Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                               A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION

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                   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 19th

and early 20th 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 the 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;

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       WHEREAS, April 30, 2023, is the 12th annual International Jazz Day;

        WHEREAS, on April 30, 2023, International Jazz Day, the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation

will host its 5th 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.

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