International Jazz Day

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International Jazz Day International Jazz Day is celebrated worldwide on April 30, recognizing jazz as a force for peace. https://jazzday.com https://linktr.ee/intljazzday

09/24/2026

“I know that there are bad forces, forces that bring suffering to others and misery to the world. I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good.” — John Coltrane

John Coltrane would have been 100 today, and nearly 60 years after his death, his music continues to reach new listeners and musicians. His sound changed the direction of jazz, and its impact is still being heard, studied, reinterpreted and discovered by each new generation.His influence stretches over styles and genres, and transcends cultural boundaries.

At the 2022 International Jazz Day All-Star Concert at the United Nations, we paid homage to ‘Trane with our version of “A Love Supreme”
Ravi Coltrane
James Genus
Zakir Hussain
Terri Lyne Carrington
Tarek Yamani
Randy Brecker

09/11/2026

Meet the 11 semifinalists of the 2026 Herbie Hancock Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition!

Selected from hundreds of applicants from around the world, these exceptional young artists form the most internationally diverse group of semifinalists since the Competition’s founding in 1987.

🇺🇸 Joie Bianco
🇫🇷 Anouk Chemla
🇬🇧 Lucy-Anne Daniels
🇺🇸 Georgia Heers
🇦🇺 Courteney Hooper
🇺🇸 Kate Kortum
🇸🇰 Kristin Lash
🇨🇳 Zhenxuan “Jimmy” Lin
🇫🇷 Malou Oheix
🇺🇸 Ashley Pezzotti
🇺🇸 Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim

On October 10, the semifinalists will take the stage at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris before a judging panel of Patti Austin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roberta Gambarini, Gretchen Parlato and Gregory Porter. Three vocalists will advance to the Finals on October 11, competing for more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes.

The Finals will be followed by an All-Star Gala Concert featuring Herbie Hancock, Ambrose Akinmusire, Monty Alexander, Till Brönner, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nils Landgren, John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, Tineke Postma and other artists, with John Beasley serving as Musical Director.

The Competition is presented in partnership and with the support of Fondation Louis Vuitton.

Watch the Semifinals, Finals and All-Star Gala Concert live and free worldwide on medici.tv, FLV Play, Facebook, hancockinstitute.org and in 4K on YouTube.

October 10–11, Paris/France

🇫🇷

Découvrez les 11 demi-finalistes du Herbie Hancock Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition 2026 !

Le 10 octobre, les demi-finalistes se produiront à l’Auditorium de la Fondation Louis Vuitton et trois finalistes seront sélectionnés pour participer à la Finale le 11 octobre et tenter de remporter plus de 100 000 dollars de prix et de bourses. Le Concours est présenté en partenariat et avec le soutien de la Fondation Louis Vuitton.

Suivez le Concours sur medici.tv, FLV Play, Facebook, hancockinstitute.org et en 4K sur YouTube.

10–11 octobre, Paris/France

08/25/2026

🎷An integral part of International Jazz Day since its inception in 2012 and member of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Board of Trustees, as well as teacher and mentor to our college students and other young artists in our programs, we celebrate WAYNE SHORTER everyday, and especially today on his birthday. He was a giant in the music world, and we are forever grateful for his friendship and the generous sharing of his vast knowledge, wisdom and music with all of us. BE CREATIVE!

🎥 2012 Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert at the UN w/ Wayne Shorter Herbie Hancock Ron Carter Jack DeJohnette

Wayne Shorter: Aug 25, 1933 - March 2, 2023

07/30/2026

“The blues is the roots; everything else is the fruits.” — Buddy Guy

Happy 90🎉🎸to Buddy Guy —one of the last living links to the great Chicago blues tradition. His guitar playing, unmistakable voice, and decades of influence have shaped generations of musicians across blues, rock, and jazz.

The relationship between blues and jazz has always been inseparable. The blues gave jazz its emotional vocabulary—blue notes, call-and-response, swing, and the freedom to express life’s hardships and triumphs. Jazz expanded those ideas through improvisation and harmony, but it never left the blues behind.

Whether it’s a blues guitarist like Buddy Guy or a jazz soloist stretching a melody, they’re drawing from the same musical language. Celebrating Buddy Guy is also celebrating the foundation on which jazz continues to grow.

