The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock.Nate Chinen, "The Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz Is Now The Herbie Hancock Institute Of Jazz", NPR Music, November 7, 2018.
The institute has held its International Jazz Competition annually since 1987 and offered a full scholarship graduate-level college program since 1995. It organizes free jazz education programs in public schools throughout the United States and the world “to encourage imaginative thinking, creativity, a positive self-image and respect for one’s own and others’ cultural heritage.” It is also the lead non-profit responsible for coordinating the annual celebration of International Jazz Day, a United Nations initiative.
College program One of the institute's earliest goals was to create a unique college-level jazz program where the masters of jazz could pass on their expertise to the next generation of jazz musicians. In September 1995, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance was launched and the first class of seven students began their intensive training with some of the world's greatest musicians. The performance institute was located at Loyola University New Orleans before relocating in 2011.
Now known as the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance, the two-year, tuition-free program accepts one ensemble of musicians for each class. All of the students receive full scholarships, as well as stipends to cover their monthly living expenses. The students study both individually and as a small group, receiving personal mentoring, ensemble coaching, and lectures on the jazz tradition. They are also encouraged to experiment in expanding jazz in new directions through their compositions and performances. Alumni include Ambrose Akinmusire, Lionel Loueke, Michael Mayo, Helen Sung, Carmen Staaf, Walter Smith III, Wayne Escoffery, Eli Degibri, Dayna Stephens and Gretchen Parlato. The institute is currently located at the Herb Alpert School of Music at the University of California, Los Angeles. In October 2021, the 13th class was announced, including eight young musicians from the United States and Russia.
In addition to their rigorous course of studies, students in the program perform regularly at venues throughout Los Angeles and serve as mentors and educators both in the local community and on Institute jazz education tours across the United States and internationally. Recent classes have visited Sitka, AK; Phoenix, AZ; Morocco, Havana, Cuba; Saint Petersburg, Russia; Panama City, Panama; and Melbourne, Sydney and Mt. Gambier, Australia.
Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition Since 1987, the institute has presented an annual international competition. More than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes is awarded to musicians and composers each year. The competition focuses on a different instrument every year and features a panel of judges. Branford Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Hugh Masekela, Arturo Sandoval, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, Quincy Jones, and Diana Krall have all served as judges at past competitions.
The competition has been won by Joshua Redman, winner of the 1991 saxophone competition, Marcus Roberts, winner of the 1987 piano competition, Ryan Kisor, winner of the 1990 trumpet competition, and Joey DeFrancesco, a finalist in the 1987 piano competition. The 1993 piano competition winner, Jacky Terrasson, signed with Blue Note Records. The 1998 vocals competition produced: the late Teri Thornton, winner of the competition who signed with Verve Records; second-place winner Jane Monheit who signed with Columbia; semifinalist Tierney Sutton who signed with Telarc; and third-place winner Roberta Gambarini, whose American debut album, Easy to Love, was nominated for a 2007 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female. Aaron Parks placed third in the piano competition of 2006 and was subsequently signed by Blue Note Records. Recent winners include GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant (2010), Emmy Award-winning pianist and composer Kris Bowers (2011), saxophonist Melissa Aldana (2013), vocalist Jazzmeia Horn (2015) and guitarist Evgeny Pobozhiy (2019).Past Winners and Judges of the International Jazz Competition, Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. Dozens of other finalists and semifinalists have forged successful careers as jazz performers and educators.
Past winners
1987: Marcus Roberts, Piano 1988: Ted Rosenthal, Piano 1989: Bill Cunliffe, Piano 1990: Ryan Kisor, Trumpet 1991: Joshua Redman, Saxophone 1992: Harold Summey, Drums 1993: Jacky Terrasson, Piano 1994: Sara Lazarus, Vocals 1995: Jesse van Ruller, Guitar; Darryl Hall, Bass 1996: Jon Gordon, Saxophone 1997: Darren Barrett, Trumpet 1998: Teri Thornton, Vocals 1999: Eric Lewis, Piano 2000: Pedrito Martinez, Afro-Latin Hand Drums 2001: competition not held 2002: Seamus Blake, Saxophone 2003: Andre Hayward, Trombone 2004: Gretchen Parlato, Vocals 2005: Lage Lund, Guitar 2006: Tigran Hamasyan, Piano 2007: Ambrose Akinmusire, Trumpet 2008: Jon Irabagon, Saxophone 2009: Ben Williams, Bass 2010: Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocals 2011: Kris Bowers, Piano 2012: Jamison Ross, Drums 2013: Melissa Aldana, Saxophone 2014: Marquis Hill, Trumpet 2015: Jazzmeia Horn, Vocals 2016: competition not held 2017: competition not held 2018: Tom Oren, Piano 2019: Evgeny Pobozhiy, Guitar 2020: competition not held 2021: competition not held 2022: competition not held 2023: Jahari Stampley, Piano
Notable runners-up
1987: Joey DeFrancesco, Piano 1991: Chris Potter, Saxophone 1992: Jorge Rossy, Drums 1993: Peter Martin, Piano 1993: Edward Simon, Piano 1997: Avishai Cohen, Trumpet 1998: Tierney Sutton, Vocals 1998: Roberta Gambarini, Vocals 1998: Jane Monheit, Vocals 1999: Orrin Evans, Piano 1999: Sam Yahel, Piano 2002: John Ellis, Saxophone 2002: Marcus Strickland, Saxophone 2002: Jaleel Shaw, Saxophone 2003: Marshall Gilkes, Trombone 2006: Gerald Clayton, Piano 2006: Aaron Parks, Piano 2010: Cyrille Aimée, Vocals 2011: Emmet Cohen, Piano 2013: Tivon Pennicott, Saxophone 2015: Veronica Swift, Vocals
International Jazz Day
In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day to celebrate jazz as a universal language and tool for diplomacy. International Jazz Day is chaired and led by UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay and jazz pianist/composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue. The institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing this annual celebration, which began in 2012.
