Pictured (l-r): Monk Institute Executive Director Tom Carter, Chairman Herbie Hancock and BMI's Robbin Ahrold

The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition is the most prestigious jazz competition in the world, attracting the brightest young jazz talent in the world to compete for a series of scholarships. 2007 marks BMI’s 15-year anniversary of collaboration with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, lauding young composers who best demonstrate originality, creativity and excellence in jazz composition. The composer award is in direct association with the jazz institute’s annual competition of highlighting a featured instrument.

BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross and Institute Board Chairman T.S. Monk

This year’s competition was followed by a gala tribute to legendary ten-time Grammy winning BMI jazz composer Herbie Hancock for his incomparable contribution to the music industry. Hancock was treated to an all-star homage with performances by Joni Mitchell, Sting, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, and Nancy Wilson, among others.

Recording Academy Chairman Jimmy Jam, BMI Monk Composer's Competition winner Petros Sakelliou, Academy Chief Executive Neil Portnow and BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross.

FOUR AWARDS
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Rock Song
Best Rock Album
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

TWO AWARDS
George Benson
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Michael Brecker
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Chick Corea
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
Best Instrumental Arrangement

The Flaming Lips
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Kirk Franklin
Best Gospel Song
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Gnarls Barkley
Best Alternative Music Album
Best Urban/Alternative Performance

John Legend
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

T.I.
Best Rap Solo Performance
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Carrie Underwood
Best New Artist
Best Female Country Vocal Performance

John Williams
Best Score Soundtrack Album
Best Instrumental Composition

OTHER WINNERS
Yolanda Adams
Best Gospel Performance

Pepe Aguilar
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album

Christina Aguilera
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Chente Barrera y Taconazo
Best Tejano Album

The Black Eyed Peas
Best Pop Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal

Randy Brecker
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

T Bone Burnett
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album

Enya (PRS)
Best New Age Album

Peter Erskine
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones
Best Contemporary Jazz Album

Dave Fridmann
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Bob Gaudio
Best Musical Show Album

Vince Gill
Best Male Country Vocal Performance

Osvaldo Golijov
Best Classical Contemporary Composition

Bill Harley
Best Spoken Word Album for Children

Van Hunt
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Israel & New Breed
Best Traditional Gospel Album

Al Jarreau
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Klezmatics
Best Contemporary World Music Album

Krayzie Bone
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group

Will Lee
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

The Bryan Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project
Best Latin Jazz Album

Maná
Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album

OK Go
Best Short Form Music Video

Joss Stone (PRS)
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra
Best Polka Album

Irma Thomas
Best Contemporary Blues

Los Tigres Del Norte
Best Norteño Album

Ike Turner
Best Traditional Blues Album

Julieta Venegas
Best Latin Pop Album

Doc Watson
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals

Pharrell Williams
Best Rap Song

Wolfmother (APRA)
Best Hard Rock Performance

With five wins out of five nominations, the country trio shook off the anti-Bush backlash and took the stage to pick up three of the night’s top awards—Record and Song of the Year for “Not Ready to Make Nice” and Album of the Year for Taking the Long Way—as well as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Country Album.

Funky foursome the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose Stadium Arcadium double-disc set was named Best Rock Album, took home a total of four trophies that also included Best Rock Song for the album’s single, “Dani California.”

American Idol alum Carrie Underwood came in with two, winning the coveted Best New Artist Grammy as well as Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her inspirational hit, “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

Other double winners included “Crazy” duo Gnarls Barkley, Atlanta rapper T.I., neo-soul artist John Legend, r&b crooner George Benson, celebrated film composer John Williams and the late sax player Michael Brecker, who died Jan. 13.

Jazz innovator Al Jarreau joined Benson on the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance win with their duet “God Bless the Child,” while gospel singer Yolanda Adams earned the Best Gospel Performance statuette for Victory. Singer Christina Aguilera‘s “Ain’t No Other Man” reeled in the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Also on the BMI winners list were soon-to-be BMI Icons Los Tigres del Norte, who won Best Norteño Album with their release, Historias Que Contar; Irish singer Enya (PRS), whose CD Amarantine was named Best New Age Album; country superstar Vince Gill, who picked up his 18th Grammy Award with a Best Male Country Vocal Performance win for “The Reason Why”; and heavy-hitters Wolfmother (APRA), whose song “Woman” earned the Best Hard Rock Performance trophy.

The Recording Academy also honored Eagles’ member Don Henley as the 2007 MusiCares Person of the Year during a gala dinner, concert and auction held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 9, two days prior to the Grammy ceremony. Proceeds from the star-studded event went to MusiCares’ Financial Assistance Program, which assists musicians and others in times of financial, medical and personal need.

