2026 International Jazz Relay
Project Overview
In 2026, Seattle participated in the UNESCO Cities of Music International Jazz Relay to celebrate the International Day of Jazz. HOW MANY CITIES Cities across the world are creating music videos of Samer Rashed’s “April in Jerusalem.” The relay culminates in a global music video that passes the song from city to city.
As a City of Literature, we knew Seattle’s entry needed to include song lyrics. We partnered with The Seattle Public Library, Bushwick Book Club’s STYLE program, fifth graders and teachers at Highland Park Elementary School, Seattle JazzEd, and Jack Straw Cultural Center to record our youth-forward interpretation of the song, with lyrics inspired by local author Tae Keller’s book, “We Carry the Sun.”
Seattle’s entry was released on April 23 and the compilation video will be released on April 30, the International Day of Jazz.
Author Tae Keller (center) with Highland Park Elementary school librarian Chris Robert (left) and 5th grade teacher Jen Jackson.
Author Tae Keller, Jack Straw audio engineers, and Nicely Video videographers answer questions from 5th grade students at Highland Park Elementary.
Our Project Partners
Project Outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals
This project engaged with UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals in several ways. The 5th grade students engaged read an age-appropriate book by local author Tae Keller, which bolstered their literacy and comprehension skills (Goal 4: Quality Education). The students then translated their thoughts and ideas about the book’s topic of solar power into song lyrics (Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy). Students from both Highland Park Elementary’s 5th grade and Seattle JazzEd’s high school group then had the opportunity to perform and record their song, which provided cultural enrichment and education (Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities).
