Let’s face it: if you’re a jazz fan, just about every day is Jazz Day, right? Well, south of the border, our American friends have designated the entire month of April Jazz Month or JAM, Jazz Appreciation Month. In fact it’s official, and as far back as 2009 the Council of Mayors in the U.S. designated April 13 as Jazz Day. As if that wasn’t enough, UNESCO has designated April 30 as Jazz Day around the world. The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., coordinates all things jazz in April when it comes to the States.
We at CBC Music respect the American approach, and want to offer up a few suggestions on how to celebrate Jazz Day on April 13.
- Make a point of listening to all of CBC Music's jazz streams.
- Seek out at least one jazz artist you’ve never heard before and check out his or her music.
- Convince one of your non-jazz family or friends to embrace a jazz artist.
- Buy someone you care about a jazz recording you think they’ll enjoy.
- Listen to at least three of the major jazz albums from the last 80 years: Kind of Blue, Time Out or Canadiana Suite.
- Go out to hear live jazz on April 13.
- Make a point to listen to the music of Canada’s founding fathers of jazz, from Phil Nimmons and Rob McConnell to Fraser MacPherson and Oscar Peterson, to name a few.
- Go to the library and take out the biography of a jazz artist. May I recommend Deep In a Dream, written by James Gavin about Chet Baker, or Oscar Peterson’s Jazz Odyssey: The Life of Oscar Peterson.
- If you’re a musician, learn the head (melody) to one new song.
- If you’re a musician, take the plunge and learn how to improvise over John Coltrane's “Giant Steps” at a fast tempo. It may take more than a day.
- Subscribe to a jazz magazine online or by snail mail.
- Buy some jazz art, perhaps a mounted album cover or poster.
- Tell a jazz joke. For example: what’s the difference between a jazz musician and a pizza? A pizza can feed a family of four. Ba-ding!
- Next time you travel across the country, make sure you visit jazz clubs in other Canadian cities.
OK, what do you think? If you have some suggestions, let’s hear them in the comments.
To all of you jazz fans, happy Jazz Day, month, year and lifetime!
Related links
Phil Nimmons going strong at the age of 88