Ministry launches Simply Jazz Online competition

AS the April-May jazz season in TT has had to shift to online platforms due to the covid19 pandemic, the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts (MCDCA) is also hosting of online jazz competition for local artistes.

The Simply Jazz Online Competition, which began on April 30 will run until May 11, "builds on the ministry’s monthly Live@Lunch project and seeks to develop the amateur musical talent and build artistic confidence in the jazz genre", the ministry said in a media release.

Minister of Community Development, Culture and Arts Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said in the release, “Given the cancellation or postponement of many, if not all of our local and regional jazz events, the online competition is a new and innovative way to support our jazz musical talents by providing a platform to showcase their talent to a wide audience, keep the public arts alive and further the development of the overall musical and cultural landscape of TT. We are also celebrating new talent by the inclusion of a prize for Best New Act.”

The competition targets nationals who are jazz vocalists. Contestants will be judged on melody, rhythm, tonality and presentation. They must submit a two-minute cover of one of ten songs from the participants' music list. Those who make it to the judges' top five scores will move to the finals. The five finalists will form a capsuled Live at Lunch Simply Jazz Livestreamed show, where the winners will be voted on by the online viewing audience with $18,000 to be won, including the special prize for Best New Act.

As part of the artiste's development, finalists will also be invited by leading jazz artistes Vaughnette Bigford to a two-hour workshop, via Zoom, on the basic approach to singing jazz and stage presentation.

"The competition’s aim is to bring to the fore performers with a strong artistic personality and stage presence," the release said.

The competition is open to all TT jazz performing vocalists, and adhering to social distancing requirements, a contestant may be either a vocalist backed by tracks; a vocalist backed by an instrumentalist or a vocalist/instrumentalist performing one of the ten songs from the participants' music list. Vocalists are allowed one entry.

Finalists will perform on May 15 at 12 pm.

The ministry said it expects that "all entrants will exercise honesty and integrity and submit videos in compliance with the guidelines."

The deadline for the competition is May 11 at 11.59 pm.

The selections must be taken from the following list:

Participants music list

Misty Blue by Erroll Garner

Summertime by George and Ira Gershwin

God Bless the Child by Billie Holiday

My Funny Valentine by Rodgers and Hart

Lullaby of Birdland by George Shearing

Our Love is here to stay by George and Ira Gershwin

They can’t take that away from me by George and Ira Gershwin

Satin Doll by Duke Ellington

Good Morning Headache by Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake and Dan Fisher

Fly Me to the Moon by Kaye Ballard