Press release
International Jazz Day – 30 April 2023: A Jazz Journey around the World
On this International Jazz Day, musicians around the world are once again answering, in great numbers, the resounding call for peace through music. Born out of struggles for justice, jazz inspires us to build a future that reflects its spirit – united in the celebration of diversity. Join us on this ‘Jazz Journey around the World’ and witness the power of music.
The All-Star Global Concert will be webcast worldwide on 30 April at 4 pm EDT/1 pm PDT/10 pm CET on jazzday.com, unesco.org and hancockinstitute.org. International Jazz Day will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. The concert will feature performances in 12 cities simultaneously: from Beijing, Beirut, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Marondera, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Vienna, Fairbanks, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
As the world’s largest, most inclusive celebration of jazz music, International Jazz Day unites people across the globe. We are thrilled that the All-Star Global Concert will reflect this expansive identity in a new way, by sharing with our audience a rich palette of sounds on more than a dozen stages in every corner of the planet.
Master classes and educational programs
In the lead-up to the 2023 All-Star Global Concert, a series of free, online education programmes will be presented via jazzday.com, unesco.org, hancockinstitute.org, the International Jazz Day YouTube and Facebook pages.
An array of acclaimed artist-educators will present a multilingual selection of offerings that will emphasize the richness—and relevance—of jazz to learners at all levels. Programming will be available in Arabic, English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, with topics including music making for kids, improvisation, and the intersection of jazz harmony and diverse international musical traditions. A complete listing and schedule of education programmes will be available at jazzday.com/education.
Concerts and other events worldwide
The worldwide programme for International Jazz Day 2023 also includes an extraordinary range of programming in more than 190 countries, with concerts and performance-based initiatives complemented by wide-ranging social outreach and educational activities.
In Brazil, the Música na Árvore Solar Festival will pay homage to Louis Armstrong and feature sustainability in its lineup, powering its stage performances with mobile solar panels. The Croatian Radio Television Jazz Orchestra will be toasting its 75th anniversary on Jazz Day with a concert and live broadcast on Croatian national television. In New Zealand, the Whanganui Collegiate School presents three days of events including a jam session, a gala concert and an open forum with the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, exploring jazz music in education.
The Tottori Jazz Festival in Japan hosts a five-day series of concerts in addition to an art exhibit, jam sessions and workshops. The Botswana Society for Jazz Education kicks off a week of music workshops, instrumental clinics, master classes and nightly jam sessions, culminating with a grand concert featuring local and international musicians. UNESCO Creative Cities will be hosting a variety of activities around the world, leveraging music as a powerful accelerator for culture-driven sustainable urban development.
Jazz festivals around the world will also be commemorating International Jazz Day through special events. To learn about the hundreds of other events planned in all 50 U.S. states and 190+ countries across the world, visit jazzday.com/events.
Press contact
Phone: +33 1 45 68 17 29
Proclaimed at UNESCO in 2011 at the initiative of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, and recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, International Jazz Day brings together countries and communities worldwide every year on 30 April. They join forces to celebrate jazz as a universal tool for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human dignity; eradicating discrimination; fostering gender equality; and promoting individual expression. The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is UNESCO’s partner in the organization and promotion of International Jazz Day. The organizers also thank for their support the Doris Duke Foundation, the Ford Foundation and United Airlines.
About Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a nonprofit education organization with a mission to offer the world’s most promising young musicians college level training by internationally acclaimed jazz masters and to present public school music education programs for young people around the world. The Institute preserves, perpetuates and expands jazz as a global art form, and utilizes jazz as a means to unite people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities. All of the Institute’s programs are provided free of charge to students, schools and communities worldwide. These programs use jazz as the medium to encourage imaginative thinking, creativity, a positive self-image, and respect for one’s own and others’ cultural heritage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the United Nations specialized agency with a mandate in culture. As culture gains recognition as a global public good and a human-rights imperative, UNESCO programmes and actions in the field of heritage and creativity are essential to realizing this vision. Through its six Culture Conventions, policy advice and technical assistance to Member States, partnerships and research, the Organization promotes a human-centred approach to development and peacebuilding based on respect for cultural diversity and mutual understanding.
