{"id":2231,"date":"2017-05-01T13:36:30","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T17:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=2231"},"modified":"2019-09-12T12:19:44","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T16:19:44","slug":"whatever-happened-to-international-jazz-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2017\/05\/whatever-happened-to-international-jazz-day.html","title":{"rendered":"Whatever happened to International Jazz Day?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 30 &#8212; yesterday &#8212; was celebrated as the sixth annual <a href=\"http:\/\/jazzday.com\/\">International Jazz Day<\/a> with a global webcast from Havana, hosted by Will Smith, headlined\u00c2\u00a0by pianist Herbie Hancock and including a couple of dozen top notch musicians from the U.S., Russia, Cameroon, France and Korea as well as Cuba. Did you know?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k9klaOBzwOE\" width=\"420\" height=\"236\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Advance publicity and followup coverage has been but a dot on the attention focused on IJD last year, when President Barack Obama hosted a splendiferous Jazz Day in the White House. Considering\u00c2\u00a0the leader of the regime\u00c2\u00a0replacing Obama&#8217;s administration, it&#8217;s no surprise our government did not note\u00c2\u00a0the event &#8212; though after all, it represents one of the most successful exports, cultural or otherwise, ever coming\u00c2\u00a0from America.<\/p>\n<p>As explained\u00c2\u00a0by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unesco.org\/new\/en\/unesco\/about-us\/who-we-are\/director-general\/singleview-dg\/news\/director_general_kicks_off_international_jazz_day_festivitie\/\">Irina Bokova<\/a>, director-general of UNESCO which produces IJD in organizational collaboration with the <a href=\"http:\/\/monkinstitute.org\/\">Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz,<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jazz is great music because it carries strong values. Jazz is about freedom, about dignity and civil rights. . . Through jazz, we improvise with others, we live better together, in dialogue, in respect.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d So maybe it&#8217;s better to keep the music at arms length from the current political heavies. After all, the U.S. no longer has voting rights in UNESCO, since we are $300 million in arrears for our dues since 2011, though Obama and John Kerry, his Secretary of State, in 2015 urged\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-asks-to-be-re-elected-to-unesco-board\/a-18790239\">Congress to restore funding<\/a> the\u00c2\u00a0United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, now 70 years old.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of political issues, the music performed in the beautiful Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso (billed as the oldest theater in Latin America) exemplified jazz&#8217;s virtues and reinforced the importance of Afro-Cuban influences on jazz, which we commonly think of as born in that Caribbean capital, New Orleans. Opening with a renditions of Dizzy Gillespie&#8217;s &#8220;Manteca&#8221; (co-written by Cuban conguero Chano Pozo and big band arranger Gil Fuller), the concert had\u00c2\u00a0multiple highlights including Esperanza Spalding&#8217;s bass obbligato to\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Youn Sun<br \/>\nNah&#8217;s smoldering vocal <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O4BVGuugJ94\" width=\"420\" height=\"236\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe> on<br \/>\n&#8220;Besame Mucho&#8221; (which also featured an affecting solo by violinist Regina Carter), electric bassist-vocalist-bandleader Richard Bona&#8217;s lively number, Cuban vocalist Bobby Carcasses&#8217;s scat chorus, a tribute to Cuba&#8217;s native <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-C1C6NNQiQM\">changui style<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0(from\u00c2\u00a0the province of Guantanamo), electric bassist Marcus Miller&#8217;s role in\u00c2\u00a0diverse combos,\u00c2\u00a0and the extraordinary Cuban pianists Chucho Valdes and Gonzalo Rubalcaba duetting on and beyond &#8220;Blue Monk.&#8221; Congrats to music director John Beasley, who sat with me in 2013 for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/ablogsupreme\/2013\/04\/30\/179900390\/meet-the-man-who-assembles-the-worlds-biggest-jazz-concert\">an NPR interview about what&#8217;s involved putting this all together<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2234\" style=\"width: 377px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/2017-Jazz-Day-Map-03-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2234\" class=\"wp-image-2234\" src=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/2017-Jazz-Day-Map-03-1-300x130.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"367\" height=\"159\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">IJD 2017 event map<\/p><\/div>\n<p>IJD events were this year held in 190-some countries on all seven continents. The star-studded global webcast has been, of course, the\u00c2\u00a0most prominent event right along, though its advance planning is evidently so complex that announcement of where it&#8217;s taking place seems to come later and later. This year the information\u00c2\u00a0that Havana was the site didn&#8217;t come until April 10 &#8212; short lead time for many news organizations. As I write this post, neither <a href=\"http:\/\/www.downbeat.com\">DownBeat<\/a> nor <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jazztimes.com\">JazzTimes<\/a> has a report from yesterday. Nothing in the New York Times, Washington Post, the LA Times or the Guardian. There&#8217;s bit from the PRNewswire published by\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/international-jazz-day-2017-worldwide-celebration-concludes-with-extraordinary-all-star-global-concert-hosted-by-actor-will-smith-in-havana-cuba-2017-05-01-6203317\">Market Watch<\/a>, a <a href=\"http:\/\/knkx.org\/post\/jazz-caliente-international-jazz-day-goes-cuba\">note on the blog of KNKX<\/a> (Seattle) and an overview on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.enca.com\/life\/entertainment\/cuba-hosts-all-star-international-jazz-day-concert\">eNews Channel Africa<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0which mentions the attendance at the concert of Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba&#8217;s vice president of Cuba&#8217;s State Council and a rumored potential successor to President Raul Castro, scheduled to\u00c2\u00a0leave office in February 2018<\/p>\n<p>With Irina Bokova&#8217;s second term as UNESCO director-general coming to an end and our federal support (even by lip service) of the initiative dim compared to Obama&#8217;s warm welcome of it in 2016, one might worry that IJD will lose crucial support. <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CUUpKiHR-t8\" width=\"420\" height=\"236\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>\u00c2\u00a0 Let&#8217;s hope not, as it has indeed been a beacon of enlightened international creativity and collaboration. Herbie Hancock, in his closing remarks, vowed we will see an IJD again next April 30. Eager for details! Tell us where sufficiently in advance and we&#8217;ll spread the word.