Herbie Hancock will anchor this year’s International Jazz Day activities with a gala event to be held in Istanbul, Turkey on April 30th.
This year marks the second annual iteration of the event, and will honor the jazz world’s historic ties to Turkey.
Hancock told the AP that those ties trace back to Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Munir Ertegun, whose sons followed jazz music in the 30’s and 40’s.
The family would invite musicians to their home, to the chagrin of some U.S. politicians who weren’t comfortable with mixed race visitors entering through the front door.
As Hancock recalls, the ambassador would offer a terse one-sentence reply such as: “In my home, friends enter by the front door — however we can arrange for you to enter from the back.”
One of the ambassador’s sons, Ahmet Ertegun, went on to launch Atlantic Records and play a major role in making black music available to wide audiences.
The day’s events will culminate in an all-star concert at Istanbul’s oldest church and feature a lineup including Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Heath, George Duke, Robert Glasper, Christian Scott, Marcus Miller, Lee Ritenour, Al Jarreau and Dianne Reeves.
Several satellite events in other cities will also take place, and the main events will be streamed live online and taped for later broadcast.