International Jazz Day 2022 Reveals Lineup for All-Star Global Concert – Billboard

More than 180 countries are set to participate in International Jazz Day 2022 with the help of the United Nations, organizers announced on Friday (April 22). The annual celebration will be capped once again by an All-Star Global Concert whose lineup this year includes such genre luminaries as Marcus Miller, Gregory Porter, David Sanborn, Ravi Coltrane, Terri Lyne Carrington, Shemekia Copeland and Lizz Wright.

The flagship event — helmed by host/artistic director Herbie Hancock and musical director John Beasley — will take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York on April 30. In addition, it will be webcast worldwide at 5 p.m. ET on jazzday.com, unesco.org, hancockinstitute.org, the International Jazz Day YouTube and Facebook channels, UN Web TV and U.S. State Department outlets.

“With conflict and division in many parts of the world, it is my hope that through the universal language of jazz, our celebration this year can inspire people of all nations to heal, to hope and to work together to foster peace,” said Hancock in a statement announcing the event. The jazz icon co-chairs International Jazz Day with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. He also chairs The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, which is UNESCO’s partner in the organization and promotion of International Jazz Day.

Commented Azoulay, “Jazz carries a universal message with the power to strengthen dialogue, our understanding of each other and our mutual respect. As the world is affected by multiple crises and conflicts, this international day highlights how much music and culture can contribute to peace.”

Support for International Jazz Day is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. For more information about events being planned in all 50 U.S. states and countries across the world, visit jazzday.com/events.