DC Jazz Festival Announces DCJAZZPRIX Finalists

The DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) has announced the three bands selected as the 2023 DCJazzPrix Finalists, all of whom will perform Saturday, September 2, 2023 during the DCJazzPrix Finals at Union Stage, part of the 19th Annual DC JazzFest. The 2023 DCJazzPrix finalists are:

BIRCKHEAD (Baltimore, MD): Led by Brent Birckhead on woodwinds, the band includes Noble Jolley Jr. on piano, Romeir Mendez on bass, and CV Dashiell III on drums.

EMBER (Brooklyn, NY): This leader-less, cooperative trio features Caleb Wheeler Curtis on stritch (straight alto saxophone), bassist Noah Garabedian, and drummer Vincent Sperraza.

NEW JAZZ UNDERGROUND (New York, NY): Saxophonist Abdias Armenteros, bassist Sebastian Rios, and drummer TJ Reddick make up this leader-less, cooperative trio.

DCJazzPrix, an international competition created to recognize and support top jazz band talent, was launched in 2016 and has since received a rapidly growing and diverse applicant response from more than 20 countries. The Jury considered a highly competitive pool of applicants, evaluating these gifted bands on their artistic quality and merit when selecting the finalists.

Each band will receive benefits associated with a major jazz festival performance opportunity, and the finalists will compete live during the DCJazzPrix Finals at DC JazzFest at The Wharf. Audience response will be a factor in the Jury's determination of the winner. Along with gaining significant exposure, the winning band will begin a yearlong association with the DC Jazz Festival to include: a $15,000 grand prize, customized business development and career impact services, extensive publicity, and a highly visible 2024 DC JazzFest engagement with commensurate compensation.

"We are proud to foster and uplift the next generation of jazz talent" said DC Jazz Festival CEO Sunny Sumter. "DCJazzPrix is unique in that it recognizes bands over soloists. It allows jazz artists to concentrate on band development on multiple fronts, increase performance opportunities, and sustain their collective output."

More information can be found at https://www.dcjazzfest.org.

Photo of Brent Birckhead by Gioncarlo Valentine

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