Hancock kicks off Jazz Day

PARIS - Agence France-Presse

REUTERS photo

Legendary bandleader Herbie Hancock will get the first International Jazz Day off to a melodious start Monday with a dawn concert in the cradle of the music, New Orleans.

April 30 was designated International Jazz day by UNESCO last year, but the first celebration will begin on Friday, with a Paris masterclass at the oddly early hour for jazzmen of 10.00 am to be followed by a Hancock gig in the evening.

On Monday, Hancock, Diane Reeves, Terence Blanchard, Ellis Wynton Marsalis will play as the sun comes up over Congo Square in the Big Easy, before the main event that night at UN Headquarters.