The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the University of California, Los Angeles will be renamed the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance, effective this January. Hancock, along with fellow jazz legends Herb Alpert and Wayne Shorter, were instrumental in establishing the institute at UCLA in 2011.
The change is in line with a decision by the Washington, D.C.-based Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz following a request by the Monk estate regarding the continued use of Thelonious Monk’s name.
In partnership with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s department of music, the institute will continue to provide full two-year scholarships for six to eight international musicians to participate in a prestigious master’s degree program. Participants in the program will learn from renowned jazz musicians, composers, and educators as well as work with fellow musicians throughout the school. The students will also participate in a formal outreach initiative in which they will teach private music lessons to Los Angeles schoolchildren.
“I am excited to continue my work as a teacher and mentor to the incredible young musicians who attend this unique program,” said Hancock. “It is my pleasure to guide them, encourage their creative thinking and see them become important contributors to the global jazz community.”
