International Jazz Day 2020

The ninth annual International Jazz Day will transition to a virtual concert hosted by Herbie Hancock alongside a star-studded line up. Originally, the event was to take place in Cape Town, South Africa, as the Global Host City. While International Jazz Day has been shifted to a virtual concert in light of recent events, it is set to be a star-studded affair.

The day’s centrepiece will be a Virtual Global Concert featuring artists from across the globe. The concert will begin at 8PM (BST) and will feature performances by Marcus Miller, Lang Lang, Charlie Puth, Cécile McLorin Salvant, John McLaughlin, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sibongile Khumalo, Alune Wade, John Beasley, Ben Williams, Lizz Wright, John Scofield, Igor Butman, Evgeny Pobozhiy, Youn Sun Nah, A Bu, Jane Monheit, and Joey DeFrancesco, among others.

You can watch the live-stream concert here.

The Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, who will be performing as part of the day, recently talked to us about being a musician and grappling with mental health issues.

The 2018 Jazz FM Award-winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant will also be performing as part of the day, and she visited the Jazz FM studios to perform a session a few years back.

Leading up to the Virtual Global Concert, there will be a free series of educational masterclasses, children’s activities and discussions via web conference featuring renowned educators and jazz artists.

There will be two English language sessions, including a panel with Nate Chinen, Sibongile Khumalo and Marcus Miller at 6:30pm (BST), as well as a masterclass with Lwanda Gogwana at 7pm (BST). The sessions are available here.

Herbie Hancock, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Co-Chair of International Jazz Day, said, “These are unprecedented times for world citizens and we are most grateful for the support, understanding and partnership of our Jazz Day community. Armed with optimism, patience and grace, we’ll work through these challenges as families, communities, countries and as a stronger united world. Now more than ever before, let’s band together and spread the ethics of Jazz Day’s global movement around the planet and use this as a golden opportunity for humankind to reconnect, especially in the midst of all this isolation and uncertainty".