Albania marks international Jazz Day

TIRANA, May 2 – Late Albanian-American photographer Gjon Mili was at the center of the first International Jazz Day celebration in Tirana, where a photo exhibition and a short movie directed by him in 1944 were featured. Held at a Defence Ministry cultural facility, the event also brought jazz performances, and discussions about its influence.
The event opened with the “Gjon Mili & Jazz” exhibition featuring some black and white pictures of Jazz musicians taken by Mili in the U.S from 1940-44.
“Jammin’ the Blues, a short film directed by Mili which had been nominated for an Oscar back in 1945 was also screened as part of the event. This was to be Mili’s only directing credit and the 10 minute film of a group of black jazz musicians jamming was nominated for an Oscar in 1945, and in 1955 was entered into the National Film Registry of America.
Born in 1904 in Korca, Gjon Mili went to the United States in 1923. Fifteen years later, he was a photographer for Life (a relationship that continued until his death in 1984), and his assignments took him to the Riviera (Picasso); to Prades, France (Pablo Casals in exile); to Israel (Adolf Eichmann in captivity); to Florence, Athens, Dublin, Berlin, Venice, Rome, and Hollywood to photograph celebrities and artists, sports events, and concerts, and sculptures and architecture.
Working with Harold Eugene Edgerton of MIT, Gjon Mili was a pioneer since the 1930s in the use of photoflash to capture a sequence of actions in one photograph.
Several Albanian jazz musicians also performed in the event organized in cooperation with UNESCO.
“Jazz has been a force for positive social transformation throughout its history, and it remains so today. This is why UNESCO created the International Jazz Day. From its roots in slavery, this music has raised a passionate voice against all forms of oppression. It speaks a language of freedom that is meaningful to all cultures. The same goals guide UNESCO in its efforts to build bridges of dialogue and understanding between all cultures and societies,” says UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.
In November 2011, during the UNESCO General Conference, the international community proclaimed 30 April as “International Jazz Day”. The Day is intended to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. Many governments, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and private citizens currently engaged in the promotion of jazz music will embrace the opportunity to foster greater appreciation not only for the music but also for the contribution it can make to building more inclusive societies.