From the 2026 International Jazz Day Global Concert in Chicago
“Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues”
Buddy Guy - vocals, guitar
Christone "KINGFISH" Ingram - vocals, guitar
Orlando Wright - electric bass
Béla Fleck - banjo
Ric Hall - guitar
Terri Lyne Carrington - drums

07/19/2026

¡Felicidades a España! 🇪🇸

“Spain” written by at 2024 International Jazz Day Global Concert:







07/14/2026

“For me, music has no nationality.” — Angélique Kidjo

Happy birthday Angélique Kidjo 🎉 who is one of the most influential voices connecting African music and jazz on the world stage. Born in Ouidah, Benin 🇧🇯 she has spent her career celebrating the musical traditions of West Africa while embracing jazz’s spirit of improvisation, dialogue, and cultural exchange. Her work has helped introduce generations of listeners to the richness and diversity of African music, while demonstrating its deep connections to jazz.

Beyond the stage, Kidjo has been a tireless advocate for education, women’s empowerment, and children’s rights. Through her Batonga Foundation, she has helped provide girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa with access to education and leadership opportunities, reflecting her belief that music and opportunity can both change lives.

Kidjo embodies the global vision at the heart of Jazz Day. Her artistry and advocacy continue to show how jazz can build bridges across cultures while honoring the traditions that inspire it.

🎬 2012 International Jazz Day Global Concert at the United Nations - “Afrika”
Angelique Kidjo - vocals
Lionel Loueke - guitar
Christian McBride - bass
George Duke Legacy Project - keyboards
Vinnie Colaiuta - drums

07/03/2026

Claudia Acuña has spent more than three decades shaping a distinctive voice in jazz, blending the folk traditions and rhythms of her native Chile🇨🇱 with the openness of improvisation. After moving to New York in the mid-1990s, she quickly became part of the city’s vibrant jazz community.

On the eve of Independence Day in the United States 🇺🇸, we also celebrate Claudia’s birthday 🎉. Her story is as much about freedom as is the U.S. She has consistently shown that jazz is enriched by the experiences and traditions each artist brings to it, and jazz is about Freedom. Her performances reflect both deep respect for the music’s history and a commitment to telling her own story.

On International Jazz Day, Claudia Acuña represents the global spirit of jazz—a music that crosses borders, celebrates cultural identity, and creates new connections through creativity and improvisation. Her career is a testament to how jazz continues to grow through the voices of artists from every corner of the world.

Happy birthday Claudia and happy birthday America.

2024 All-Star Global Concert from Tangier comes Claudia song “Futuro” with








06/25/2026

Please join us in wishing pianist and composer Joey Alexander a very happy 23 🎉 Due to the unavailability of jazz education in his hometown of Denpasar, Indonesia, Joey participated in in Bali and Jakarta, where his family moved, so Joey could live near Indonesia’s top jazz musicians. When he was 8, he played for Goodwill Ambassador . Herbie told him that he believed in him, and Alexander recalled that was “the day I decided to dedicate my life to jazz.”

When he was 12, he was invited by Wynton Marsalis to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center. In the 10 years since then, Alexander has been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, and is the first musician to perform at the .

Joey was part of the 2016 Global Concert held at the Obama White House and part of the 2022 Global Concert performing his original composition “Warna” w/

06/18/2026

“The struggle is not outside. The struggle is inside.” — Abdullah Ibrahim

Few artists have connected music, history, and social change as powerfully as Abdullah Ibrahim who died this week at 91. Born in Cape Town in 1934, he drew from jazz, African musical traditions, church hymns, and the sounds of his community to create a voice that was unmistakably his own. During apartheid, his music became both an artistic statement and a reflection of the struggle for dignity and freedom in South Africa.

After being discovered by Duke Ellington in the early 1960s, Ibrahim built an international career while remaining deeply connected to his homeland. His compositions, especially “Mannenberg,” became cultural touchstones and symbols of resistance, hope, and identity for generations of South Africans.

Beyond his recordings and performances, Abdullah Ibrahim expanded the language of jazz itself. His work demonstrated how African musical traditions were not simply influences on jazz, but central to its story. Through a career spanning more than six decades, he showed that jazz could carry memory, spirituality, political consciousness, and a profound sense of place.

His legacy lives in the countless musicians who continue to draw inspiration from his commitment to artistic freedom, cultural heritage, and the belief that music can speak to both the struggles and aspirations of a people. 🇿🇦🌍

06/14/2026

“Jazz is a beautiful, democratic music. It encourages musicians with very strong, and many times, very different points of view to work together as a team while, at the same time, giving them the space to express their individuality.” Marcus Miller

Please join us in wiishing UNESCO Artist for Peace and Trustee of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, Marcus Miller a very happy 67 🥳🎶💯.

Marcus has been part of International Jazz Day since its inception.

2012 “Blast”
Michael Rodriguez (trumpet), Marcus Miller (electric bass), Lionel Loueke (guitar), Manu Katché (drums), John Beasley (Musical Director, keyboard)

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