“Jazz is not just music, it is a way of life, a method of being and a style of thinking”

Nina Simon,
American singer, pianist, composer, music arranger

The International Jazz Day is celebrated annually on April 30, starting from 2012. The UNESCO General Conference established the holiday.

Jazz music is the instrument of education and driving force of empathy, dialogue and cooperation expansion between people. It breaks down barriers and creates opportunities to strengthen mutual understanding and tolerance. Jazz is a freedom of expression vector, it reduces tension between individuals, groups and communities, encourages artistic creativity, improvisation, new forms of expression and the fusion of traditional and new musical forms, jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue.

The history of jazz is inextricably linked with the history of the struggle for human dignity, democracy and civil rights.

A great number of jazz variations exists. Some are close to entertaining music, while others, on the contrary, require a serious, trained listener. However, common to all trends is the usage of modern means and new methods in creating and performing the music. Improvisation occupies a central place in the work of jazz musicians - sometimes music spontaneously arises right on stage, it is a live contact with listeners who openly express their emotions with applause, thus complementing the sound palette. Understanding jazz requires an effort from a listener, but a person gains much through understanding the deep semantic content of jazz music!

The museum Collection presents a musical selection prepared for the International Jazz Day. All recordings are digitized from music media stored in the museum Music Library.

Source: Minakova, Minakov: History of World Music: Genres. Styles Directions. Library of World Art. Eksmo. 2010