The announcement got here from UN tradition company (UNESCO) on Wednesday, as this 12 months’s day was being celebrated within the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi.
The focus there was on ‘Arabic Jazz’, a tapestry of musical traditions, which included the usage of classical devices from the area such because the oud, qanun and ney.
Following the jazz synthesis which ended on a excessive word within the UAE, the highlight now turns to Chicago – the place many would argue the golden period of jazz started as pioneers from New Orleans headed north through the Nineteen Twenties.
The midwestern metropolis will host the famend All-Star International Live performance, directed by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, that includes a number of the world’s most celebrated jazz artists.
“What higher approach for UNESCO to rejoice the 250th anniversary of the USA than by sharing its wealthy musical heritage with the world?” stated Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-Common.
Wealthy jazz pedigree
Chicago has performed a pivotal position within the evolution of the style for over a century. Within the Nineteen Twenties, musicians journeyed up the Mississippi and located in Chicago a vibrant inventive hub. Legends like Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Jelly Roll Morton helped outline the “Chicago type” of jazz – marked by daring solos, improvisation, huge band preparations, and the rising prominence of the saxophone.
At the moment, the town stays a stronghold of jazz tradition, dwelling to famend occasions such because the Chicago Jazz Competition and iconic venues together with the Inexperienced Mill and the Jazz Showcase, which has been a cornerstone of the scene for 75 years.
A number of Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Instructional, Scientific and Cultural Group (UNESCO), Herbie Hancock, performs on the inaugural Worldwide Jazz Day Live performance at UN Headquarters. (2012)
UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, a local of Chicago, mirrored on what jazz has meant to him.
“It was in my highschool auditorium in Chicago that I found jazz – an expertise that ignited a lifelong ardour,” he stated. “Jazz opened doorways to creativity, self-expression, and freedom.”
Occasions all year long
Along with the International Live performance, Chicago will host a variety of occasions all through 2026 to rejoice Worldwide Jazz Day, together with concert events, academic programmes, discussions, and group actions.
These might be organized in collaboration with the Chicago Jazz Alliance, the Ravinia Competition, the Metropolis of Chicago, the Illinois Arts Council, the State of Illinois, and different companions.
Launched by UNESCO in 2011, Worldwide Jazz Day is noticed yearly on April 30 in over 190 international locations. It celebrates the facility of jazz as a pressure for peace, intercultural dialogue, and human dignity.
