The biggest jazz competition in terms of prestige? Very possibly. It is a career making moment to win the Hancock, formerly the Monk prize.
Evgeny Pobozhiy who is 30 from Seversk in Russia came first picking up $30,000 scholarship and a recording contract with Concord Records.
Some of the greatest jazz guitarists were judges and they were Stanley Jordan, Lionel Loueke, Russell Malone, Pat Metheny, Chico Pinheiro, Lee Ritenour and John Scofield. The competition's climax was held on 3 December at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater in Washington DC.
According to the Hancock Institute site: ''First place winner Pobozhiy captivated the audience with his performances of “502 Blues” and “Falling Grace.” Second place winner Max Light, 27, of Bethesda, Maryland performed “Hey, It’s Me You’re Talking To” and “Prelude To A Kiss,” and third place winner Cecil Alexander, 25, of Muskegon, Michigan performed “One Finger Snap” and “Infant Eyes.” Pic. Evgeny Pobozhiy Facebook page
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