Samoa will join more than 190 countries around the world to celebrate International Jazz Day 2026 with “Samoana Jazz Rising,” a free public event at the Tiapapata Art Centre on Thursday, 30 April.

The event is being organised by the Tiapapata Art Centre together with members of the Samoana Jazz and Arts Festival community, with support from the UNESCO Regional Office for the Pacific States.

Musicians from Samoa, American Samoa and the wider Pacific region, along with guest artists, will take part in an afternoon of musical exchange followed by an evening concert.

The programme will begin with a Jazz Exchange and an Interactive Educational Session. This session will give musicians, students and emerging artists a chance to join discussions, demonstrations and collaborative improvisation.

It will focus on jazz influences in Samoa while creating space for creative exchange across generations and musical traditions.

The evening concert will begin at 6 pm and will feature performances by local and regional musicians and collaborative ensembles.

Audiences can expect a mix of jazz standards and locally inspired interpretations, showing the richness of Samoa’s musical landscape and its links to the wider Pacific and global jazz community.

International Jazz Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2011 and is led globally in partnership with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. It is celebrated every year on April 30 and recognises jazz as a way to promote peace, intercultural dialogue and creative expression.

In 2026, the celebration marks its 15th anniversary.

UNESCO Culture Programme Specialist Sara Garcia de Ugarte said International Jazz Day highlights jazz as a universal language that unites people across cultures, while events like Samoana Jazz Rising create opportunities for cultural exchange, young talent development, and blending global jazz with local traditions.

Samoa’s jazz history dates back to the 1920s, with early groups like the Apia Jazz Band, showing its early link to the United States after jazz emerged in 1917. This connection grew through Mavis Rivers, whose U.S. career highlighted Samoan talent internationally. Samoa has also joined International Jazz Day celebrations since 2014 through the Samoana Jazz and Arts Festival.

Samoa’s jazz celebrations combine performance, education, and cultural exchange, reinforcing its role in Pacific jazz history. This legacy includes Matt Catingub, who continues the work of his mother, Mavis Rivers, alongside broader Pacific music links like the “Ports of Paradise” tours. 

In 2025, audiences were introduced to the fagufagu, or nose flute, whose use of breath, detail and personal expression reflects qualities often linked to jazz improvisation.

The Managing Trustee of the Tiapapata Art Centre, Galumalemana Steven Percival, said International Jazz Day brings musicians and audiences together to share creativity and cultural exchange.

“Through Samoana Jazz Rising, we hope to highlight both the richness of our local musical traditions and their natural connection to the global language of jazz,” said Galumalemana