International Jazz Day Set for Australia

By DownBeat I Mar. 27, 2019

Artistic co-director Herbie Hancock speaks during the 2018 International Jazz Day in St. Petersburg, Russia.
(Photo: Courtesy International Jazz Day)

For two days in Melbourne, Australia, during April, International Jazz Day will celebrate the genre’s worldwide influence and ability to transcend borders.

The annual event, now in its seventh year, counts pianist Herbie Hancock and trumpeter James Morrison as artistic co-directors of the All-Star Global Concert planned for April 30 at Arts Centre Melbourne. The musical director is pianist John Beasley.

Performers in Melbourne are set to include:

Cieavash Arian (Iran)
William Barton (Australia)
Dee Dee Bridgewater (U.S.)
Till Brönner (Germany)
A Bu (China)
Igor Butman (Russia)
Eli Degibri (Israel)
Kurt Elling (U.S.)
Matthew Jodrell (Australia)
Ledisi (U.S.)
Eijiro Nakagawa (Japan)
Mark Nightingale (UK)
Chico Pinheiro (Brazil)
Tineke Postma (Netherlands)
Eric Reed (U.S.)
Antonio Sánchez (Mexico)
Nathan Schreiber (Australia)
Somi (U.S.)
Lizz Wright (U.S.)
Tarek Yamani (Lebanon)

During the week leading up to the All-Star Global Concert, educational programs are slated for students who are part of the indigenous Yarrabah community, as well as for public school students in the New South Wales district. Additional outreach programs are planned in Adelaide, Perth and other cities.

Festivities wrap up during the first weekend of May with the “Generations in Jazz” youth festival in Mount Gambier, South Australia, a program helmed by Morrison and vocalist Kurt Elling. According to a press release, organizers plan for the event to become the largest youth jazz festival in the world, featuring more than 6,000 young participants.

For more information about the celebration, as well as Jazz Day events taking place in other countries, visit the International Jazz Day homepage. DB