(upbeat jazz piano music)
- [Announcer] This presentation
of the American Pianists
is made possible through the
of REI Real Estate Services,
supporting the American
and the arts community.
More at reirealestate.com.
Additional support comes
advancing the role of art
(big band music)
(audience applauds and cheers)
- Well, good evening everyone,
and welcome to the American
American Pianists Awards in
presented by REI Real Estate
Now, we are live here at
in downtown Indianapolis,
I'm Dee Dee Bridgewater, and I
(audience applauding)
Thank you so much.
I'm so happy to be here.
Now this isn't my first time.
I was the guest singer
Ooh!
Eons ago, but this time
Kurt who gets to do the singing,
and I get to do all the talking!
(audience laughing)
But it's always good to be in
and a part of this terrific
of the American Pianists
Every four years, America's
compete for APA's Cole
The award is valued at well over
Mm-hm!
And, and, and, it includes
which is the largest in
It's an invitation also to
on the Mack Avenue label
as well as career assistance
for two years through the B
public relations through
and being named Artist
at the University of
(audience applauds and cheers)
Pretty cool.
Okay, tonight we are fortunate
the one and only, Kurt
with each of the finalists.
Kurt is one of the preminent,
Preeminent, what was preminent?
(audience laughing)
I'm a little ahead of myself.
I do apologize.
Preeminent jazz singers of the
I'm getting us off to a really
He is called the standout
by the "New York Times".
He is a Grammy Award winner
Please welcome my dear
(audience applauds and cheers)
(kisses smacking)
Well, Kurt.
- I gotta say that outfit of
is pretty preminent as well.
(audience laughing)
It's a new word.
- Oh, it's working.
- I am the disco ball of the
I just want you to...
(audience applauding and cheers)
- [Kurt] It's definitely
- What is that, darling?
- [Kurt] I said it's good.
- Is it good?
- I'm a fan!
(Dee Dee moans lightly)
- I gotta text message that
very sparkly, and my
that sent it was, "Oh, I got
(audience laughing)
I mean, yeah, you know what I'm
But it's all about you
It is all about you.
- I got a text that said, come
as a middle-aged white man.
(audience laughing and cheering)
- That's okay.
You middle-aged white
bald, black woman are going
Is that okay with you, Kurt?
- We're already doing it, my
- [Dee Dee] Is that we're doing?
- That's it, this is what it
- All right, everybody are you
(audience cheering)
Okay, here we go, here we go,
The first finalist grew
He studied in New York and
and he continues to live in
Keelan Dimick is 27.
Please welcome jazz pianist
(audience applauds and cheering)
(gentle and lively jazz piano)
♪ Pack up my care and woe ♪
♪ Here I go swinging low ♪
♪ Where someone waits for me ♪
♪ Sugar's sweet and so is she ♪
♪ No one here can ever try
♪ Oh, what hard luck
♪ Make my bed and light the
♪ Try to arrive late tonight ♪
♪ Blackbird, fare thee bye ♪
♪ It's bye, bye, bye, bye, bye,
♪ Fare thee well ♪
♪ Fare thee well I tell
♪ I'll pack up my cares and woes
♪ And spread my wings a spell ♪
♪ Sick of city lights that
♪ Blackbird, blackbird,
♪ (Scats) Here can love
♪ I can see pretty clear ♪
♪ Everybody gotta story to hear
♪ Make up my bed tonight ♪
♪ Light the place all right ♪
♪ I'm coming home tonight ♪
♪ They flying high through
♪ Blackbird bye, bye ♪
♪ Said here life isn't clean ♪
♪ Pretty cold and really pretty
♪ So I'm gonna quit the scene ♪
♪ To where someone waits for me
♪ Sugar's sweet and so is she ♪
♪ So pretty blackbird
♪ Bye bye ♪
♪ Ain't nobody here who
♪ I can see pretty clear ♪
♪ Everybody here gotta story
♪ So I better make my bed up ♪
♪ Lighten up my light ♪
♪ Blackbird, I'm coming home ♪
♪ Pack up my flight and
(audience applauding)
(audience applauding)
♪ Ain't nobody here to love
♪ No what hard luck stories
♪ Make my bed and light my light
♪ And I'll arrive back tonight ♪
♪ So blackbird fare thee well ♪
♪ And bye bye ♪
♪ So blackbird ♪
♪ Talking 'bout bye bye
♪ Packing up my care and woes ♪
♪ Talking 'bout here I go ♪
♪ Hey, doo-doo blackbird ♪
♪ Bye bye ♪
♪ Bye bye ♪
(audience applauds and cheers)
- [Dee Dee] Ladies and
- Keelan Dimick!
- That was Keelan Dimick with
and "Bye Bye Blackbird".
Dave Meder, our next
originally from Tampa,
and Julliard, lived in
when he accepted a position
of Jazz Piano at the
Dave is a pianist, composer, and
and at the tender age of 28
(audience laughing)
Please welcome Dave Meder!
(audience applauding)
- Well, the beautiful
that was "Bye Bye Blackbird",
and we have an Alec Wilder
that is I feel bespoke for the
(gentle jazz piano music)
♪ Deep is the midnight sea ♪
♪ Warm is the fragrant night ♪
♪ Sweet are your lips to me ♪
♪ As soft as the moon and sand ♪
♪ When shall we meet again ♪
♪ When the night has left us ♪
♪ Will the spell remain ♪
♪ The waves invade the shore ♪
♪ And though we may kiss no more
♪ Night is at our command ♪
♪ Moon and sand ♪
♪ And the magic of love ♪
(audience applauds)
♪ Warm is the fragrant night ♪
♪ Sweet are your lips to me ♪
♪ As soft as the moon and sand ♪
♪ Oh, when shall we meet again ♪
♪ When the night has left us ♪
♪ Will the spell remain ♪
♪ The waves invade the shore ♪
♪ Though we may kiss no more ♪
♪ Night is at our command ♪
♪ Moon and sand ♪
♪ And the magic of love ♪
♪ Moon and sand ♪
♪ And the magic of love ♪
(audience applauding)
Dave Meder!
