UPDATE: This event has been moved to the Orpheum Theater (same time)
International Jazz Day is Monday, April 30, but New Orleans will have the opportunity to celebrate it early with a magnificent event in Congo Square this weekend. On Sunday, April 22, none other than the greats Herbie Hancock and Terence Blanchard will perform a celebratory concert with the E-Collective, vocalists Patti Austin and Ledisi and others.
Launched in 2012 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, International Jazz Day was born in Congo Square, naturally. This year’s event will be livestreamed and available for online viewing. According to organizers, the event is also sponsored by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and is a very “special International Jazz Day Salute to New Orleans concert recognizing the 300th anniversary of the City of New Orleans.” The event is free, open to the public and begins at 2 p.m.
In addition to the live concert, a series of in-school jazz education presentations led by the Institute’s teaching artists and educators will serve New Orleans students from April 18 to 30. These free programs, exploring the origins, development and significance of jazz, will include master classes conducted by Hancock and Blanchard and other outstanding musicians and educators.
For more information, visit the official website for International Jazz Day, New Orleans.
