Jazz celebration sans frontieres

JAZZ, according to UNESCO, is a “vector of freedom and expression” and “a symbol of unity and peace”.

Jazz celebration sans frontieres

WHY International Jazz Day? According to UNESCO, which two years ago made the proclamation for April 30, it’s because jazz is a “vector of freedom and expression” and “a symbol of unity and peace”. There’s more: jazz “fosters gender equality” and “reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities” and “creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance” — and on and on it goes.

The music’s pretty good too, as a series of concerts around the world today makes clear. The main event is in Osaka, where Herbie Hancock, pictured, joins Wayne Shorter, John Scofield, Roy Hargrove, Dee Dee Bridgewater and many others in a concert that will be broadcast online from 8pm Sydney time. In Australia, New Zealander Jonathan Crayford performs at 505 in Sydney, Australian bassist Arlene Fletcher leads her trio at Melbourne’s Bennetts Lane and American singer Katy Raucher plays at the Burnie Regional Art Gallery.