A DAY FOR JAZZ

Today is the 10th International Jazz Day. It will be celebrated with a livestreamed concert that begins at 2pm PT/5pm ET. Herbie Hancock is the artistic director; John Beasley is musical director.

Among those performing are Kenny Garrett, Stefon Harris, Joe Lovano, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Antonio Sánchez and Veronica Swift. Tune in here.

Said Hancock, “While the global pandemic continues to make life difficult for so many around the world, the example of organizers from Nepal to Mexico to Cameroon inspires us to greet this historic 10th anniversary milestone with joy, courage and hope for the future of jazz.”

Here's a list of events taking place around the globe.

The HITS crew took a look at jazz and activism during Black History Month. Among the subjects covered:

Modern musicians and how politics inform their work
The roots of jazz as the sound of revolution
An interview with Kamasi Washington
The activism sparked by jazz’s landmark year of 1959