International Jazz Day is observed on April 30, annually to honor the cultural significance and rich history of jazz music.
The day aims at recognizing the contributions of jazz musicians and their role in shaping our cultural heritage. Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Nat “King” Cole, Ray Charles and Nina Simone are some of the legendary musicians who revolutionized American Jazz.
It's an opportunity to raise awareness of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for empathy, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people, according to UNESCO.
As a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, Hancock worked against ahours to gain the support of the organization, which officially proclaimed April 30 as International Jazz Day in 2011.
On International Jazz Day multiple nations take part in the event called All-Star Global Concert and the performances are live-streamed.
To mark the day, Herbie Hancock will undertake a world tour through Beijing, Beirut, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Zimbabwe’s Marondera, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Vienna Fairbanks in Honolulu, and New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC. The live webcast can be seen on jazzday.com, unesco.org, and the YouTube and Facebook channels of International Jazz Day.
The day also brings together not only jazz lovers and artists but also people from various walks of life like historians, academics, artists, children, and communities.
This special day affirms the need for international and intercultural communication and cooperation and promotes peace, human rights and dignity, equality of opportunities, freedom of expression, and gender equality among others.
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The day witnesses jazz and blues stars from around the globe come together to celebrate the unifying power of music. International Jazz Day is the one day each year on which jazz is celebrated worldwide, bringing together people of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities in more than 190 countries.
The history:
The jazz genre started in New Orleans in the 1920s. A reflection of its people, jazz was a medley, developed by African Americans who were influenced by European harmonic structure and African rhythms. It originated partially from ragtime and blues
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