International Jazz Day Toolkit
- Guide to Creating an Event (Individuals)
- Guide to Creating an Event (Institutions)
- Guide for Educators
- Sharing Your Jazz Day Stories
Main Jazz Day Events hosted in Havana, Cuba
Havana, Cuba, will serve as the International Jazz Day 2017 Global Host City. Many acclaimed musicians and educators from Cuba and around the world will participate in free jazz performances, master classes, improvisational workshops, jam sessions and community outreach initiatives. Programs will take place at schools, arts venues, community centers, jazz clubs and parks across the city of Havana and throughout Cuba beginning on Monday, April 24th and leading up to the festivities on April 30th. Additionally, jazz history and education programs will be provided for tens of thousands of students in over 11,000 schools across Cuba. These programs will be among the thousands of International Jazz Day live performances, educational activities, and community service programs taking place in more than 190 countries on all continents.
NEWS
2018 and 2019 calls for applications to host International Jazz Day
Nominations should be submitted to UNESCO in English or French using the attached form by 30 June 2017 at the very latest (midnight, Paris time). They should be sent to the following e-mail address: JazzDay(at)unesco.org, with a copy to jazzday(at)monkinstitute.org.
Enquiries regarding the nomination process may be addressed to: JazzDay(at)unesco.org
More photos:
- International Jazz Day 2015 Paris
- International Jazz Day 2014 in Osaka
- International Jazz Day 2013 in Istanbul
- International Jazz Day 2012 in Paris
- Smithsonian Photo Archives of Jazz Legends
Videos:
- Jazz Day Celebration 2015
- Videos from Previous Jazz Day events
- Ethiopia and UNESCO Addis Ababa Celebrate International Jazz Day
Documents:
- About International Jazz Day
- The History of Jazz in the World
- Proclamation of International Jazz Day – UNESCO General Conference, Paris, 2011 – UNESCO Executive Board, Paris, 2011
- Let's talk about jazz: UNESCO Courier archives about jazz
Previous celebrations:
UNESCO Director-General's Message
Today, we celebrate the international art form of jazz and its power to promote dialogue among cultures, to make the most of diversity, to deepen respect for human rights and all forms of expression.
Irina Bokova, Director-General
Message for International Jazz Day,
30 April 2017
International Jazz Day 2017 to take place April 30th worldwide and in 2017 Global Host City Havana, Cuba
Paris, Washington, D.C. and Havana – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock announced today the sixth annual International Jazz Day, which will be celebrated worldwide on April 30, 2017. The day will culminate with an All-Star Global Concert presented at the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Cuba, the Cuban Institute of Music and the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO. The concert will be live streamed by UNESCO and will feature an extraordinary array of artists from around the world paying tribute to the international art form of jazz. Read more
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.