Celebrating International Jazz Day 

"Everybody longs for meaning. Everybody needs to love and be loved. Everybody needs to clap hands and be happy. Everybody longs for faith. In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a stepping stone towards all of these." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Dayin order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. 

International Jazz Day is chaired and led by Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, and legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing this annual celebration. 

International Jazz Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots, future and impact; raise awareness of the need for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding; and reinforce international cooperation and communication. 

Each year on April 30, this international art form is recognized 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 in enacting social change. 

The history of Jazz music origins is attributed to the turn of the 20th century New Orleans, although this unique, artistic medium occurred almost simultaneously in other North American areas like Saint Louis, Kansas City and Chicago. 

Jazz and Blues are among America's greatest cultural achievements and exports to the world community giving powerful voice to the American experience. Born of a multi-hued society, it unites people across the divides of race, region and national boundaries and has always made powerful statements about freedom, creativity and American identity at home and abroad. 

Traits carried from West African black folk music developed in the Americas, joined with European popular and light classical music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, became the syncopated rhythms of Ragtime and minor chord voicings characteristic of the Blues. 

Sri Lanka launched its first international jazz festival the Colombo Jazz and Blues Festival by Mainstage Events this February, to rave reviews, with the objective of promoting this diverse genre of music and putting the island on the international jazz festival circuit. 

The Colombo Jazz and Blues Festival promises to be an even more spectacular event in February 2017 with bigger artistes and more activities which will take place over a two day period and will feature local as well as renowned international artistes in the Jazz & Blues genre. 

Some of the unique characteristics of next year’s festival will be curated through pre-festival events such as Black Tie, Big Band Jazz Swing, Jam Sessions, and performances by an orchestra and many more which are currently being planned. Keeping with the Jazz festival tradition, this two day event will also have a segment for amateur Jazz artistes & students. They will be given the opportunity to learn, discuss all that Jazz from renowned jazz musicians and afficianados. 

Colombo has now become an exciting city for Jazz lovers with many activities, performances and events happening throughout the year. 41 Sugar, one of Colombo’s best live music venues, continues to promote this much loved genre of music. 

41 Sugar which is considered the home of Jazz in Colombo, currently features Soshagroove, which is an extremely talented and exciting live band with a focus on Jazz on most evenings. Soshagroove comprises of talented musicians who have many years of experience in performing in the vibrant Jazz scene in Johannesburg, South Africa.