Brubeck Living Legacy, Royal Academy of Music and Ubuntu Music team up for new prize scheme to reward up-and-coming UK jazz talent

Brubeck Living Legacy, Inc (part of the company representing the late Dave Brubeck's estate) in partnership with Ubuntu Music, and The Royal Academy of Music, has today (5 April) announced the creation of The Brubeck Living Legacy Prize, which will be awarded to the most deserving jazz student of The Royal Academy of Music in London each year, for an initial three-year period. The winning student's album will be released on the Ubuntu Music label.

In 2019, the Dave Brubeck family founded Brubeck Living Legacy (BLL) with the goal of "promoting awareness, interest and the understanding of jazz and its role in American and international culture".  BLL supports educational opportunities and live concerts recognising the contributions of Dave and Iola Brubeck, and others, to modern American music, the civil rights movement and to the community of musicians worldwide.

The Brubeck Living Legacy Prize will be awarded each year to a young musician "who demonstrates excellence in both performance and composition, selected from the jazz musician student body at the Royal Academy of Music in their final two years of study, as well as those in the first year following graduation".

The prize includes funding and support  for the release of the individual’s proposed recording on the Ubuntu Music record label. Eligible musicians would submit an online application for consideration, which would then be reviewed by a panel of industry-related judges. For the first year, the judges will include composer/arranger/pianist and BLL President Darius Brubeck, Royal Academy of Music Professor & Head of Jazz Programmes Nick Smart, jazz vocalist, recording artist and co-founder of ECN Music Claire Martin (OBE), and founder/director of Ubuntu Music, Martin Hummel.

“BLL promotes awareness, interest and the understanding of jazz and its role in American and international culture," says Darius Brubeck. "It builds on Dave and Iola’s lifelong dedication to music, creativity, and the promotion of social justice through performance, education, and outreach. I can say that we are committed to supporting this imaginative initiative by Ubuntu and the Royal Academy. BLL is already involved in high-level education creatively and financially in America and this is our first partnership based in a foreign country. As a long-time UK resident, I am excited to see this taking shape before my eyes and will do my part in making it a success.”

Nick Smart adds: “We are delighted to be part of this partnership alongside Ubuntu and with the endorsement and support of BLL. The jazz community that exists at the Royal Academy has a long history of nurturing outstanding young artists who go on to lead successful lives in every corner of the musical profession. This prize will give a high-profile platform to the next generation of deserving musicians and bandleaders with something to say on the contemporary scene. It is an honour to be part of an initiative.”

“What a fantastic initiative and one that I am very honoured to be part of.  I’m excited to hear the next generation of musicians coming through and it is this kind of platform that can really provide the perfect launch pad for up-and-coming musicians as they embark on their career in the music industry,” comments Claire Martin.

Ubuntu’s Martin Hummel concludes: “When we started Ubuntu Music, we were 100% committed to delivering a platform that would allow our artists to share their music all over the world, in with best-of-breed distribution technology thanks to our partners, The Orchard (Sony Music). We see ourselves as enablers, managing the multi-tiered logistics of a worldwide album release, while guiding the artists through an often-intimidating journey. We do everything we can to ensure a successful release, while the artist concentrates on their number one priority – their music and the development of their career as professional musicians.”

More details will be announced shortly.