10 April 2017
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.

The musically vibrant and culturally rich city of Havana, Cuba, has
been selected to serve as the 2017 Global Host City, presented each
year on April 30th, in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute
of Jazz. International Jazz Day highlights the power of jazz as a force
for freedom and creativity, promotes intercultural dialogue through
respect and understanding, and unites people from all corners of the
globe. The day is recognized on the official calendars of both UNESCO
and the United Nations. International Jazz Day programs are made
possible by Toyota, the 2017 lead partner.

The All-Star Global Concert will have Herbie Hancock and Chucho Valdés
serving as the artistic directors, and John Beasley and Emilio Vega as
the evening's musical co-directors. The Concert will feature stellar performances by a truly international roster of artists including
Ambrose Akinmusire (United States), Carl Allen, (United States), Marc
Antoine (France), Richard  Bona (United States), Till Brönner
(Germany), A Bu (China), Igor Butman (Russian Federation), Bobby
Carcassés (Cuba) Regina Carter (United States), Kurt Elling, (United
States), Kenny Garrett, (United States) Herbie Hancock (United States),
Antonio Hart, (United States), Takuya Kuroda (Japan), Ivan Lins
(Brazil), Sixto Llorente (Cuba), Marcus Miller (United States), Youn
Sun Nah (Republic of Korea), Julio Padrón (Cuba), Gianluca Petrella
(Italy), Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Cuba), Antonio Sánchez (Mexico), Christian
Sands (United States), Esperanza Spalding (United States), Chucho
Valdés (Cuba), Ben Williams (United States), Tarek Yamani (Lebanon),
Dhafer Youssef (Tunisia), Pancho Amat (Cuba), César López (Cuba) and
others, with further details to be announced in the days to follow.

"UNESCO is proud to be associated once again with the Thelonious Monk
Institute of Jazz, as well as with the Instituto Cubano de la Música,
to raise the flag for jazz, for freedom, for creativity, for diversity
and for unity. This year's focus on Cuba is testament to the power of
jazz to build bridges and join women and men together around shared
values and aspirations", said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO.

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.

Herbie Hancock, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue,
said: "Afro-Cuban jazz and its rich history have played a pivotal role
in the evolution and enrichment of the entire jazz genre. The
incomparable trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie along with beloved Cuban
musicians Mario Bauzá, Machito and Chano Pozo, infused American jazz
with Afro-Cuban rhythms to create a brand new, energetic sound that
defined modern music. We are so pleased that Havana, Cuba, will serve
as the Global Host City for International Jazz Day 2017. On behalf of
the worldwide family of jazz musicians, educators and enthusiasts, I
would like to thank the citizens of Havana and Cuba for their enormous
support of this truly global musical art form."

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is once again working with UNESCO
and its field offices, national commissions, networks, associated
schools, universities and institutes, public radio and public
television stations, and NGOs to ensure their involvement and
participation in International Jazz Day 2017. Additionally, in
countries throughout the world, libraries, schools, universities,
performing arts venues, community centers, artists, and arts
organizations of all disciplines will be celebrating the day through presentations, concerts, and other jazz-focused programs.

The celebration in Havana of the International Jazz Day in 2017 marks
the seventieth anniversary of Cuba's accession to UNESCO and the
foundation of the National Commission for UNESCO.

For more information about the International Jazz Day 2017 live stream,
and to register events on the official website, please visit
www.jazzday.com or www.unesco.org/jazzday.***

 
Contacts:

Alisse Kingsley

+ 1 323 467 8508
press@jazzday.com
Elena Nápoles (UNESCO Havana Office)

+53 7 833 34 38
e.napoles-rodriguez@unesco.org
Lucía Iglesias (UNESCO)

+33 1 45 68 17 02
l.iglesias@unesco.org

http://en.unesco.org/news/international-jazz-day-2017-take-place-april-30th-worldwide-and-2017-global-host-city-havana

--
Eduardo
Sorocaba-Brasil
www.alt119.net - Art-Culture-Lusophony

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