April is all about that jazz in Philly, a celebration of the city’s jazz heritage along with today’s scene.

This year Mayor Nutter recognized McCoy Tyner as the 2015 Jazz Legend Honoree during the fifth annual Philadelphia Jazz Appreciation Month. The Jazz pianist, a native of West Philly, was presented with a Liberty Bell at this year’s kick-off celebration on Wednesday.  "I would like to thank the mayor and the people of this great city for making this possible for me. No matter where I am in the world, Philadelphia always has a special place in my heart," Tyner said.

Since the early 1920s Philly has claimed emblematic jazz artists, from Ethel Waters to John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, to Dizzie Gillespie and Sun Ra, to mention just a few.  Philadelphia Jazz Appreciation Month is a chance to celebrate their legacy and explore the current wave of performers dominating the scene, as well as to support Philadelphia’s jazz community.

Through a series of live performances, art exhibitions, discussion panels, and films, the celebration aims to raise awareness of the significant contributions jazz has made not only to the arts and culture sector of Philadelphia but also the city itself.

From April 6 to May 29 you can check out the special exhibit, “All That’s Jazz,” displayed on several floors of City Hall and featuring works inspired, motivated, and or influenced by the idiom of jazz music, in all its permutations.

The celebration concludes April 30 with International Jazz Day. For a full schedule of events visit Creative Philadelphia.