Jazz Appreciation Month and International Jazz Day
The 1st Annual International Jazz Day, formulated by the United States and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)will be held on April 30, 2012. UNESCO officially proclaimed April 30 as International Jazz Day to pay tribute to this uniquely global art form, with distinctly American roots, that is played and enjoyed across cultures, languages, and musical traditions. Jazz is a powerful unifying force that builds bridges and brings people together.
In celebration, the U.S. Department of State is partnering with the Smithsonian Institution to showcase jazz events and programs taking place across the country. We have several programs already in the works that you and your community can get involved in, including:
- UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock will headline a series of concerts on April 30 that will take place at sunrise in New Orleans and at sunset that same evening from New York City. The concerts will be streamed live via the internet. Stay tuned for the web address.
- Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), held every April and recognized by public law, was launched by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in April 2002. JAM aims to draw greater public attention globally to the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. For more information on JAM events worldwide, as well as recordings, educational resources, oral histories, blogs, articles, and links to archived and streamed jazz concerts, workshops and discussions, please visit www.smithsonianjazz.org.
Are you interested in joining the celebration of the first-ever International Jazz Day?
Here are a few ways to get involved:
- Host a Herbie Hancock Listening Party featuring one of the April 30th concerts streamed live on the web.
- Arrange an International Jazz Day concert in your school or community.
- Tweet your thoughts on the importance of Jazz: #JazzDay2012
- Request a 2012 JAM poster featuring Frank Sinatra to alert your community to jazz events or artifacts at your organization.
- Keep an eye on the JAM events calendar and take part in an event in your community, or add your own by emailing jazz@si.edu!
- Visit Smithsonian Jazz and discover 112 ideas for celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month. Many of these ideas will also work for International Jazz Day.
Have any ideas of your own? We’d love to hear about them. Please let us know at jazz@si.edu, and we’ll add them to the JAM U.S. and International event calendar to showcase jazz events around the world.