George Colligan Wins Jazzconnect 2nd Annual Jazz Competition

The competition began October 1, 2001 with the semi-final rounds. Jazz fans registered to vote on the Jazzconnect.com website and were able to listen and vote for each contestant on the Internet “stage" hearing the streaming tracks and voting by a scoring card.

This year's competition had 111 contestants from 13 countries. Over 18,000 fans from around the world voted in this event. Three finalists were chosen on January 17, 2002: Saxophonist Dave Pietro (New York), bassist Thomas Winther Anderson (Netherlands) and pianist George Colligan (New York). A quick final round of voting ended one week later with the winner.

The grand prize included round-trip airfare to Washington, DC, a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel, and a concert engagement at Blues Alley Jazz & Supper Club in Georgetown, DC that will be recorded live and pressed into a CD. The concert will take place on February 13. Shows will begin at 8 and 10 p.m.

In addition to the voting done on-line by jazz fans, 5 professional musician judges were selected to cast their vote. Their decision and the voting done on-line by fans were split 50/50. The judges were saxophonist Marshall Keys, vocalist Ronnie Wells, pianist Dan La Maestra, drummer Lenny Robinson and guitarist Steve Abshire. To view their votes and their selection of honorable mentions, please go to Meet The Judges The winner, chosen from 3 finalists, was entirely selected by the voting of jazz fans on-line.

An archive of this year's competition including over 12 hours of streaming audio will be placed back on the website for all to enjoy. Many thanks to all the voters and fans who helped me this year's competition a tremendous success. Stay tuned for our upcoming announcements regarding future competitions.