Jazz has always been about bringing people together, breaking barriers, and inspiring creativity across cultures. International Jazz Day reminds us that music has the power to transcend borders, foster dialogue, and spark joy and hope.¡±
Chicago: All that Jazz
For over a century, Chicago has been a jazz mecca. As early as the 1920s, jazz musicians sailed up the Mississippi from New Orleans and found the city to be a creative hub. Jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong, King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton made their names in the city, developing the ¡°Chicago style¡± of jazz
This style valued solos, improvisation, big band arrangements and a faster, more rhythmic sound, bringing instruments like the saxophone to the fore. Today, Chicago continues to celebrate its heritage through the Chicago Jazz Festival and iconic venues such as the Green Mill and the Jazz Showcase, founded 75 years ago.
Jazz in Chicago
Chicago, a major hub for jazz music and the birthplace of many great musicians of this vibrant musical tradition, is the Global Host City for International Jazz Day 2026. Directed by jazz legend and Chicago native Herbie Hancock, the fifteenth edition of the event features a distinguished lineup of renowned jazz artists.
The concert is streamed live to millions of viewers around the world through UNTV, UNESCO, jazzday.com, Facebook, YouTube and other international media partners.
In addition to the Global Concert, UNESCO encourages schools, universities, and non-governmental organizations around the world to celebrate International Jazz Day. Performing arts venues, community centers, town squares, parks, libraries, museums, restaurants, clubs, and festivals organize thousands of activities, while public radio and television feature jazz on and around International Jazz Day.
All-Star Global Concert
30 April 2026
With special appearances of actors Michael Douglas, Hellen Mirren, Will Smith, Morgan Freeman and Jeremy Irons, the All-Star Global Concert features performances by an international roster of artists from all corners of the globe, including pianists John Beasley, Rober Glasper and Helen sung (USA), Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Cuba) and James Coillier (UK); singers Dee Dee Bridgewater and Lizz Wright (USA); saxophonists Melissa Aldana (Chile), James Carter and Bobby Watson (USA); bassists Christian McBride and Marcus Miller (USA); drummers Terri Lyne Carrington (USA) and Antonio Sanchez (Mexico); trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Marquis Hill (USA) and Tiger Okoshi (Japan); Vibraphonist Joel Ross (USA), and many more artists.
On 30 April, teachers and students around the world use International Jazz Day as an opportunity to learn more about the empowering history and legacy of jazz music. Check out our and the growing library of free educational videos and resources.
Music of improvisation and collective creation
International Jazz Day raises awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people, as well as an educational tool. Many governments, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and private citizens currently engaged in the promotion of jazz music embrace the opportunity to foster greater appreciation, not only for the music, but also for the contribution it can make to building more inclusive societies.
International Jazz Day has had extraordinary successes over the past decade, becoming the world¡¯s largest annual celebration of jazz. It is a global movement, engaging people annually, on every continent, through education programs, performances, community outreach and media coverage.
Why Jazz?
- Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;
- Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;
- Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;
- Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;
- Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;
- Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.
In November 2011 the General Conference 30 April as ¡°International Jazz Day¡±. This International Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about the art of jazz, its roots, its future and its impact. This important international art form is celebrated for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity, eradicating discrimination, promoting freedom of expression, fostering gender equality, and reinforcing the role of youth for social change.
Global events
The worldwide programme for International Jazz Day 2026 also includes an extraordinary range of programming in dozens of countries, with concerts and performance-based initiatives complemented by wide-ranging social outreach and educational activities.
Watch
Join GRAMMY Award winning artists Terri Lyne Carrington and DJ Khalil for a discussion of the common influences and origins of jazz and hip-hop¨Cand why they love both art forms.
Listen
Grammy award winning composer and International Jazz Day 2026 participant Antonio S¨¢nchez jazz simply as ¡°freedom,¡± highlighting its inclusive power to bring ¡°different elements together, transforming it into something greater.¡±
