ENROLLED ORIGINAL
1
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
25-46
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
April 4, 2023
To recognize and honor the importance of jazz music, and to declare April 2023 “Jazz
Appreciation Month” and April 30, 2023, “International Jazz Day” in the District of
Columbia.
WHEREAS, jazz originated within African American communities during the late 19
th
and early 20
th
centuries;
WHEREAS, jazz music has produced some of America’s most innovative artistry;
WHEREAS, Washington, DC has a rich jazz history;
WHEREAS, Washington, DC is the birthplace of the great jazz pianist and bandleader
Duke Ellington, singer and pianist Shirley Horn, pianist Billy Taylor, and saxophonist Frank
West;
WHEREAS, the first woman of jazz, Ella Fitzgerald extended the boundaries of
American popular music throughout her career, which allowed her to open doors for many
African American performers who followed her;
WHEREAS, Ella Fitzgerald is credited with gaining countless new fans for jazz music
with her performances and recording from the 1930s and 1940s;
WHEREAS, Jazz Appreciation Month, also known as “JAM ,” was created by the
National Museum of American History in 2001;
WHEREAS, Jazz Appreciation Month and International Jazz Day both celebrate jazz
music and its influence on the people and cultures around the world;
WHEREAS, Jazz Appreciation Month brings together schools, artist, historians, scholars,
and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots and future;
WHEREAS, this year th e National Museum of American History is highlighting Miles
Davis by showcasing a sketch of the trumpeter created during or after his July 5, 1981
performance at the Lincoln Center in New York;
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, April 30, 2023, is the 12
th
annual International Jazz Day;
WHEREAS, on April 30, 2023, International Jazz Day, the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation
will host its 5
th
Annual DC Jazz Leaders in Service Awards Gala and will honor Congresswoman
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) as the head of the newly formed Congressional Jazz Caucus; and
WHEREAS, jazz fans from across our city will join with cities, towns, and villages
around the world in celebrating International Jazz Day with thousands of performances and
programs.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Jazz Appreciation Month and International Jazz Day Recognition
Resolution of 2023”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors the importance of
jazz music and declares April 2023 “Jazz Appreciation Month” and April 30, 2023 “International
Jazz Day” in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.