Worldwide celebration of International Jazz Day, 30 April to kick off in Australia

The 2019 All-Star Global Concert will be webcast for free on jazzday.com, unesco.org, YouTube and Facebook at 15:00 UTC / 11:00 New York / 16:00 Paris on Tuesday, April 30.

Paris and Washington, D.C.—UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock today announced the programme for the 2019 edition of International Jazz Day, which will be launched in Australia and celebrated in more than 190 countries around the world.

Global Concert to take place in Melbourne

On 29 and 30 April, a wide range of jazz performances, education programmes and community service initiatives will be presented in partnership with the Melbourne Conservatorium, University of Melbourne, featuring more than a dozen celebrated jazz masters. The events on International Jazz Day itself (30 April) will culminate in an All-Star Global Concert at the Melbourne Arts Centre’s renowned Hamer Hall.  It will be webcast via YouTube, Facebook, the United Nations and UNESCO to millions of viewers worldwide.

The Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall will host the 2019 All-Star Global Concert with Herbie Hancock, James Morrison and others.

More than 30 world-renowned artists

Iconic jazz pianist Herbie Hancock (USA) and acclaimed trumpeter James Morrison (Australia) will serve as artistic co-directors of the All-Star Global Concert, and John Beasley (USA) will serve as the evening’s musical director. The concert will feature performances by an international roster of artists from more than a dozen countries. Confirmed artists include: Cieavash Arian (Iran),William Barton (Australia), Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA), Till Brönner (Germany), A Bu (China), Igor Butman (Russian Federation), Eli Degibri (Israel), Kurt Elling (USA), Matthew Jodrell (Australia), Ledisi (USA), Eijiro Nakagawa (Japan),Mark Nightingale (United Kingdom), Chico Pinheiro (Brazil), Tineke Postma (Netherlands), Antonio Sánchez (Mexico), Nathan Schreiber (Australia), Somi (USA), Lizz Wright (USA), Tarek Yamani (Lebanon).  More artists are expected to be announced.

Artists performing at the 2019 International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert include (from top left) Ledisi, John Beasley (musical director), Kurt Elling, Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock, James Morrison, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Aditya Kalyanpur, Tineke Postma, Antonio Sánchez, Lizz Wright, A Bu, Igor Butman, Somi, William Barton, Mark Nightingale, Joey De Francesco, Ben Williams, Eli Degibri, Eijiro Nakagawa, Brian Blade, Tarek Yamani, Matthew Jodrell, James Genus, Till Brönner, Eric Reed, James Muller, Antonio Hart and Chico Pinheiro, among others.

A global celebration

Thousands of other programmes all over the world will celebrate jazz as a universal language of peace, among them jazz-themed films, lectures, book readings, theatre performances and panel discussions, as well as jam sessions, master classes, and radio and television broadcasts. As in previous years, a majority of International Jazz Day partner activities will focus on education and community impact, benefitting millions of students, academics, professional musicians and music lovers everywhere.

Read the full press release.