Chicago picked to host International Jazz Day celebration
Chicago picked to host International Jazz Day celebration
Chicago has had a long and influential role in the history of jazz music, but it's never been picked to host the world's largest celebration of jazz, until now.
CHICAGO - Chicago is about to become the jazz center of the world this April.
At a Tuesday news conference at Chicago’s Cultural Center, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker announced that Chicago was selected to host the world’s leading jazz celebration.
What to Expect:
Chicago has had a long and influential role in the development of jazz but has never been named a host city of International Jazz Day—until now.
The world’s largest jazz gathering will be coming to Chicago in late April to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, the 100th birthday of the late jazz legend Miles Davis, and the opening of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side.
"This is going to be just an incredible celebration of an art form that helped shape America’s heartbeat," said Pritzker. "It found one of its greatest homes right here in what we call the middle of everything."
The year 2026 will mark the 15th International Jazz Day, which has been held in cities across the globe but never in Chicago. This is long overdue, as the city is considered one of the birthplaces of jazz and is home to jazz legends like Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, and Quincy Jones.
"During the Great Migration, it was Black families from the South who flocked to Chicago, bringing rich jazz and blues traditions with them," said Johnson. "They transformed the sound of our great city."
Some of the world’s greatest jazz performers will descend on Chicago for a series of performances, educational programs, and community outreach events across the city. The week will culminate in an all-star global concert led by jazz legend and Chicago native Herbie Hancock, which will be broadcast to 190 countries.
Chicago-based jazz vocalist Kurt Elling is among those who worked behind the scenes to land the festival.
"It’s important to bring it to Chicago because people think of Chicago as a flyover city. They don’t recognize the incredible glories that are here," said Elling. "The music is swinging. The food is killing. The views are incredible. We have to just show this off to the world."