Every year the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz hosts an international competition, a contest that awards thousands of dollars in scholarships and prizes to young jazz musicians from around the globe.
Past winners and semifinalists have gone on to sign deals with record labels such as Blue Note and Verge, and the panel of judges has included the likes of Pat Metheny and Clark Terry. To call this competition important would be an understatement.
Herbie Hancock, who is chairman of the Monk Institute and has acted as a judge for the competition in the past, had this to say about the annual event:
Young people from all over the world apply for this competition, and amazing musicians have come to the fore; it's inspiring to each of the musicians and it's inspiring to us — musicians who have been professionals for a number of years — to experience the great talent from these young jazz musicians. I've been a judge a couple times for piano. It's almost an impossible thing, to choose someone to be better than someone else, because they're all different!
But the point is that they themselves don't experience what that word "competition" says, because they all feel like they're privileged to have been selected as semi-finalists and finalists; they all are encouraged by their talent, and it's a very valuable event. There's an audience that hears the people, and they are blown away by how great these musicians are, and it's attracted a lot of people toward the great value of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
It's something I really look forward to experiencing, because I get blown away by what these young musicians are displaying with their talent, and it makes me feel so assured that the future of jazz is in safe hands.
This year's competition wraps up this weekend. The 13 semi-finalists will perform Saturday at UCLA's Schoenberg Hall, and the event is free and open to the public. The finalists will then compete for the top prize at the Jazz Trumpet Competition and All Star Gala concert at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Sunday. For more information on the event, which will also feature performances by Queen Latifah and Pharrell Williams, visit the event page on the Thelonious Monk Institute's website.