Today is...

International Jazz Day

Today is International Jazz Day! When Louis Armstrong was asked what the definition of jazz was, he famously replied "If you've got to ask, you'll never know." Today is a worldwide day of celebration of jazz and its unique history.

The official birthplace of jazz music is New Orleans, but Kansas City and Chicago also have similar claims. Jazz fuses together African and European musical traditions. Blue notes, syncopation, and swing notes are all found in this style of music. There are many different sub-genres of jazz including early ragtime, swing, and bepop. Improvisation is also a large component of jazz; musicians often only start a song with one key and time signature from the bandleader.

International Jazz Day was created in 1991 by musician D. Michael Denny at which time a statement was recorded by the U.S. Congressional Record to officially recognize this day. To enjoy International Jazz Day, sit back, relax, and listen to your favorite jazz tunes!

Today is also International Coq Au Vin Day

 

May is National Bike Month & National Strawberry Month & National Hamburger Month

mages and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/

History for May 29  1790 - Rhode Island became the last of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1849 - A patent for lifting vessels was granted to Abraham Lincoln. 1911 - The first running of the Indianapolis 500 took place. 1942 - Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." 1951 - C.F. Blair became the first man to fly over the North Pole in single engine plane. 1953 - Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became first men to reach the top of Mount Everest. _________________________________________________________ "Eighty percent of success is showing up." --Woody Allen