Festivals

By: Mary Andrews

Jazz music is one of the few genres of music that has been created in the Americas. It has been in existence for more than a century and New Orleans is credited to be the birthplace of the American art form. Over time, it has come to encompass a wide range of musical influences from ragtime to rock fusion. It originated through a blend of Negro and European music. Improvisation plays a major role as well as vitality and spontaneity providing the essence of Jazz.

Jazz has been attributed to the advent of breaking the boundaries of racism in America with the collaboration between white and black musicians. The 1920s saw women playing musical instruments in jazz bands for the first time. WWII saw the emergence of all-female bands when male bandmembers were drafted. The creativity of jazz fostered people of all backgrounds, races, and sexes to blend together for the good of the art. As a result, people have found a common ground in celebrating jazz music.

There are many celebrations of Jazz in the world from France to Switzerland, Istanbul, Cuba, The Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Spain, Africa and many more countries. There was the creation of an International Jazz Day at the White House.

The biggest boost came in 2011 when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day. The idea was proposed by jazz pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock. Hancock chairs International Jazz Day and He is the designated UNESCO Director -General. He announced his intention of making International Jazz day a celebration of the diplomatic role of jazz.

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