International Jazz Day on April 30th
Today is the International Jazz Day! What does this mean? Let us give you a short of introduction. The story goes like this.. In November 2011, UNESCO officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day to celebrate jazz music and to highlight its diplomatic role as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue, uniting people in all corners of the globe. After a successful first year in Paris UNESCO, in partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (TMIJ) will be organizing the second International Jazz Day today April 30th, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey where massive names of the global jazz scene like Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, John McLaughlin, Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, Joss Stone and more will perform for one single cause named Jazz! The concert will be streamed live at 7pm (London time) so try not to miss it! Watch it here!
The evening concert will feature performances by pianists John Beasley, George Duke, Robert Glasper, Herbie Hancock, Ramsey Lewis, Keiko Matsui and Eddie Palmieri; vocalists Rubén Blades, Al Jarreau, Milton Nascimento, Dianne Reeves and Joss Stone; trumpeters Terence Blanchard, Imer Demirer and Hugh Masekela; bassists James Genus, Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spalding and Ben Williams; drummers Terri Lyne Carrington and Vinnie Colaiuta; guitarists Bilal Karaman, John McLaughlin, Lee Ritenour and Joe Louis Walker; saxophonists Dale Barlow, Igor Butman, Branford Marsalis, Wayne Shorter and Liu Yuan; clarinetists Anat Cohen and Hüsnü Şenlendirici; violinist Jean-Luc Ponty; Pedrito Martinez and Zakir Hussain on percussion and other special guests. John Beasley will be the event’s musical director.