The five finalists will perform at a concert on October 10 in New York City, with additional performances by the Pat Martino Trio and Mark Whitfield.
BEVERLY HILLS, California – After judging hundreds of submissions from remarkably talented artists, Resonance Records and Indaba Music are proud to announce the five finalists in the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Contest. The finalists are scheduled to compete on stage for the grand prize at the October 10 concert, which will be held at the Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City (www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org).
The finalists in the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Contest are Roland Balogh of Hungary, Pasquale Grasso of Italy, Lucian Gray of Canada, Michael Valeanu of France, and Dan Wilson of the US. The first prize winner will receive $5,000.00. Judges include guitar legend Pat Martino, journalist Bill Milkowski, WBGO Radio Music Director Gary Walker, jazz producer/historian Todd Barkan, Robert Montgomery (son of Wes Montgomery), and George Klabin, Founder of Rising Jazz Stars/Resonance Records.
In addition to performances by the finalists, the October 10 concert will also feature performances by the Pat Martino Trio (with Pat Bianchi on organ and Carmen Intorre on drums), with special guest Mark Whitfield.
“It has been an absolute pleasure listening to the huge amount of submissions we received, and we are convinced that the five finalists represent the best of the best,” Klabin said. “Anyone with an appreciation for jazz guitar should make a point of attending the concert on October 10. I can’t think of a better way to honor the memory of Wes Montgomery—the greatest jazz guitarist of all time.”
Tickets to the October 10 concert are available at www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org
Founded by Klabin in 2008, Resonance Records is a division of the Rising Jazz Stars, a non-profit corporation created to discover the next jazz stars from around the world. Every Resonance release is produced without compromise, to create and preserve the artists’ legacy. In addition to Wes Montgomery, Resonance has released albums from such iconic jazz artists as John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Lloyd, Scott LaFaro and more.
Opportunities are still available for music retailers and manufacturers to sponsor the contest or donate products. For anyone interested in sponsoring, please contact George Klabin at [email protected].
For more information on Resonance Records, please visit www.resonancerecords.org
