Fundación Comunitaria and ICERLA join in the celebration of International Jazz Day, a musical genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana.

In Puerto Rico, one of the most internationally recognized jazz musicians is the Afro-descendant David Sánchez.

The Puerto Rico Community Foundation (FCPR) and its ICERLA program join the celebration of the International Jazz Day, The event is an opportunity to highlight the contributions of the African-descendant community in music, particularly the African-American people of New Orleans, Louisiana, who contributed to its birth in the late 19th century.

In November 2011, the international community proclaimed during the General Conference of UNESCO, the April 30 as International Jazz Day, as it is understood to be an engine for peace, dialogue and mutual understanding. The international organization, in particular, emphasizes that its rhythms and diversity have strengthened the fight against discrimination and racism.   

Through its proclamation, it seeks to raise awareness of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, as well as for being an engine for peace, unity, dialogue and the strengthening of cooperation between peoples.

In Puerto Rico, One of the most internationally recognized jazz musicians is the Afro-descendant David Sánchez, and here we tell you a little about him.

1. Born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
2. Internationally recognized as one of the best saxophonists of his generation.
3. Winner of a GRAMMY Award for Best Jazz Large Ensemble Album for Chorale (2005).
4. When he passed the entrance exam to the Escuela Libre de Música de San Juan, he applied for percussion, but the section was already closed. It was suggested that he play the oboe, but he liked the sound of the tenor saxophone, his main instrument, better. His early musical influences were Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, who continue to be his greatest inspiration.  
5. At the age of 17 he was already playing with salsa groups in Puerto Rico, including the orchestra of maestro Roberto Rohena. Two years later, he moved to New York, where he had the opportunity to play with maestro Eddie Palmieri and the famous jazz instrumentalist Dizzy Gillespie, as well as with the United Nations Orchestra.
6. In 1988, he won a music scholarship in Rutgers University at New Jersey.
7. Among his earliest major influences in music were the rhythms of Puerto Rican bomba and plena, along with Cuban and Brazilian traditionals. In 2018, he released Carib, The production of original compositions inspired by Afro-Puerto Rican and Haitian melodies and rhythms.  
8. He is a member of the renowned SFJAZZ Collective.
9. He has been Musician-in-Residence and taught multiple master classes at various conservatories around the world, including the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, Berkeley School of Music in Boston and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where in 2017 he helped form The RJAM program (Roots, Jazz and American Music) in that conservatory.
10. He also plays soprano and alto saxophone, as well as flute and clarinet.

Sources:AllAboutJazz, Missing Piece, SFJAZZ, UNESCO, Dialogue y Wikipedia Photo: Facebook/David Sanchez