Every year on 30 April the world celebrates International Jazz Day.
Established by the General Conference of UNESCO in 2011 at the initiative of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, and recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, this day helps to recognize the role of jazz in encouraging dialogue, combating discrimination and promoting human dignity. International Jazz Day has become a global movement joined by millions of people around the world every year.
"Through jazz we find a closeness that is being made particularly difficult by social distancing measures, because jazz music is a continuous dialogue among the musicians of the band, and also with the listener. This dialogue, gaining from multiple influences and bringing together musical traditions from different continents, thus resonates in all cultures and brings us closer to each other," said Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, in a message on the occasion of International Jazz Day (full message).
In connection with this year's COVID-19 pandemic, the ninth International Jazz Day and the flagship global concert planned in Cape Town, South Africa, will be held online. However, this will not prevent millions of jazz fans throughout the world from enjoying the sound of jazz music.
On April 30 at 19:00 (GMT), at 00:00 on May 1, Tashkent time, the Global Concert will begin with artists from around the world, the artistic director of which will be UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue Herbie Hancock. The concert will be broadcasted live at https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/jazzday.
The concert will feature artists such as Igor Butman, Evgeny Pobozhiy, John McLaughlin, Jane Monheit, Alune Wade, John Beasley, Ben Williams, Lizz Wright, John Scofield, Na Yoon-sun, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves and Joey DeFrancesco.
On April 30, just before the Global Concert, a free series of educational workshops, children's events and panel discussions will be held through web conferences with renowned educators and jazz artists. These events will be broadcast live at https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/jazzday. The schedule of free workshops, children's events and panel discussions can also be accessed at the same link.
For Uzbekistan, this is the sixth celebration of International Jazz Day. Jazz festivals, concerts, masterclasses and jam sessions have been held in different cities of Uzbekistan every April since 2015 under the auspices of UNESCO.
Jazz events are traditionally organized by the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan, the State Philharmonic of Uzbekistan, the Arts and Craft Development Foundation, the Ilkhom Theatre/ Ilkhom Jazz Club and the Municipality of Tashkent City.
The 2020 programme included performances by jazz artists from France, Italy, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, and other countries.
However, this year the organization of the international Jazz Festival has been postponed due to the pandemic of COVID-19.