Some interesting facts about Jazz, AI and Freedom    

Since 2011 the UNESCO and its goodwill ambassador Herbie Hancock (a famed jazz pianist) organize the Global Jazz Day.

There is always a main host city, but events take place as well in dozens of other countries : concerts of course, expositions of jazz photos, jazz and poetry evenings and more. Some participating artists mix Jazz with World Music or other genres. And sometimes the audience can discover traditional instruments of certain regions, as for example the oud – a stringed instrument played by the Iraqi Naseer Shamma at the Jazz Day 2025 in Abu Dhabi/ UAE.

The 2026 edition is hosted in Chicago

The International Jazz Day 2026 will take place in Chicago/ USA. A special place and time.

The city on Lake Michigan has its own chapter in Jazz history, with the « Chicago Style » of the 1920ies. Herbie Hancock himself was born there in 1940. And on July 4, 2026 there is as well the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

The 2026 All-Star Global Concert features established stars such as Dee Dee Bridgewater (singer) and James Carter (various saxophones) besides younger ones like Melissa Aldana (tenor saxophone) and Emmet Cohen (piano).  

Jazz encourages Improvisation

All arts rely on creativity. In Jazz there is the additional requirement of spontaneous creativity – which is improvisation. Improvisation is even a major intrinsic element of this music. For everybody who is interested in creativity and improvisation, there is no better way than to listen to Jazz.

In this context some may raise the question of the potential relation of Jazz and Artificial Intelligence.

AI may be very useful for any type of automated transcription work. But can it generate jazz music ?

The first question is of course, which kind of jazz shall be produced : AI can absolutely generate a « jazzy background music » for various (non artistic) purposes, but an artist that wants to do live performances needs to have NI (natural intelligence).

The second question is, if AI can do improvisation. All AI tools require precise instructions (prompts). If you have a good AI music tool, you must write a precise prompt that designs the chord structure, the notes etc. that shall be generated. 

Such a prompt is basically a form of a composition. But written compositions are the opposite of jazz – which requires spontaneous improvisation. Thus, AI can mimic improvisation that has already been realized by others, but it cannot do improvisation itself.

The third question may be, if AI can foster artistic innovation in this musical genre. All major musicians in the history of jazz were badasses that did things nobody did ever before. Some could not even read notes or chord structures. Some could not even play their instrument, as for example Thelonious Monk. AI can reproduce already existing patterns. But innovations can only come from a human genius.

Some jazz musicians have quite a positive opinion about AI. Even the jazz day ambassador Herbie Hancock, who spoke with the BBC about AI.  

Jazz empowers young people

The best example for this phrase is the Sant Andreu Jazz Band from Barcelona, led by the charismatic jazz teacher Joan Chamorro. This band is composed of musicians aged from 5 to about 20 years, sometimes in combination with some older professional musicians.

The musical maturity of these young people is outstanding. The soloists often demonstrate the level of accomplished adult musicians. You can check it yourself by viewing for example the footage of « Recado Bossa »  .

In this video you’ll see the young players Marcal Perramon (tenor saxophone) and Victor Carrascosa (trumpet) perform in a way that would make Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley smile with gratitude. Both Spaniards have become professional in the meantime.

The young musicians of Joan Chamorro learn to do jazz solos in front of an audience, some of them play several instruments, some do also sing on stage (in several languages).

One of the biggest names in spanish Jazz has come out of this band – Andrea Motis (trumpet, saxophone, vocals). The list is already growing.

The UN say : Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression, and a symbol for unity and peace

Jazz musicians are masters of the musical freedom of expression. But, freedom of expression concerning political, society and health subjects is a difficult thing – for any citizen, and even in Europe.

Freedom of expression requires courage. Those who demonstrate this courage, often pay a price for it : their social media accounts get deleted, they experience professional disadvantages, and much more.

One of the major geopolitical questions in 2026 is the situation in the Middle East. Some great jazz musicians come from this region.

Ibrahim Maalouf is a french trumpet player with roots in Lebanon. In his music he integrates arab influences in a masterful way, as for example in « Beirut » (click here to listen to it on Youtube).

Avishai Cohen is a trumpet player living in Tel Aviv. When the musician prepared his last album « Ashes to Gold », bombs were hitting his home town.

Both artists have given statements on the current conflict that express their urgent desire for peace.