Bydgoszcz has joined the international project Jazz Day Relay 2025. We will celebrate International Jazz Day together with other UNESCO Cities of Music. Each city that participates in the project prepares an original arrangement of a piece – this year it will be the composition “3:23 am” by Mark Simeon Ferguson. And then it makes a music video out of it. All the videos will be edited into one large film of UNESCO Cities of Music.
Recordings were held today, and our representative will be the Bydgoszcz Jazz Academy.
The selection of the Bydgoszcz Jazz Academy as the performer of the song “3:23 am” is the result of the involvement of young people in musical creative processes – in line with the slogan of last year’s UNESCO Creative Cities Conference “Bringing Youth To The Table.” The Bydgoszcz Jazz Academy is a project in which students from the local Music Academy collaborate with professional artists, sharing their skills and presenting them to the public. This is a great opportunity to involve young musicians in an international project that promotes the values of education and sustainable development.
The song “3:23 am” was inspired by Mark Simeon Ferguson’s tour of Australia. The purpose of this tour was to educate young people about jazz music and engage them in discussions on issues of gender, racial and cultural equality. The piece expresses the need for swift and decisive action on equality, education and the fight against climate change. The rhythmic structure of the composition, with unusual phrase lengths (3, 7 and 5 bars), is intended to create a sense of anxiety and urgency, symbolizing the need for swift action in the face of global challenges.
The international premiere of the project will take place on April 30, 2025 on the occasion of International Jazz Day. We are proud that Bydgoszcz can contribute to this global initiative!
