Timeline

Year	Developments in Jazz	Historical Events
2020	The ninth annual International Jazz Day is celebrated worldwide, with the Herbie Hancock Institute's annual All-Star Global Jazz Concert presented virtually (for the first time) due to COVID-19 pandemic. Jazz clubs across the globe close (many to never reopen) and jazz festivals worldwide are cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Jazz musicians resort to performing live-stream concerts and teaching online due to COVID-19 pandemic. Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington named Jazz Artist of the Year by DownBeat magazine, becoming the first female instrumentalist to be bestowed this honor.	COVID-19 pandemic results in over two million deaths worldwide as well as economic recession. George Floyd, an African American, is killed by a Minneapolis police officer in the United States, sparking global violent protests against racism. COVID-19 pandemic shuts down Summer Olympics and other sporting events. Antarctica sees its highest temperature on record. Joe Biden is elected President of the United States, while Kamala Harris becomes first female and person of color Vice President of the United States. Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle step down from their positions as Duke and Duchess of Sussex, leaving Britain to settle in Southern California.
2021	Legendary jazz pianist, jazz fusion innovator and 27-time GRAMMY Award winner Chick Corea dies of cancer. Corea, Robert Glasper, Maria Schneider, Arturo O'Farrill and Jacob Collier are among the awardees in the jazz category at the 63rd annual GRAMMY Awards. People around the world celebrate the 10th Anniversary of International Jazz Day, with programs in more than 190 countries and a hybrid Global Concert featuring performances in Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow and Cape Town, South Africa. Jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter premieres his new operatic work Iphigenia, starring esperanza spalding in the title role.	On January 6, rioters storm the grounds of the United States Capitol, disrupting certification of the 2020 presidential election. Myanmar's military seizes control of the government and places democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi under arrest. Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani meet in Najaf, Iraq, the first-ever such meeting between a sitting pope and a grand ayatollah. In a widely-condemned incident, Ryanair Flight 4978 is interdicted by Belarusian authorities while en route to Vilnius, Lithuania, leading to the arrest of opposition journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend. The Taliban retake control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces, ending the decades-long War in Afghanistan. The global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 5 million.