Made In New York International Jazz Competition
Lenny White in another video says he's amazed at the number of countries represented at the jazz gala
New York, NY (PRWEB) September 30, 2014
The Made In New York Jazz Gala that took place on May 3, 2014 was full of memorable moments and fortuitous firsts for young jazz artists throughout the world. People wondering what this event meant to the musicians who got involved only need to check out the videos from last year's gala. To make that easy, the organizers of the Made In New York Jazz Competition have posted them on a new page that can be found at this URL: http://goo.gl/XGt26L
That page can also be navigated to from the competition's main website at http://madeinnyjazz.com. Users can scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "JazzGala2014" link located there. Competition organizers would like jazz fans and musicians to click these links and hear the Cinderella stories that brought artists from around the world to New York, and gave them the potential chance of a lifetime to display their talents and skill.
The videos tell stories like that of Vladimir Maras and his band. Maras says in one video that he and his bands made their submission to the competition with "no expectations." Then one day, Maras received a call and the band was invited to fly to New York for the gala from their home country of Montenegro. Maras describes the honor he feels representing his music and his homeland, which he calls, "The most beautiful country in the world."
The impressions of the musicians aren't the only things to be found on the new videos page. There are also performances from the memorable evening. In one, competition winner Anita Vitale walks onto stage singing unaccompanied. The bassist and saxophonist start backing her up, and that's when the video gets really interesting; the depths of Vitale’s vocal talents emerge. She starts trading saxophone licks with the saxophonist, and she nails the feel and sound of the instrument, by just using her voice.
Renowned drummer and Made In New York Jazz Competition judge Lenny White in another video says he's amazed at the number of countries represented at the jazz gala. White says the group was a good cross section of the world's jazz community. White also pointed out that the competition organizer, Misha Brovkin, did a great job organizing the international event.
White says he thinks of the competition as a "proving ground" for the worldly musicians involved with it. White says New York itself is the testing ground for just about everything. In music, the best place to show what White calls "respectability" is New York. White says it's these qualities in the competition that will ensure it stays around a long time.
Ricardo Baldaci is a self-described swing jazz guitarist who was invited to the competition from his native Brazil. In a video taken from the lead-up to the gala, Baldaci says the competition was the cause of his first trip to New York. In the video, Baldaci talked about meeting heroes and idols at the gala. Baldaci also echoed White's sentiments on New York being a jazz mecca, and said that to play swing, a musician has to get to New York.
Many other artists featured in the videos on the competition’s Web page call New York a "jazz capital" of the world. Many artists also describe the humble process that brought them to New York to participate in the gala. For instance, Evgeny Lebedev of the World Trio, who took second in the competition, took it upon himself to submit his band's music to the competition, according to one of his bandmates in a video. With the competition entering the its second season, there are sure to be more inspirational stories such as these, as well as more great music.
About the Made In New York Jazz Competition
The Made In New York Jazz Competition started in 2013, and is going strong into its second year. The event is designed to bring young jazz artists from around the world into the spotlight using the power of the Internet. Artists get involved by submitting a video to be judged by registered users of the website, as well as a panel of professional musicians and industry people. Winners and other artists of distinction are invited to participate in a gala event taking place in New York City.
Website: http://madeinnyjazz.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/madeinnyjazz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeinnyjazz
About the Made In New York Jazz Gala
The Jazz Gala took place on March 3, 2014, and it featured winners from the 2013 competition, such as jazz vocalist Anita Vitale, and pianist Evgeny Lebedev with his band, the World Trio. The event took place in front of a sold-out Tribeca Performing Arts Center in Manhattan, and featured some of the talent discovered in the Made In New York Jazz Competition playing alongside some renowned jazz greats.
Videos from 2014 Gala: http://goo.gl/XGt26L