Tangiers prepares to host International Jazz Day
Tangier, a northern Moroccan city, has been designated as the Global Host City of International Jazz Day 2024, reports the Middle East Online Plus agencies.
Located at the crossroads of Europe and Africa, Tangier is known as a fusion of different cultural expressions, displaying a long, rich history of Jazz.
Presented in partnership with the City of Tangier and the Ministry of Culture of Morocco, the four-day celebration (27-20 April) is the perfect opportunity to emphasise the city’s jazz heritage and will be celebrated by more than 190 countries.
On the 2nd of April, UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, announced that “the designation of Tangier marks the first time a city on the African continent will host International Jazz Day (30th April), the world’s largest and most significant celebration of jazz.” The event with highlight cultural and artistic ties between people in Morocco, Europe and Africa.
Legendary jazz and blues figures will electrify the city of Tangier and many screens across the world. The event will be broadcast via YouTube, Facebook, the United Nations and UNESCO to millions of viewers worldwide from the stunning, new Palace of Arts and Culture of Tangier.
Led by iconic pianist, Herbie Hancock and Musical Director, John Beasley (USA), the All-Star Global Concert will include performances by a multitude of international artists from all around the world.
Music enthusiasts can look forward to performances from the likes of master Gnawa musician Abdellah El Gourd (Morocco), Claudia Acuña (Chile), Ambrose Akinmusire (USA), Lakecia Benjamin (USA), Richard Bona (Cameroon), Moreira Chonguiça (Mozambique), Antonio Faraò (Italy), Magnus Lindgren (Sweden), Romero Lubambo (Brazil), Yasushi Nakamura (Japan), and many more confirmed artists, with more to be announced.
Gnawa-jazz is a fusion of Morocco’s traditional music style and jazz and is appreciated across Morocco and far beyond. Jazz master, Randy Weston, who lived in Tangier for many years, founded the African Jazz Festival in 1970, which inspired multiple jazz festivals throughout Morocco, including Jazzablanca and Tanjazz.
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In addition to the Global Concert, UNESCO encourages universities, schools and non-governmental organisations around the world to celebrate International Jazz Day.
Students of all ages across Tangier will have the chance to participate in events as a series of education programmes run throughout the city. A special presentation showing the significance of Morocco’s Gnawa music and its connection with jazz along with conversations about the history of jazz and its impact on Tangier are examples among others.
All across Tangier, community centres, performing arts venues, town squares, parks, libraries, museums, restaurants, clubs and festivals will organise Jazz-related activities. Public radio and television will feature Jazz on and around International Jazz Day.
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is the lead nonprofit organisation charged with planning, promoting and producing International Jazz Day each year.
International Jazz Day has become a global celebration reaching more than 2 billion annually through education programmes, performances, radio, television and streaming, along with electronic, print and social media.
Middle East Online/ Agencies.
