Each April, the United States celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), an opportunity to savor a major American contribution to world culture. Initiated by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, JAM aims to focus public attention on the music, and on the many talented composers, musicians and other contributors to the sound.
Just over 60 years ago, Dizzy Gillespie wrote a song that remains one of the most popular jazz tunes in the world: “A Night in Tunisia.” Listen to this story on NPR Radio on how the song was made: