twelve international vocalists were required to play a program of three tunes each (one by Thelonious Monk, the founder of our feast), with the backing of pianist Reggie Thomas*, bassist Rodney Whittaker, and drummer Carl Allen. There were no local semifinalists this year (unlike 2009, when both eventual winner Ben Williams and semifinalist Corcoran Holt were DC natives). Tonight's finals called for each of the three finalists to sing an additional two songs.

Notably, announced judge and gala performer Aretha Franklin was absent after her son sustained critical injuries in an assault last month. The judges' panel made do without her, while the audience had to settle for an appearance by Gladys Knight (darn).

To these ears, McLorin was extremely gifted and technically skilled, and easily the best scatter of the bunch. On the other hand, she had an edge in her voice of melodrama and a little bit of an overreliance on Billie Holiday's vocal mannerisms. I thought she'd make an excellent second-place winner. Of course, these ears aren't qualified to stand in for Elling's, Reeves', Bridgewater's, Jarreau's, and/or Austin's.

But if Aretha was here, she'd have agreed with me.

*The five of you who followed my live tweets of the semifinals on Sunday may have noticed that I credited piano to Geoffrey Keezer, last year's pianist. My bad.

Sunday, Oct. 3
One of the things that sets jazz apart as a musical form is that you can't simply give the talented stars an unassuming accompaniment that will stay out of their way and not make waves. The greats need to play with other greats, to humble, challenge, and inspire each other. Think Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith, Count Basie and Lester Young, Bird and Diz, Miles and Coltrane. Perhaps we're not seeing a combination quite on THAT level, but putting the breathtaking vocalist Gretchen Parlato and enfant terrible bassist Esperanza Spalding onstage together is certainly a spectacle unto itself. The two would top any list of rising jazz stars under 35; Spalding is a bass prodigy, the youngest teacher in the history of the Berklee College of Music and an attention-grabber in mainstream music as well as jazz; Parlato doesn't get quite the hoopla, but is every bit as accomplished and perhaps even more of a virtuoso on her built-in instrument. (Spalding, by the way, is a singer too, one with an awful lot of radiance to match Parlato's subtlety.) What will happen when we put them together? God knows, but it'll be amazing to behold. Spalding and Parlato perform at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. $35 – 85.

Monday, Oct. 4
The major event of the week, as it happens, is also one of the major jazz events of the year: the annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. The world's most prestigious jazz musicians' competition this year spotlights the voice. Gretchen Parlato, mentioned above? She's a Monk Vocal Competition winner. So is Tierney Sutton. Jane Monheit is a past runner-up. In short, the Monk is a career launchpad like no other, and (with a few recent exceptions) it happens right here in our fair city, so you can watch an artist being made. And, oh, by the way, the final round will also incorporate a concert paying tribute to the Great American Songbook, with performances by the competition's judges: Patti Austin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves...and this other woman you might have heard of. Aretha something. Finkel or something like that. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition & Celebration of The Great American Songbook takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $35-75.

Tuesday, Oct. 5
We at Setlist have no wish to pass judgment on anyone, but if Anat Fort doesn't move you then something's the matter with you. The Tel Aviv native plays in the post-Keith Jarrett lineage of freeform piano, lyricism with delicate, almost whispered notes that blend and overlap like pieces of colored glass, into heretofore unknown shades of sound and color. That's just one layer, though. Fort can also adopt a more declarative touch, climbing spryly up the chords with a gentle but sure sense of swing, and a classical model of phrasing that has more in common with Mozart. In any configuration, though, Fort's piano notes strike deep, combining jazz tonality with a unique sense of melody and chord voicing that radiates color and beauty—and profound emotion. The evidence is available on Fort's exquisite new trio CD And If (ECM), with bassist Gary Wang and drummer Roland Schneider, as well as on the bandstand. The Anat Fort Trio performs at 8 and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $25.

Williams, who grew up in Michigan Park, graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and has played with D.C. jazz stalwarts including Allyn Johnson, Nasar Abadey, and Thad Wilson, was awarded a record deal with Concord Music Group and a $20,000 scholarship. Williams has already completed his master's degree at Juilliard, "But ohh, don't worry," he says. "I got plenty of bills from school that these will go toward nicely." (Second place winner Joe Sanders received $10,000, with $5,000 for third-place Matt Brewer.)

The competition began Saturday with the semifinals, held at the Natural History Museum’s Baird Auditorium. Fifteen bassists from around the world were required to play a program of three tunes each, with the backing duo of pianist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Carl Allen. Aside from the finalists, contestants included Chinese-Australian Linda Oh; an eighth grader from the Bronx, Daryl Johns; and another D.C. bassist, Corcoran Holt. Also included was Dutch player Clemens van der Feen–who was so stylistically original and advanced that it was a genuine shock when his name wasn’t on the finalists’ list. But you will be hearing more from this guy.

The finals round required each contestant to play only two selections, giving them less time to make an impression. But the challenge was greater still: One of the two songs put the bassist behind vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, a fearsome predicament for anyone since she’s both a tremendous talent and a born ham. Brewer and, especially, Sanders showed their nervousness playing with Bridgewater, who traded them eight-bar phrases with energetic abandon. (Sanders was also shaky on his first tune, slightly off pitch on his arco intro and clumsy with the rhythm later on; his second-place finish was a major upset.) Williams, however, followed her every melodramatic move with ease, practically daring her to turn up the intensity with his fierce rhythm and legato phrasing. Halfway through the second song, his victory was already obvious.

Of course, the jazz world is already hearing a lot from Williams; he’s a regular member of pianist Jacky Terrasson’s trio, and also of vibraphonist Stefon Harris’ group Blackout – where until recently he played with another Washingtonian, pianist Marc Cary, and together brought go-go rhythms to Harris’ new album Urbanus. (Williams will return to the Kennedy Center with Harris on November 14.) Still, this win should increase his profile, and bring him closer to the star status he richly deserves. It’s a feather in the cap of D.C. jazz, too.

Oct. 10
Forward-thinking bassist Dave Holland leads arguably the hippest quintet in progressive jazz, with unconventional approaches to form, harmony, and interplay between the musicians. Chalk it up to Holland's uncanny ability to spot and coordinate talents–certainly it lends promise to any other combo he happens to be a part of. Take the Overtone Quartet: It includes Holland and saxophonist Chris Potter, two fifths of the Holland Quintet, but places them onstage with two jazz adventurers, pianist Jason Moran and drummer Eric Harland. The quartet played their first-ever gig in September, meaning their work here is sure to be fresh and exciting. The Overtone Quartet plays Saturday night at the Kennedy Center, $35.

Oct. 10-11
The Thelonious Monk International Competition, one of the most prestigious jazz contests in the world, has an uncanny track record of picking future stars as its winners (Marcus Roberts, Joshua Redman, Gretchen Parlato) and finalists (Joey DeFrancesco, Jane Monheit, Marcus Strickland). This year’s event has two separate competitions: One for bassists and one for composers. The bass competition will have two public events, the semifinal (at the Museum of Natural History) and final (at the Kennedy Center). Seeing either portion gives local jazz fans great odds for walking away with a story that begins, “I was there when he/she got started.”

Oct. 12
The jazz economy is struggling as hard as everybody else, and thus making the same cutbacks. Thad Wilson's Jazz Orchestra, the big band that largely forms the heart of the D.C. scene (since so many of the local players have passed through it), has winnowed their formerly weekly gig at Bohemian Cavernsdown to the second Monday of every month. Unfortunate, but there's a silver lining: It means that seeing TWJO play has become a special treat, and that much more worth leaving the house on a Monday night to hear them work through their book of novel arrangements and array of great soloists and ensemble players. Cover is $5, the music goes until midnight, and a better cross-section of DC jazz musicians you're not likely to find anywhere else.