(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)

♪ 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 ♪

(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 ♪

♪ 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

- 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 and

(men laughing)

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