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.howardmandel.com\/\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">howardmandel.com<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.feedburner.com\/fb\/a\/emailverifySubmit?feedId=1102712&amp;loc=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Subscribe by Email <\/a> |<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/JazzBeyondJazz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Subscribe by RSS<\/a> |<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Follow on Twitter <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/archives.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> All JBJ posts <\/a> |<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 30 &#8212; yesterday &#8212; was celebrated as the sixth annual International Jazz Day with a global webcast from Havana, hosted by Will Smith, headlined\u00c2\u00a0by pianist Herbie Hancock and including a couple of dozen top notch musicians from the U.S., Russia, Cameroon, France and Korea as well as Cuba. Did you know? Advance publicity and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[441,1520,1516,8,1355,1515,1514,1517,20,1519,1518,1521],"class_list":{"0":"post-2231","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-esperanza-spalding","9":"tag-gran-teatro-de-la-habana-alicia-alonso","10":"tag-havana","11":"tag-herbie-hancock","12":"tag-howard-mandel","13":"tag-ijd","14":"tag-international-jazz-day","15":"tag-irana-bokova","16":"tag-jazz","17":"tag-thelonious-monk-institute-of-jazz","18":"tag-unesco","19":"tag-will-smith","20":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/2017-Jazz-Day-Map-03.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1i3CL-zZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2009,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2016\/04\/local-dc-jazz-apart-from-nea-jazz-masters-events.html","url_meta":{"origin":2231,"position":0},"title":"Local DC jazz apart from NEA Jazz Masters events","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In Washington DC for events surrounding the investiture of vibist Gary Burton, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp and\u00c2\u00a0Jazz Foundation of America's executive director\u00c2\u00a0Wendy Oxenhorn as National Endowment of the Arts' \u00c2\u00a0Jazz Masters, I visited\u00c2\u00a0a new grassroots venue that shows where the deep\u00c2\u00a0heart of jazz support lies. The\u00c2\u00a0Jazz and Cultural\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"imgres-7","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/imgres-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":819,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2012\/03\/which-herbie-hancock-comes-to-jazz-at-lincoln-center.html","url_meta":{"origin":2231,"position":1},"title":"Which Herbie Hancock comes to Jazz at Lincoln Center","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"March 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Pianist Herbie Hancock is a chameleon -- as I say in my newest column in\u00c2\u00a0CityArts-New York. For his first appearance at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Friday night (3\/9 ) he leads a trio, and on Saturday (3\/10) adds Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke, \u00c2\u00a0in formats a far cry from The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":426,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2011\/07\/unesco-names-pianist-herbie-hancock-goodwill-ambassador.html","url_meta":{"origin":2231,"position":2},"title":"UNESCO names pianist Herbie Hancock &#8220;goodwill ambassador&#8221;","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"July 25, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Pianist Herbie Hancock has been appointed a \"goodwill ambassador\" by UNESCO. The 71-year-old multiple Grammy winner, Chicago-born child prodigy, Miles Davis' keyboards man ushering open-form improvisation, electronic instruments and studio procedures into the past half-century of jazz-based music and talent scout with global interests joins an international coterie that currently\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1295,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2013\/04\/jazzapril-begins-no-joke.html","url_meta":{"origin":2231,"position":3},"title":"JazzApril begins (no joke!)","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"April is Jazz Appreciation Month (so named by the Smithsonian Institution), culminating on the 30th with\u00c2\u00a0International Jazz Day (a project of UNESCO, organized by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) -- and both those initiatives are endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. So the Jazz Journalists Association has launched\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"ja-ijd-jamSQ200","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/ja-ijd-jamSQ200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":822,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2012\/03\/herbie-hancock-keytar-master.html","url_meta":{"origin":2231,"position":4},"title":"Herbie Hancock, keytar master","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"March 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The Herbie Hancock who concertized at Jazz at Lincoln Center last Saturday night was the casually joking yet research-minded fusion meister. A review of his Friday night concert by Jon Pareles in the New York Times takes a generous view of Hancock darting among his multitude of possibilities, but I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/herbie-keytar.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1341,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2013\/04\/jazz-day-reasons-to-be-cheerful.html","url_meta":{"origin":2231,"position":5},"title":"Jazz Day reasons to be cheerful","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"On the second International Jazz Day, let's celebrate -- 1) A glorious legacy of enduring music; 2) The\u00c2\u00a0dedication to the art form of musicians and their supporters now, worldwide; 3) The recognition by government officials and institutions of jazz as an entity that will not be silenced or co-opted; 4)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jazz Heroes, designated in 2013 by the Jazz Journalists Association and 25 local North American communities","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/2013JazzHeroeswHEADwnumbers.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}