“Jazz Appreciation Month” (or “JAM”) was created by the American Museum of Natural History in 2001 “to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz for the entire month of April”. The objective of JAM is “…to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz – to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more.”
America’s Greatest Art Form
In his article titled “Jazz” published by the “Smithsonian Music” in March 2016, Dr. John Edward Hasse, Executive Committee Chair Emeritus of the National Museum of American History states that jazz is “…often acclaimed as America’s greatest art form”. In this same article, he distinguishes jazz from European classical music by explaining that “…rhythmic freedom feeds the spirit of improvisation at the heart of jazz”.
What is Jazz?
The Smithsonian Jazz site “What Is Jazz” describes jazz as “…one of America’s greatest exports”. The “Jazz At Lincoln Center” article “Let Freedom Swing” describes the origins of jazz from its early beginnings in the African-American community in New Orleans at the 20th century and its further development as a “mingling of the musical expressions of all the people who came to the United States by choice or by force—people from Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean—as well as those already living in America. Jazz musicians brought their traditions together (with special emphasis on the blues, church spirituals and ragtime) in a new, universal language.
Smithsonian Jazz
The Smithsonian Jazz, part of the American Museum of Natural History, provides a) jazz performances via the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (SJMO), b) programs such as “Jazz Appreciation Month” and c) extensive jazz collections and other resources via its jazz archive center. The Smithsonian Jazz site “JAM is an annual event that pays tribute to jazz a both a historic and living American art form.”
International Jazz Day – April 30
Each year on April 30, International Jazz Day, the final day of Jazz Appreciation Month ("JAM"), jazz is celebrated as the international art form recognized for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity; eradicating discrimination; fostering gender equality; and promoting freedom of expression.
International Jazz Day was originally organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO") in 2011 "to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe."
Source: Smithsonian Jazz, National Museum of American History
