Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Pianist Herbie Hancock is International Jazz Day’s ambassador and artistic co-director.
(Photo: Courtesy International Jazz Day)St. Petersburg, Russia, will serve as the global host city for the annual International Jazz Day, with events being held on April 29 and 30.
Herbie Hancock, the event’s ambassador this year, and Audrey Azoulay, director general of UNESCO, recently announced the program, which in addition to performances in St. Petersburg will encompass events in 190 countries. The yearly event was founded in 2011 by UNESCO and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz to laud the genre’s part in promoting freedom and creativity. This year in the host city, a variety of discussions, workshops and outreach programs also will be held. The free celebration culminates in performances at the Mariinsky Theatre and will be streamed online.
Hancock and Russian saxophonist Igor Butman serve as artistic co-directors of the St. Petersburg concert, and American pianist and arranger John Beasley is the musical director.
Performers in St. Petersburg are set to include:
The host for International Jazz Day in 2019 will be Sydney, Australia, with the Sydney Opera House—a UNESCO World Heritage site—serving as the performance venue for next year’s all-star concert.
For more information about the celebration, visit the International Jazz Day homepage. DB
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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