Feature: Cuba hosts all-star global concert marking Int'l Jazz Day

An all-star global concert was held here Sunday to send a message of peace and promote intercultural dialogue through music.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) selected the Cuban capital as the 2017 Global Host City for the sixth annual International Jazz Day on Sunday.

Streamed live to 125 countries, the show was directed by Herbie Hancock, UNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, together with the Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdes, who had won multiple awards.

Hancock thanked the citizens of the Caribbean nation for their support of jazz music, noting that the "Afro-Cuban jazz and its rich history have played a pivotal role in the evolution and enrichment of the entire jazz genre."

Recalling an old African proverb as saying that "a city without music is a dead city," Hancock said Havana today is the most lively and dynamic place on the planet.

The musical parade at the stage of the Havana Grand Theater also included the American actor, musician and rapper Will Smith, along with other world-acclaimed performers such as Quincy Jones, Esperanza Spalding, Cassandra Wilson, Ambrose Akinmusire, Carl Allen, Regina Carter and Marcus Miller, among others.

Cuba was represented by other outstanding jazz figures such as Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Alfredo Rodriguez Jr., Bobby Carcasses, Roberto Fonseca, Francisco Amat and Barbarito Torres.

The performance also featured artists from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, and concluded with John Lennon's song "Imagine," which was considered a call for peace and hope among the people.

The special gala was attended by Cuba's First Vice President Miguel Diaz Canel and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

"Today, we celebrate the international art form of jazz and its power to promote dialogue among cultures, to make the most of diversity, to deepen respect for human rights and all forms of expression," Bokova said in her statement marking the event.

"The story of jazz is written into the quest for human dignity, democracy and civil rights. Its rhythms and variety have given strength to the struggle against all forms of discrimination and racism -- this is the message we must take across the world today," she said.

For an entire week before International Jazz Day, Cuba throughout the island hosted several concerts, workshops, lectures and musical jazz sessions given by well-known figures of the musical genre.

Over 190 countries across the world held live performances and educational activities on Sunday to mark International Jazz Day. Endi