- Wow.
What a beautiful song.
Let's talk about our next
He's originally from Columbus,
but he now lives in Atlanta.
Kenny Banks, Jr. is the son of
who are both musicians,
Please welcome jazz
(audience applauding and cheers)
- (sighs) Yeah, yeah,
(audience laughing)
Y'all saw them?
(gentle upbeat jazz piano music)
- Yessir.
♪ Georgia ♪
♪ Georgia ♪
♪ All day through ♪
♪ Just an old sweet song ♪
♪ Keeps Georgia on my mind ♪
♪ Georgia ♪
♪ A song of you ♪
♪ Comes as sweet and clear ♪
♪ As moonlight through the pines
♪ Other arms reach out to me ♪
♪ Other eyes smile tenderly ♪
♪ Still in peaceful dreams I see
♪ The road ♪
♪ Leading back to you ♪
(audience applauding)
(people laughing)
(people cheering on)
(audience laughing)
Yessir.
(Kenny singing faintly)
(audience applauds and cheers)
♪ Other arms reach out to me ♪
♪ Other eyes smile tenderly ♪
♪ Still in peaceful dreams I see
♪ The road leading back to you ♪
♪ Georgia ♪
♪ No peace I find ♪
♪ Just an old sweet song ♪
♪ Keeps Georgia on my mind ♪
♪ And just an old sweet song ♪
♪ Keeps Georgia on my mind ♪
(audience applauding and
Kenny Banks, Jr.!
- Hello, I'm Joel Harrison,
and artistic director of the
Thank you for being a part
The American Pianists Awards
We are so proud to be
and so inspired by the
who have been a part of our work
since our founding in 1979.
Tonight we add one more
bringing the total to 47.
Our process is unique in the
Participation is by nomination
and winners must be American
between the ages of 18 and 30.
Those chosen as finalists are
in this country.
The five jazz pianists
are at the top of their game,
have already won $20,000 each
and very shortly, we will hear
the 2019 winner of the
and the Cole Porter
the $100,000 prize, the largest
On behalf of the board of the
our fabulous guest artists,
Kurt Elling and Dee Dee
the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz
and most especially, the
we are hearing, thank you for
for this exciting evening.
- So we had a great first
did we not?
(audience applauding)
So now we come back for more.
This time with the
Now the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz
is a 17-piece orchestra led
by its conductor, Brent
(audience applauding)
And Mark Buselli who is
in the trumpet section.
Hey!
They have played a role in the
so I wanna say thank you to
and the members of this
Thank you, lady and gentlemen.
♪ Ooh ♪
(audience laughing)
How are you all feeling?
(audience cheers)
Okay, our fourth finalist,
he's originally from
and studied in New
Billy Test is 30, and this year
he's living in Cologne, Germany
where he is pianist with the WDR
Please welcome Billy Test!
(audience applauds and cheers)
(gentle jazz music)
(more intense, upbeat jazz
(audience applauding and
(audience applauding and
- Billy Test!
Our last finalist of the
♪ Ooh ♪
is Emmet Cohen.
(audience applauding and
Okay, so those of you that went,
you know that he's originally
He studied there and in New
and he continues to live in
his performing and touring
Emmet is 28 years old.
Emmet Cohen!
(people lightly laughing)
(bright jazz music)
(audience applauding)
(audience applauding)
(audience applauding and
(men laughing)
Emmet Cohen!
Emmet Cohen!
Wow.
This is just thrilling.
What outstanding performances.
Congratulations to all of the
and this has been
(audience applauding)
Wow.
Well the performances are all
and now the jury must
to tabulate the scores.
(audience applauding)
- Okay, here we go.
Here's the envelope.
It's sealed.
The winner of the 2019
and the Cole Porter
(audience applauding and
(upbeat jazz music)
- [Announcer] This presentation
of the American Pianists
is made possible through the
of REI Real Estate Services,
supporting the American
and the arts community.
More at reirealestate.com.
Additional support comes
advancing the world of
(people cheering)
(light jazz piano music)
- [Emmet] Well, I guess we're
and it's important to have as
just like it's important as a
if you wanna culture
about the world, to travel
to experience different
to experience different foods,
to have different mentors.
The more influences you have,
the less like anyone in
You want as many teachers
and as many points of view as
I have gained different
from Christian McBride and from
and from Jimmy Cobb and from
and from Benny Golson.
I definitely try to spend as
and as many minutes and
around the oldest possible jazz
who have been closest to the
Really just spending time
has been my way of soaking all
and learning from them, but
and preach in my own original
- Emmet is great.
He's very real, so coming in,
it was wonderful to watch
If a kid didn't wanna like, for
take out their instrument and
He was like, "Well, I just
"to work with you, but
"take your saxophone out of its
and just really leveled with the
in a way that let them know
than just them, but at the same
how cool music is and inspiring
- One nugget is to just keep
Practice every day.
Don't give up practice for
He also told me to
'cause you have to know
So I'll keep practicing them.
- Emmet is very kind and
He likes to talk with everybody
and discuss multiple
just the culture and
and where he came from as well.
My biggest takeaway is that you
when you play music, you should
behind it and by learning
you're able to play better.
(uptempo jazz and ragtime piano
(audience applauding and