English-Born Trumpeter Wins Monk Event

English-born trumpeter Darren Barrett is the winner of the 10th annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Barrett received the first-place award, which includes a $20,000 scholarship prize, in the finals of the competition Friday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Second place and $10,000 went to Diego Urcola of Argentina; third place and $5,000 went to teenager Avishai Cohen of Israel.

Winning the competition, which rotates among jazz instruments each year, can have a powerful effect upon a performer’s career. Recording contracts, enhanced booking possibilities and important managerial connections are some of the significant peripheral benefits for both winners and runners-up.

Pianists Marcus Roberts and Jacky Terrasson, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman and trumpeter Ryan Kisor have all seen their careers move into high gear after winning the competition.

The global spread among this year’s finalists is unprecedented but not completely unexpected, since the 15 semifinalists also included trumpeters from the United States, Australia and Spain.

“We can no longer point at foreign countries and say, ‘They like jazz, but they can’t really play jazz.’ That’s all changed. They can play,” says T.S. Monk Jr., the noted jazz drummer and director of the Monk Institute, named for his legendary pianist father.

Barrett, 30, has a bachelor of arts degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and two master’s degrees from Queens College in New York.

Urcola, 31, has a diploma from Berklee and a master’s in jazz performance from the City College of New York.

Cohen, 19, is a former member of the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.

Judges for the competition were trumpeters Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Art Farmer, Wallace Roney, Arturo Sandoval and Clark Terry.