With the birth of karaoke, owners of bars, restaurants and nightclubs discovered an inexpensive way to entertain their customers. Karaoke provides an alternative to live musicians, and many customers enjoy shedding their inhibitions to participate in the entertainment. Karaoke equipment has become more sophisticated in recent years. Many businesses hire a karaoke jockey or KJ to run the show, but it can be cheaper than a band. Karaoke works best with well-known songs - those with melodies and lyrics easy to remember or read.

"One business expense occasionally overlooked by owners of karaoke bars and clubs is their responsibility to compensate songwriters," said Tom Annastas, BMI Vice President, General Licensing. "Virtually all popular songs are copyrighted and can't be legally played in public without permission of the songwriter. BMI can provide businesses an annual license authorizing the performance of songs from 300,000 songwriters and publishers. Without such permission," Annastas cautioned, "a business owner featuring karaoke likely is infringing on copyrights and may expose the establishment to litigation."

Those organizations that represent songwriters around the world (there are three companies in the U.S.) provide license agreements to business owners where karaoke is presented. Only the businesses where music is played are licensed by BMI. There is no BMI license required for KJs. Such agreements come in the form of annual blanket licenses, granting permission for all songs represented by that organization to be performed. BMI offers licenses covering about half the music performed in the United States, a repertoire of approximately 4.5 million works from around the world.

Most songwriters enjoy having their songs sung by others in public, whether by professional or amateur vocalists. Many songwriters earn most of their income as compensation for public performances rather than through music sales, relying on BMI to defend their livelihood. "Hearing my song during karaoke night is a kick," said Keith Stegall. "I'm really flattered when I find one of my songs on a karaoke list." Stegall has 380 songs registered with BMI, including eight that have been performed in public more than one million times each. Stegall's hits include "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "Dallas" recorded by Alan Jackson, "Sexy Eyes" recorded by Dr. Hook, and "We're in this Love Together," recorded by Al Jarreau.]]> 2005-01-26T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/234178 Artists, Jarreau, Al, John, Elton, Kloser, Harald, Musical Styles, Film-TV, Pop, Musicworld, Hitmaker Harald Kloser: No sooner did he recover from the multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves and floods that heralded the beginning of a new Ice Age, than he was thrown into a titanic battle between two blood-thirsty groups of warring behemoths. Alien Vs. Predator , his latest film, comes on the heels of the other summer blockbuster he scored, The Day After Tomorrow .

As befits a film with momentous battles, Kloser explains that the score for Alien Vs. Predator, recorded at AIR Studios in London, is colossal. “We used an 86-piece orchestra, a 50-voice mixed choir, a gazillion synths, and an extra percussion session with eight players. There was nothing too big, too fast or too much.” He began the scoring process by viewing the film sans music. “When you read the script or see a rough cut, you can be unbiased. Start with a recorder and a triangle if you feel it is the right thing. For this project, they did not torment me with a temp track.”

Earlier in his career, the Austrian-born composer worked with pop artists including Elton John, Tom Waits, Al Jarreau and Falco. He’s adept at many cinematic styles: jazz and ethnic music, electronic and traditional scores, huge symphonies and small ensembles. He’s in the planning stages of his next project with The Day After Tomorrow director, Roland Emmerich, for which he’ll create a score with instruments built from scratch. “In the end, film music is about chords, texture and melody,” says Kloser, “and that can be created with anything. If there are aliens and predators fighting, it should be epic, but if it’s people and relationships, that can be created with anything.”

BMI/Thelonious Monk Jazz Composers Competition winner Misha Piatigorsky (center) is congratulated by BMI's Phil Graham and Thelonious Monk, Jr.

Born in Moscow, Misha Piatigorsky grew up listening to his father compose music for the Taganka Theatre, and at age five, he began singing children's songs on Russian national television. He came to the US with his family at the age of 8 and soon began classical piano and English lessons. He discovered jazz at 16 and since then, has studied with Kenny Barron and earned a Masters Degree at Manhattan School of Music.

BMI songwriter/producer KC Porter, BMI songwriter/artist Al Jarreau, and BMI's Phil Graham gather after the Thelonious Monk Institute's International Jazz Competition

Misha has performed all over the world, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg, at the Montreux, North Sea, Umbria, and Lisbon Jazz Festivals, and at the Caramoor Jazz Festival. He has collaborated with New York jazz stars Mark Murphy and Claudio Roditi, and performs weekly at Manhattan's Zinc Bar with Mariani Ebert. His various recording credits include compositions for Brazilian Jazz, his own trio, and the Piatigorsky Ensemble. His latest group, AYA, just finished producing their first CD entitled Mama Got Me Thinkin' featuring singers Barbara Mendes, Judy Bady, and Ayelet Piatigorsky, and rapper/storyteller Raj. Other projects include three movie scores, a hip-hop musical entitled Mister, and eight months as the Musical Director of the Gospel Baptist Church in the Bronx. His Trio del Sol, comprised of guitar, percussion, and piano, will soon make its debut.

