Global Jazz Day events

Main Jazz Day Events hosted in Washington, DC

Washington, D.C. will serve as the International Jazz Day 2016 Global Host City. As International Jazz Day celebrates its 5th anniversary, the U.S. nation’s capital will host a multitude of jazz performances, community service initiatives, and education programs in schools, libraries, hospitals, community centers and arts venues across the city. Washington, D.C. is the birthplace of the great jazz pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington, and the city has enjoyed a thriving jazz scene for the past century. On April 30, 2016, Washington, D.C. will join with towns, cities and villages in over 190 countries on all 7 continents to observe International Jazz Day through thousands of performances and programs.

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UNESCO Director-General's Message

Jazz is more than music, it is a universal message of peace, harmonising rhythm and meaning, carrying values significant for every woman and man, providing unique opportunities for mutual understanding, through listening, playing, improvisation.

Irina Bokova, Director-General
Message for International Jazz Day,
30 April 2016



Jazz is an expression of creativity and diversity

  • Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;
  • Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;
  • Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;
  • Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;
  • Jazz fosters gender equality
  • Jazz reinforces the role youth play for social change;
  • Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;
  • Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.

It contributes to:

interview

Ramin Sadighi , Iran

Brenda Sisane, South Africa

Hannibal Saad, Syria