EDUCATE • INSPIRE • EMPOWER

For more than fifteen years, UNESCO and legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock have used jazz, the universal language, to inspire millions of people worldwide through education, culture, and international unity.

At the center of that mission stands the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz — an organization dedicated to preserving jazz’s legacy while educating and inspiring the next generation of artists, students, and global citizens.

Founded on the belief that jazz can break barriers and connect people across cultures, the Institute has become one of the world’s leading organizations for music education and cultural diplomacy.

Through workshops, performances, masterclasses, scholarships, and International Jazz Day celebrations, the Institute continues to create opportunities for young musicians while highlighting jazz as a tool for peace, creativity, and communication.

Under the leadership of Herbie Hancock, the Institute has helped bring together some of the world’s greatest musicians while encouraging students to use music as a pathway to discipline, leadership, and self-expression.

The Institute’s mission aligns closely with UNESCO’s belief that education and culture can help build stronger communities and foster understanding among people around the world.

For Doc Jones and the International Jazz Day AZ Foundation, that message became deeply personal.

After attending the inaugural International Jazz Day celebration in New Orleans in 2012, Doc returned to Arizona inspired to help expand the movement statewide through concerts, educational programs, festivals, and community outreach.

For nearly fifteen years, the International Jazz Day AZ Foundation has worked to advance the same mission:
to educate, inspire, and empower communities through jazz.

Today, Arizona’s growing International Jazz Day movement continues helping connect students, musicians, educators, businesses, tourism leaders, and communities through the power of music.

What began as a single international celebration has now become a global cultural movement, celebrated in more than 190 countries worldwide.– Doc Jones