Wayne Shorter appears in...
Joe Johnson Wins 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composer’s Competition

Bassist Joe Johnson was honored as the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composer’s Competition grand prize winner on Sunday, October 11 during the 22nd annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and all-star Gala Concert at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater in Washington, D.C. The Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Gala Concert attracted a jaw-dropping collection of Blue Note Records recording artists, past and present,…
B.B. King Honored at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Gala
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz gala concert, held October 26 at the Kodak Theatre, honored B.B King with the Founders Award. The event, dedicated to “The Blues and Jazz: Two American Classics,” brought some of the biggest names in music together to pay homage to the two genres of music. Performers included 2008 Grammy Album of the Year recipient Herbie Hancock, Keb’ Mo’,…
BMI Jazz Composers Top ‘Downbeat’ Readers Poll
Downbeat has released its 73rd Annual Readers Poll with BMI jazz composers topping 24 of the 29 categories, accounting for 84% of the winners. These composers represent the “who’s who” of jazz performers and BMI’s dominance in the genre. Sonny Rollins top two categories, Jazz Artist and Tenor Saxophone, while the Pat Metheny Trio garnered the Jazz Group award; Pat Metheny himself nabbed the…
Monk Institute Sets 2008 Competition Schedule
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has announced that the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition finals will take place on Sunday, October 26 at 5 p.m. at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The semi-finals will take place on the campus of UCLA at Schoenberg Hall on Saturday, October 25 from 1-5 p.m. This year’s competition will feature the saxophone, with ten of the world’s most talented young…
Dave Douglas

"You have to develop your language somewhere. For me, that happens when I’m composing. Putting something on paper means ‘I wouldn’t mind hearing this again.’ That takes guts and develops the inner ear,” explains Dave Douglas. The 44-year trumpeter is a musician of many parts with almost two-dozen albums available from his Greenleaf Music website. He is director of the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative…
Rae’s ‘Records’ Wins Honor

British singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae, currently at Abbey Road Studios working with Herbie Hancock, was presented with her first BMI Pop Award for “Put Your Records On”. The award honors the songwriters, composers, and publishers of the most performed songs on US radio and television for the past 12 months. BMI’s Tabitha Capaldi presented the award to Rae during her recording session for Hancock’s…
BMI Jazz Giants Score in Down Beat 2007 Critics Poll

BMI composers dominated the 2007 Down Beat Critics Poll, winning 69% of the awards. Celebrated bassist and bandleader Dave Holland was a multiple winner, taking home honors both for Bassist of the Year and Band of the Year for his quintet. The late pianist Andrew Hill was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame, and Miles Davis’s Legendary Prestige Sessions won…
BMI Jazz Greats Sweep ‘Downbeat’ Critics Poll
Once again, BMI members swept the jazz world's annual "best of" list presented by Downbeat magazine, the voice of jazz since 1934. BMI's dedication to the advancement of original forms of American music exists as a cornerstone of the organization's very conception, and remains a priority today.
BMI Writers Take Home Majority of This Year’s Grammys
Some of BMI's biggest songwriters and artists were among the top winners at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, held February 8 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Mariah Carey Alison Krauss Adding…
It’s Eight Grammy Nods for Mariah, Kanye and Legend
BMI superstars Mariah Carey, Kanye West and John Legend led the list of nominees for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards with eight nods each when contenders were announced at a star-studded press conference held December 8 at Gotham Hall in New York City. Their three-way tie pushed the total number of BMI-nominated songwriters and artists to an astounding 70% in the general fields.
