International Jazz Day

April 30 is International Jazz Day! I just learned of this today, listening to CKUA.com CKUA fm is Alberta’s listener supported public radio station; they cover pretty much the full spectrum of music genres, including jazz. This day was designated by UNESCO, and Herbie Hancock was a driving force to establish this celebration. Unesco organizes it to celebrate “virtues of jazz as an edu.tool, & a force for peace" The first host city was Paris, France. This year it is Washington, USA. Calgary, Alberta CANADA is also very active and hosts dozens of free jazz events on this day. My very first jazz album was “Body Heat” by Quincy Jones; I discovered it at the Public Library in Swift Current, SK. Jazz has been an inspiring genre for me for decades. Hey ! hey! Let’s celebrate.