Havana, Apr 30 (Prensa Latina) A five-star concert by jazz band Joaquín Betancourt will be held here today to celebrate International Jazz Day, a genre to which Cuba has made great contributions, in terms of musicians, composers and styles. The concert is the culmination of a series of concerts in Havana to commemorate the celebration instituted worldwide in 2001 by UNESCO in order to encourage respect for the universal genre.
According to Irina Borkova, UNESCO’s General Director, jazz melodies have accompanied the struggles against racism, and the support for democracy as a catalyst for positive change in society.
Various generations of Cuban jazz musicians, including Carlos Miyares and Pablo Menéndez, gave concerts in recent days, and on Wednesday held a jam session at the National Hotel.
Participants included pianists Alejandro Falcon and Roberto Fonseca, drummer Yissy Garcia trumpeter Yassek Manzano and singer Luna Manzanares, among others.
The official celebration will be held on the Japanese city of Osaka, which in the early 1920’s was a mecca for jazz in Japan.
