Call for support of International Jazz Day

Ken Chernoff, president of Whanganui Jazz Club, performing at one of the monthly IJD Jam Sessions at Porridge Watson, wearing the T-shirt his daughter in Scotland made for him, with the IJD logo. Pic/Rochelle Te Kaho.

Whanganui Jazz for Unesco has been promoting the IJD kaupapa since 2018. Their annual event “Whanganui Celebrates International Jazz Day” has the support of the Whanganui District Council.

The event’s musical director every year since the first event is the legendary Dr Rodger Fox of the New Zealand School of Music and the Rodger Fox Big Band.

The organiser of the initiative is Ken Chernoff, president of the Whanganui Jazz Club.

“We focus on highlighting jazz music’s contribution to education, as well as the need for intercultural dialogue and international cooperation,” he said.

“We have a proven track record of success, and we plan to further elaborate our vision. To accomplish our great ambitions, we ask for your help.

Ken Chernoff, president of Whanganui Jazz Club, received this T-shirt from his daughter in Scotland as a Christmas present.

“Through the years, financial support has come from both the local Creative Communities Scheme and the New Zealand National Commission for Unesco. This year, the commission is unable to offer funding, and we have a hole in the budget.

“This is an appeal to the Whanganui community to step up and support this noble cause that has already put our town in the national and international spotlight. We are looking for corporate sponsorship and individual patronage. Anyone interested in helping in any way is asked to contact me on 022 431 5434.”

Jazz music is not only an entertainment and an art form, it is also a force for change that works within the framework of improvisation and collaboration. International Jazz Day is a movement within jazz that is dedicated to connecting communities around the world.

Founded in 2011 by the sensational Herbie Hancock and his Institute of Jazz on the one hand, and by Unesco on the other, this project answers the question of how jazz music can contribute to the multi-disciplined conversation about bringing peace and justice to the world.