Jazz musicians and music lovers from all over Kigali will join the global jazz music conversation as part of International Jazz Day celebrations, which is celebrated every year on April 30.

The event is organised by RG Consult, in partnership with Radisson Blu Hotel and Livenode, and it will be held at Radisson Blu Hotel on Sunday, from 1pm.

It is the first time International Jazz Day will be recognised in the country.

The free concert will feature performances from renowned local Jazz bands Neptunez Makumbi Sound, and a special guest performer. 

According to Remmy Lubega, the chief executive of RG Consult, the show was organised to give Jazz music lovers a day to recognise the genre’s influence.

"RG-Consult being the pioneers of the most consistent Jazz events in Rwanda, we felt obliged to highlight Kigali as a city that acknowledges and celebrates Jazz music,” said Lubega. "So with our partners, we decided to give back to community especially jazz lovers to feel great too. I call on all Jazz music lovers to come and enjoy a perfect chill out with their loved ones with great musicians.”

On the international level, a series of educational and outreach programmes by UNESCO will take place in St Petersburg, where the day will culminate in an extraordinary all-star concert at the historic Mariinsky Theatre, and will be streamed live worldwide. 

International Jazz Day was initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as a dedication to the great discipline of jazz music. It is aimed at raising awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.

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