When is International Jazz Day?

Sunday April 30th

International Jazz Day, which takes place every year on April 30th, highlights a movement that unites people from around the world. The day also encourages communities, schools, researchers, and artists to learn about jazz's origins and its impact.

International Jazz Day - April 30

Jazz comes from a blend of music from slave slaves' home countries, according to music historians. These slaves would gather in Congo Square on Sundays around 1819, when they did not have to work. Congo Square was located in New Orleans, which is considered to be the birthplace of jazz music in the United States. The sounds consisted of Caribbean music from the West Indies, beats from Africa, and South African melodies. The finishing touches for ragtime music were upbeat tunes from the theaters and sounds from brass marching bands. Spiritual church music played with brass instruments, which led to another style of music, the blues.

Jazz came together in the late 1890s, ragtime and blues music came together to create jazz. Buddy Bolden, an African-American bandleader, is regarded as the first man of jazz by an African-American bandleader. In 1918, during WWI, French and British soldiers were introduced to jazz music. The genre exploded in popularity in the 1920s. Despite the fact that jazz music is no longer popular as it once was, the art of music still has a way of uniting various cultures. Many believe jazz music represents peace and unity, inspires intercultural dialogue, and reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities.

#InternationalJazzDay is a worldwide recognition of the United States' InternationalJazzDay. HOW TO OBSERVE #InternationalJazzDay.com Each year, a new city hosts the All-Star Global Concert. Past host cities included Sydney, St. Petersburg, Habana, Washington, D.C., Paris, Osaka, and Istanbul. In addition, jazz musicians, professional artists, and music educators hold workshops, lectures, free performances, virtual concerts, jam sessions, and community outreach programs.