International Jazz Day was established to bring together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to learn about jazz and its roots. This day seeks to raise awareness of the need for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding; and also to reinforce international cooperation and communication. Each year on April 30, International Jazz Day celebrates jazz as a symbol for promoting peace, fostering dialogue among cultures, allowing freedom of expression, and reinforcing the role of youth for social change.
International Jazz Day is celebrated in more than 190 countries on all seven continents.
Other educational programs
Jazz in the Classroom Since 1989, the institute has gone into public schools to provide music instruction and instrument training sessions for public school students in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C., as well as thousands of students in urban, rural, and remote areas of the country. In recent years, the institute has reported a 100% high school graduation rate for students in the program, with more than 90% going on to college and more than 75% of graduating seniors securing significant college scholarships.
Performing Arts High Schools Jazz Program This program brings jazz musicians and educators into public performing arts high schools in order to provide intensive jazz training to students. Through this performance-based program, music students receive instruction in composition, theory, improvisation, history, and musical styles, preparing them to attend leading college, university, and conservatory music programs. The program is offered at the following public performing arts high schools:
Arts High School (Newark, NJ) Baltimore School for the Arts Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Dallas, TX) Chicago High School for the Arts Duke Ellington School of the Arts (Washington, DC) Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Houston, TX) LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (New York, NY) Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Music and Performing Arts Academy at Hamilton High School (Los Angeles, CA) New Orleans Center for Creative Arts New World School of the Arts (Miami, FL) Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts (Los Angeles, CA) Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
BeBop to Hip-Hop Begun in 2004 in the Los Angeles public schools, "Bebop to Hip-Hop" brings together jazz and hip-hop students under the direction of professional jazz musicians and hip-hop artists. Aspiring young musicians study improvisation, lyric writing, music theory, arranging, composition, turntable scratching, and sampling. Recent concerts included performances by Billy Childs, Herbie Hancock, DJ Spark, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Mo Dee, Chali 2na, Supernatural, and Bobby Watson. The free virtual edition of BeBop to Hip-Hop in summer 2020 served over 100 high school musicians from across the U.S. and internationally.
Math, Science & Music Math, Science & Music uses music as a tool to teach math and science to K-12 and college students. The institute collaborates with math, science, music and education experts at Harvard, MIT, Johns Hopkins, New York University, the University of California Berkeley and other universities to offer a wealth of free engaging curricula, games, apps and other interactive online resources based on the platform's website, mathsciencemusic.org. Math, Science & Music was launched in 2016, with an event at the U.S. Department of Education hosted by Secretary of Education John King.
Jazz in America Launched in 2000, Jazz in America is an internet-based jazz curriculum designed to be taught in 5th, 8th, and 11th grade public school American history and social studies classrooms in the United States. The curriculum examines the evolution of jazz styles, contributions of important performers, and musical techniques involved in the creation and performance of jazz. As of 2021, the institute notes that the program's public school touring component has directly reached more than 500,000 students and teachers through assembly programs and master classes led by renowned jazz artists including Herbie Hancock, Antonio Hart, Ingrid Jensen, Vanessa Rubin and Bobby Watson. In summer 2020, the institute offered a series of free, virtual webinars introducing students in grades 4–12 to the Jazz in America curriculum.
International programs
The institute's students and major jazz artists have traveled around the world as jazz ambassadors, presenting education programs throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Programs have included: 1995 tour of seven African nations (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland) 1996 tour of India and Thailand 1998 tour of Chile, Argentina and Peru 2001 tour of Egypt