The International Jazz Day 2015 Will Take Place in Paris

The International Jazz Day 2015 Will Take Place in Paris
Santo Domingo, March 20th, 2015

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and the Goodwill Ambassador, Herbie Hancock, are pleased to announce the fourth edition of the International Jazz Day, to be celebrated worldwide on April 30th, 2015. Paris, France, has been selected to serve as the host city for this year’s edition. Presented each year on April 30th, in collaboration with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the International Jazz Day encourages and emphasizes dialogue and intercultural understanding through jazz, bringing together people from all corners of the world. The celebration is highlighted in the official calendars of UNESCO and the United Nations, and it takes greater significance this year for being an important part of the celebrations marking the 70th Anniversary of UNESCO.

“Jazz embodies the spirit of UNESCO,” said Director-General Irina Bokova. “It means dialogue, reaching out to others, bringing everyone on board. It means respecting the human rights and dignity of all men and women, regardless of their origin. It means understanding others, giving them the floor, listening with respect. All of this is why we join in celebrating jazz – this music of freedom is a force for peace, and its messages have never been more vital than they are today, in turbulent times, in the year on which we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of UNESCO.”

The celebrations of the International Day of Jazz 2015 will start in Paris, France, on April 30th with a series of jazz education programs, performances and other activities during the day. The All-Star Global Concert will be held at UNESCO Headquarters during the evening and will feature stellar performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, A Bu (China), Igor Butman (Russia), Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Ibrahim Maalouf (Lebanon), Hugh Masekela (South Africa), Marcus Miller, Guillaume Perret (France), Dianne Reeves, Claudio Roditi (Brazil), Wayne Shorter, Dhafer Youssef (Tunisia), and many other renowned international artists. John Beasley will serve as musical director of the night.

“There will be worldwide celebrations honoring jazz on April 30th,” said Ambassador Hancock. Every country in the seven continents will bring jazz into the spotlight for 24 hours straight, sharing the beauty, passion and ethics of music. Educators, visual artists, writers, philosophers, intellectuals, dancers, musicians of all ages and skill levels, photographers, filmmakers, cameramen, bloggers and fans of jazz will participate in the Jazz Day, openly exchanging ideas through performances, education programs and other creative endeavors.”

The Paris concert will be broadcast live worldwide via the websites of UNESCO, the United States State Department, and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The daytime events in Paris will include master classes, roundtables, improvisation workshops and educational programs led by world-renowned jazz musicians, educators, and diplomats.

Given its legendary place in the history of jazz, Paris is ideally placed to serve as Host City of the International Jazz Day. Key jazz personalities of the city include guitarist Django Reinhardt, singers Edith Piaf and Josephine Baker, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and Stéphane Grappelli, and many more. Today, Paris continues to play an important role in the continued development of jazz as a musical art form.

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is once again working with UNESCO to ensure participations in the International Jazz Day. Programs have now been confirmed in more than 140 countries and in all continents.

As in 2012, 2013 and 2014, Santo Domingo will also celebrate this great party!!!

Jazz en Dominicana, the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, the Ministry of Culture, the Embassy of the United States of America, the Eduardo León Jimenes Cultural Center, Lulú Tasting Bar, and the Dominican Fiesta Hotel join in these celebrations with various events on Friday, April 24th, Monday, April 27th, and Thursday, April 30th, in the framework of spaces such as Vivo Café, Lulu Live Sessions, and Fiesta Sunset Jazz, respectively, which have the endorsement of the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO and are registered as part of the celebrations taking place internationally, to be part of this great celebration.

bootstrap carousel