COMPETITION RULES

Competition Objectives
  • Increase the exposure, interest and enjoyment of jazz music to a wide range of the music audience in all age groups, with particular focus on exposure to young persons.
  • Motivate young  jazz pianists to study and further develop their careers in Jazz.
  • Demonstrate the inherent artistic qualities of jazz as a unique and imaginative musical genre with its origins in America.
Eligibility for the Competition
  • Open to North American Citizens (US & Canada) age 18-25 before April 15th, 2022.
Travel and Accommodation
  • Travel and accommodation are the responsibility of the contestants.
  • By entering the competition, competitor agrees to performance availability on any of these dates in order to fulfill their possible contractual agreements with the AJPC.
Performance Repertoire for the 2022 American Jazz Pianists Competition

1) The Great American Songbook:
Any standard tune by a composer generally considered part of the tradition of American pop music, musical theater, films, theater productions or other incidental sources.

2) Compositions by Jazz Musicians & Composers:
Examples: Ellington, Strayhorn, Fats Waller, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Ornette Coleman, Clifford Brown, Fred Hersch, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, Louis Armstrong, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Claire Fischer, Pat Metheny, Lee Morgan, Gary Burton, Tom Harrell, Horace Silver, Benny Goodman, Jelly Roll Morton, Benny Golson, Cedar Walton, Dave Brubeck, Cannonball Adderly, or other well-known jazz musicians and composers.

3) Free Choice: Original compositions (limit of one per round)

Procedures

Pre-screening recording: Applicants may draw their repertoire from all three categories or choose two out of the three. They must submit a recording (CD) of 15 minutes consisting of 4 tracks selected from the competition repertoire categories. The recording must contain examples of trio and solo playing.

Finals: The seven finalists will each perform a 12-minute solo piano set containing 2 to 3 tunes drawn from the competition repertoire categories. After intermission, the finalists will perform a 12-minute trio set containing 3-4 tunes from the repertoire categories.

Legal Notice

The jury’s decision will be completed in private and will be announced on January 22nd, 2022, shortly after completion of the competition. The Artist (competitor) accepts that the jury’s decisions are final and that no appeal is possible. The American Jazz Pianist Competition Corporation will not be held responsible due to unforeseen circumstances and/or if the competition is modified, postponed or cancelled. Any dispute relating to the interpretation, execution or non-execution of the present regulations will be subject to United States law.

1st and 2nd place winners of the 2022 competition will be ineligible to compete in the 2023 competition.

Recording Rights

The American Jazz Pianist Competition Corporation or its successor has the right to record the sound (the “Audio Recording”) and visuals (the “Video Recording”) of all Artists’ (competitors) performances during the competition and at any other venues concerning the American Jazz Pianist Competition now and in the future and to exploit the same, without payment of any compensation to Artist, for all forms of television and radio, Internet streaming (including free on-demand streaming) and on any kind of commercial audio device or commercial audiovisual device now known or hereafter developed.

The American Jazz Pianist Competition Corporation or its successors has the right to use Artists (competitors) name and likeness, as well as the right to use the “Audio Recording” and the” Video Recording” for the promotion of the American Jazz Pianist Competition.