International Jazz Day 2019 Worldwide Celebration Concludes with Extraordinary All-Star Global Concert in Melbourne, Australia

Thousands of Performances and Programs Take Place in 195 Countries on All Continents 

Melbourne, Australia, April 30—Following thousands of jazz events taking place in 195 countries around the world, International Jazz Day 2019 came to a thrilling close this evening in Melbourne, Australia with an extraordinary All-Star Global Concert at the Melbourne Arts Centre’s renowned Hamer Hall. Led by artistic co-directors Herbie Hancock (USA) and James Morrison (Australia), and musical director John Beasley (USA), the concert was streamed live by the United Nations and UNESCO and on www.jazzday.com. It featured riveting performances by over 30 international artists: Cieavash Arian (Iran), William Barton (Australia), Brian Blade (USA), A Bu (China), Igor Butman (Russian Federation), Theo Croker (USA), Joey DeFrancesco (USA), Eli Degibri (Israel), Kurt Elling (USA), James Genus (USA), Paul Grabowsky (Australia), Antonio Hart (USA), Matthew Jodrell (Australia), Aditya Kalyanpur (India), Ledisi (USA), Jane Monheit(USA), James Muller (Australia), Eijiro Nakagawa (Japan), Mark Nightingale (United Kingdom), Jeff Parker (USA),Chico Pinheiro (Brazil),Tineke Postma (Netherlands), Eric Reed (USA), Antonio Sánchez (Mexico), Somi (USA), Ben Williams (USA), Lizz Wright (USA) and Tarek Yamani (Lebanon).

The All-Star Global Concert opening performance showcased two of Australia’s most beloved musicians: didgeridoo player William Barton and trumpeter James Morrison. Vocalist Jane Monheit later joined forces with Brazilian guitarist/vocalist Chico Pinheiro on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Brazilian jazz classic “Waters of March.” Ledisi brought the house down with her spine-tingling vocals on “Try a Little Tenderness.” Backing her was a 10-piece band that included a stellar horn section with Theo Croker, Eli Degibri, Matthew Jodrell, Eijiro Nakagawa and Tineke Postma. A Jazz Day tradition, the All-Star Global Concert concluded with the entire cast contributing to a global jazz-inspired rendition of John Lennon’s peace anthem, “Imagine.” 

In addition, two weeks of jazz performances and educational outreach programming took place in cities across the International Jazz Day 2019 host country of Australia. Thousands of students in Sydney’s New South Wales public schools took part in jazz education programs led by Herbie Hancock, James Morrison, Antonio Hart and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Fellows at the Sydney Opera House. Melbourne’s extensive Jazz Day festivities included master classes at the Melbourne Conservatorium; and workshops conducted by Eric Reed, Tarek Yamani, and A Bu, among others. Other highlights included a special Jazz Day performance at the Adelaide Festival Centre, five days of all-inclusive street parades on King Street in Brisbane, and a “Women in Jazz” celebration in Perth.

Australia’s International Jazz Day celebrations will conclude with the “Generations in Jazz” youth festival in Mount Gambier, South Australia, led by James Morrison with Lizz Wright, Joey DeFrancesco, and Kurt Elling during the first weekend of May. With the participation of more than 6,000 high school student musicians, it will the largest youth jazz festival in the world.

Celebrated around the globe each year on April 30, 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. International Jazz Day was adopted by the UNESCO Member Nations on the initiative of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock. The annual celebration is co-chaired by Hancock and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. Presented in partnership with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, the day is recognized on the official calendars of both UNESCO and the United Nations, and it is celebrated in more than 190 countries on all seven continents. Each year, schools, universities, libraries, jazz clubs, performing arts centers, artists and arts organizations of all disciplines around the world pay tribute to jazz through thousands of performances, education programs and community service initiatives. 

The Global Host City for International Jazz Day in 2020 will be Cape Town, South Africa. Professor Ihron Rensburg, longtime antiapartheid fighter and currently Chairperson of the South African National Commission for UNESCO said the global concert comes at a very important time for the country. “South Africa is undergoing a complex transition, calling for even more social cohesion, tolerance and unity in diversity. This is the message Jazz can bring forward – this is what Jazz is about, and South Africa can be a leader in this message.”

For more information, visit www.jazzday.com or www.unesco.org/jazzday.