Al Jarreau, Secy of State Colin Powell, and BMI's Phil Graham at the State Department reception for the Thelonious Monk Institute's finalists and honorees

The Monk Institute was founded in 1986 by former opera singer Maria Fisher with the help of Thelonious Monk Jr., the son of one of jazz music's greatest contributors, and Executive Director Tom Carter. The annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition gives jazz artists and composers the opportunity to launch successful careers, as well as to win valuable scholarship awards to continue their musical education.]]> 2004-09-12T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233325 Artists, Clark, Terri, Jarreau, Al, Neville, Aaron, Stegall, Keith, Travis, Randy, Musical Styles, Country, Musicworld, Hitmaker He produces. He writes. Until recently, he was a label A&R guy. He's an artist. But of all his interesting jobs, musical renaissance man Keith Stegall says writing songs is still his favorite thing.

"That's the reason I came to town, and probably is still the most exciting and precious thing to me," says the Texas native.

That devotion to song is likely one of the reasons he's had such success: 14 BMI-award-winners cut by an eclectic group of artists including Al Jarreau ("We're in This Love Together,") Mark Wills and 98° ("I Do [Cherish You]"), Dr. Hook ("Sexy Eyes") and Sammy Kershaw ("Love of My Life").

Though much of his success in the early '80s was with pop hits, Stegall wowed the world when he produced Randy Travis's seminal debut Storms of Life in 1986. That album not only launched Travis's career, it did nothing less than reset the genre's direction for the next decade.

Stegall, who started playing piano at age four and made his own stage debut at eight, quickly bowed out of the Travis project to focus on his own record deal. But the course behind the board was set, and Stegall soon struck up another collaboration with an upstart singer/songwriter named Alan Jackson.

Jackson and Stegall, through their "tremendous mutual respect and trust," have to-date made 12 platinum or multi-platinum records. Twenty-nine singles have reached number one, many of which they wrote together, including "Dallas," "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "If I Could Make A Living."

The former folk singer also has shepherded some noted progressive projects, including Eric Heatherly's Swimming in Champagne and Jamie O'Neal's breakout debut Shiver. Among his many production clients are Aaron Neville, George Jones, Terri Clark and this great singer and musician named Keith Stegall.

So far, Stegall has created 39 number one records as writer and/or producer. He's had five Grammy nominations and has won numerous CMA, ACM, and TNN awards - including a 1995 ACM nod as Top New Male Vocalist for Stegall himself. But this self-proclaimed "insecure" gentleman tries "not to pay attention to that stuff."

"No accolade," he says, "no award, nothing compares to writing a great song. Or producing a great record."

Pictured at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame are (l to r) BMI's Harry Warner, Phil Walden, Zelma Redding and Otis Redding, Jr., and Alan Walden.

"(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay," written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper and published by Irving Music, Inc., is only the fourth song in the BMI repertoire to reach the seven-million mark, joining "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "Yesterday" and "Never My Love." It has been memorably recorded by a variety of talents, such as Michael Bolton, Al Jarreau, Sergio Mendes, Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, the Staple Singers, David Allan Coe and the California Raisins, to name a handful. The song has also earned numerous BMI awards including R&B Awards (1967-72), Pop Awards (1968-69, 1982 and 1988) and a Country Award (1983).

And after a quarter century where he's been consistently at the top of his game, Al Jarreau shows no sign of slowing down. After a six-year hiatus between recordings, the charismatic singer has returned with the aptly-titled Tomorrow Today. On the disc, Jarreau delivers the goods both new and old.

"The real challenge with this album was that I wanted listeners to feel comfortable with what they've come to expect, but surprise them with something they may not have thought about," explains Jarreau. "That's what they get when they come to my concerts, so why not on an album?"

Jarreau first emerged in the mid-1970s in San Francisco, where he sang in a trio with George Duke, and later made his name with solo gigs in Los Angeles and New York City. He has succeeded in mixing familiarity and innovation since he released his debut album, We Got By. He quickly rose to enter the hallowed pantheon of jazz vocalists, and soon after expanded his appeal into the pop and R&B realms. Since then Jarreau has done everything from singing the theme song to the hit 1980s TV series Moonlighting to performing Bach vocal pieces alongside his own material with symphony orchestras.

Hence, Tomorrow Today has its mix of styles and moods. Two highlights are jazz instrumentals that Jarreau wrote lyrics for: Weather Report's "A Remark That You Made" (re-titled "Something That You Said") and Joe Sample's Crusaders tune "Put It Where You Want It" (re-named "Puddit"). "I love a great lyric," enthuses Jarreau.

He also shares a vocal on "God's Gift to the World" with Vanessa Williams. "Vanessa really helped bring this song to another place," says Jarreau. "I'm so tickled and flattered that she sang this tune with me."

So even if Jarreau set out on Tomorrow Today simply "to make some good music," the results are far greater. "As it turns out, this album is some of the best music I've ever done, no question about it," he concludes. "It feels like 'Al Jarreau 2000.'"