The International Jazz Day is celebrated every 30th of April each year. This holiday celebrates the contribution of Jazz genre to the history, culture, and education of music. This day aims to make people aware about the jazz genre and also to promote its cultural and social values.
Jazz is a popular music and dance form. However, it does not only convey a simple music form, but it also has a depth to convey historical diversity. In this way, jazz has its soul. So, to feel and express this spirit with the full swing, international Jazz Day is celebrated every year since 2012. With the effort of UNESCO, this day is celebrated over 100 countries, which hold many concerts and seminars to promote this art form.
The common belief about this art form that it conveys the cultural heritage and promotes humanity. The reason behind this fact might be how this art form has been born out of the ashes of African hierarchy. So, only music, dance, and the party should not relate this day, but this day is also dedicated to promoting human rights and its awareness throughout the world. In the same way, the issues related to human rights like gender inequality, child labors, and other issues are also conveyed on the same day. In this way, this day holds significant importance to convey the message of humanity.
Not only this, Jazz Day is planned, because the art form of the jazz is more than music. This music tells the story about democracy and the true spirit of a human being, which wants equality without racism, and the threat of slavery. It is born out of ashes of the long history, and this is a reason, the day is dedicated to celebrating this kind of music to understand its depth and innovation. So, let’s explore this day and get to know what is special about this art form and the day devoted to it.
About the International Jazz Day
During the International Jazz Day, people conduct various activities that let them achieve the objectives of this special day. For one, people attend jazz concerts or learn to play jazz musical instruments. People also share on social media about their experiences during this day while they use the hashtag #InternationalJazzDay.
When is Jazz Day Celebrated?
International Jazz Day is celebrated on 30 April. However, it is not celebrated like any other days. Specific countries host this day, in which numbers of events are held to spread the history of jazz music. Moreover, many famous jazz musician and dancers are invited on this day to play and perform this art form. Many countries participate in promoting this day.
Additionally, many participated countries also individually held a jazz concert to celebrate this day. But, this is not a day to celebrate at your home without the expert.
30 April was decided to celebrate this day because of the history of this month related to the hierarchy of jazz art form. Before the official announcement of International Jazz Day, April was the month to celebrate this art form due to the historical importance. After the announcement of UNESCO, 2012 was the first year to celebrate this day on 30 April.
Celebration Ideas and Activities
The following are the best things to do to make your celebration of the International Jazz Day as best as it can be:
Listen to the Experts
You can celebrate this day by listening to the experts on jazz music. You can check out Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane.
Attend a Jazz Concert
Various concerts are held during this day. These concerts focus heavily on performing jazz music. Attending these concerts is a good idea to celebrate this day.
Learn Jazz
You may be interested in learning more about jazz music. This day is the best opportunity for you to do so. Hence, you may want to allot time learning jazz music during this day. You can learn to play different jazz instruments or sing jazz songs.
The Origin of International Jazz Day
UNESCO aka United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was behind the birth of this day. It was 2011’s November; the organization decided to dedicate one particular day to promote the cultural importance of jazz. The purpose of this day is to gather all of the people around the world in the same roof to delve into the harmony of the music of jazz. Besides this, it was the idea of the person who also loved jazz and jazz pianist, Herbie Hancock. Hancock was also the ambassador of the organization and ran his jazz studio. The general director of the organization, Audrey Azoulay was also with him in this decision. With their effort, the celebration of International Jazz Day has been started from the next year.
Now the question arises, why jazz has its day? There is a deep root of the jazz music like when you read about the time of slavery; it shows that there was a specific way to African Americans of conveying the feelings of them, which mingle with the cultural music and dance of the African culture. In this way, the right origin of jazz music and dance was from African culture. However, there is a huge influence on American music and culture on this music. The time, it went through the evolution was the time of slavery of African Americans. In this way, the deep history makes this art form a rare gem in the cultural history of America.
In this way, jazz held importance in the history of America. It is the music, which roots go through the musician. This might be a reason, Hancock favors this day with such fervor instead of dedicating any day to another kind of music. With the UNESCO, the United Nations also embraced this official day dedicated to Jazz Day.
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How to get tickets of International Jazz Day
There are plenty of converts are held on international Jazz Day with the workshop of jazz music and so on. If you want to participate in this event, you can go simply to the official website of the jazz day. The website will have all of the data about upcoming events related to Jazz Day. In this way, you will get to know about events and
concert related to international Jazz Day from this site. You have to search for your country, and you will know what kind of efforts, your country is putting by celebrating International Jazz Day. However, there is also a chance that your country does not celebrate it, and then you may travel towards the host country of jazz day.
The average price of the ticket of the jazz concert is approximately between $10 to $15. However, you should first check the currency of your country in this regard.
The Celebration of International Jazz Day
Cape Town selected as a host for International Jazz Day. Russian Federation in Saint Petersburg was the host of ‘s Jazz Day in Sydney. In the organization decides that Cape Town, South Africa will host the international Jazz Day for this year(). However, many other countries have held the events of International Jazz Day. For example, the United States celebrates this day in Pierre Hotel in New York and Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. CASSA ARMONICA hosts the event in Pozzuoli, Italy. If you are in New Zealand, you have to travel towards Wanganui Collegiate in Whanganui to celebrate this event. The people of Kuwait can go to Al Rayyes Theatre in Medan Hawalli. For your country, check the official website for the jazz day.
The events of the international Jazz Day included workshop related to Jazz teaching and moral it conveys, many celebrities and local jazz musician performance, an organized seminar on preaching about the history of jazz and so on. For participation in this kind of event, you can check the local event regarding the celebration of the day.
It means you have lots to do on the international Jazz day, depends on the country you are about to celebrate. If you can travel to Sydney Australia, you can celebrate this day in full swing. Thousands of people will be gathered on this day around the globe. The main event holds the concerts in which popular jazz musicians will perform instead of a local one. Not only the history, but you can also learn how to play piano, drum and other instruments on the rhythm of jazz music. If you are a lover of jazz dance, then the main event in Sydney is just for you. Then, do not wait and celebrate this day on 30 April in full swing.
International Jazz Day Quotes
- “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
- “Life is a lot like jazz — it’s best when you improvise.” – George Gershwin
- “Jazz is a feeling, more than anything else. It isn’t music, it’s language.” – Enos Payne
- “Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking.” – Nina Simone
- “That’s the thing about jazz: it’s free flowing, it comes from your soul.” – Billy Crystal
- “As far as playing jazz, no other art form, other than conversation, can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction.” – Stan Getz
- “Jazz stands for freedom. It’s supposed to be the voice of freedom: Get out there and improvise, and take chances, and don’t be a perfectionist — leave that to the classical musicians.” – Dave Brubeck
- “Jazz music is America’s past and its potential, summed up and sanctified and accessible to anybody who learns to listen to, feel, and understand it. The music can connect us to our earlier