"Next Face of Jazz" Series Features Thelonious Monk Competition Winners in Their Only NYC Appearance!
1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Winners Perform on 3 Saturdays in December
New York, NY - The BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center is proud to present the talented winners of this year's Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Announced in early October, the three bassists are: first place winner, Ben Williams, 24, originally from Washington, D.C., second place winner, Joe Sanders, 25, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and third place winner, Matt Brewer, 26, originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Williams, Sanders and Brewer will perform three solo concerts this December in their only New York City appearance since the competition:
First Place - Ben Williams, Saturday, December 5 at 7PM
Second Runner Up - Matt Brewer Saturday, December 12 at 7PM
Runner Up - Joe Sanders, Saturday, December 19 at 7PM
Monk in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz is a partnership between BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center and the Thelonious Monk Institute. Each concert features one winner and their combo from various parts of the world, demonstrating the versatility and variety of different jazz styles.
Benjamin Willliams - First Place
Benjamin James Williams is a native of Washington, DC. He also performs on electric bass and piano. His musical influence is rooted in various genres of music including jazz, hip-hop, R&B, gospel, and classical. Ben is a recent graduate of the Michigan State University School of Music where he majored in Music Education with an emphasis in jazz, studying with Rodney Whitaker and Jack Budrow. Ben is also a two-time winner of the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Competition at the East Coast Jazz Festival; a two-time winner of the DC Public School Piano Competition; and a 2002 recipient of the Duke Ellington Society Annual Scholarship Award. He plans to pursue a Master's degree in Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School.
Joseph Sanders - Second Place
Joseph Sanders was raised with the sound of the Church, and he showed interest in the bass at an early age. Upon receiving a scholarship for inner-city youth, he studied with Catherine McGinn, an accomplished bassist in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He moved to New York and emerged himself in the city's vibrant jazz scene, sharing the bandstand with a wide range of musicians. Currently, Sanders plays and records with many up-and-coming jazz musicians. In his words: “I'm lucky enough to have found my calling. I hope to be able to touch people and make a difference in their life through the magic of music."
Matthew Brewer - Third Place
Matt has been gigging professionally since the age of 12, beginning in his native Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the age of 18, Matt was selected as one of two bassists in the inaugural class of the Juilliard Jazz Program. At the age of 19, he began a five year musical/touring relationship with Greg Osby, with whom he recorded a Blue Note Record entitled Channel Three (trio with Jeff “Tain" Watts). Since then he has toured and/or recorded with such artists as Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Greg Osby, Lee Konitz, Jeff “Tain" Watts, Adam Rogers, Terence Blanchard, Aaron Parks, and many others. He currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Winners Perform on 3 Saturdays in December
New York, NY - The BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center is proud to present the talented winners of this year's Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Announced in early October, the three bassists are: first place winner, Ben Williams, 24, originally from Washington, D.C., second place winner, Joe Sanders, 25, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and third place winner, Matt Brewer, 26, originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Williams, Sanders and Brewer will perform three solo concerts this December in their only New York City appearance since the competition:
First Place - Ben Williams, Saturday, December 5 at 7PM
Second Runner Up - Matt Brewer Saturday, December 12 at 7PM
Runner Up - Joe Sanders, Saturday, December 19 at 7PM
Monk in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz is a partnership between BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center and the Thelonious Monk Institute. Each concert features one winner and their combo from various parts of the world, demonstrating the versatility and variety of different jazz styles.
Benjamin Willliams - First Place
Benjamin James Williams is a native of Washington, DC. He also performs on electric bass and piano. His musical influence is rooted in various genres of music including jazz, hip-hop, R&B, gospel, and classical. Ben is a recent graduate of the Michigan State University School of Music where he majored in Music Education with an emphasis in jazz, studying with Rodney Whitaker and Jack Budrow. Ben is also a two-time winner of the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Competition at the East Coast Jazz Festival; a two-time winner of the DC Public School Piano Competition; and a 2002 recipient of the Duke Ellington Society Annual Scholarship Award. He plans to pursue a Master's degree in Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School.
Joseph Sanders - Second Place
Joseph Sanders was raised with the sound of the Church, and he showed interest in the bass at an early age. Upon receiving a scholarship for inner-city youth, he studied with Catherine McGinn, an accomplished bassist in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He moved to New York and emerged himself in the city's vibrant jazz scene, sharing the bandstand with a wide range of musicians. Currently, Sanders plays and records with many up-and-coming jazz musicians. In his words: “I'm lucky enough to have found my calling. I hope to be able to touch people and make a difference in their life through the magic of music."
Matthew Brewer - Third Place
Matt has been gigging professionally since the age of 12, beginning in his native Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the age of 18, Matt was selected as one of two bassists in the inaugural class of the Juilliard Jazz Program. At the age of 19, he began a five year musical/touring relationship with Greg Osby, with whom he recorded a Blue Note Record entitled Channel Three (trio with Jeff “Tain" Watts). Since then he has toured and/or recorded with such artists as Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Greg Osby, Lee Konitz, Jeff “Tain" Watts, Adam Rogers, Terence Blanchard, Aaron Parks, and many others. He currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
