UNESCO's global jazz fest lands in Chicago
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Dee Dee Bridgewater and Abdellah El Gourd at UNESCO International Jazz Day 2024 in Tangier. Photo: Courtesy of Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
For the first time, Chicago will host UNESCO's International Jazz Day — a global celebration of the art form that will spotlight the city's deep jazz roots on April 30.
The big picture: International Jazz Day brings together artists and fans from around the world each year. In 2026, Chicago will take center stage — with hometown legend Herbie Hancock helping lead the celebration in a city that helped shape jazz itself.
Driving the news: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago cultural leaders announced Tuesday that Chicago will host the event on April 30. Hancock joined the event via video to share details about the performers scheduled to perform.
Flashback: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in 2011 to acknowledge the history and ways the music brings people from around the world together.
- When the idea of an official day dedicated to the art form was brought to the United Nations, it was the rare vote that passed unanimously, Tom Carter from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, said Tuesday.
State of play: The month-long calendar of performances, workshops, and youth-focused events runs from April 1 to May 2 and wraps up with the All-Star Global Concert from the Lyric Opera of Chicago and broadcast in 190 countries.
- Hancock will also host a special event at Hyde Park Academy High School, where the legend first learned jazz as a classical pianist.
What they're saying: "Jazz isn't just about individual brilliance and generosity. It demands rare collaboration, individual skill, intelligence and dedication, joined with empathetic listening, active mutual support and collective risk taking," musician Kurt Elling said.
- "Jazz teaches that for one player to win, for those golden notes to shine, everyone on the bandstand and in the audience must also win together. In fact, one could say that jazz is the music of America's dearest and deepest soul."
Zoom in: Chicago has been a jazz destination for more than a century, with legends like Louis Armstrong honing their craft in local clubs. Today, events like the Chicago Jazz Festival and venues such as the Green Mill continue that legacy.