Hey all you hip cats! Did you know that April is Jazz Appreciation Month?

Let's take the time to appreciate it by learning some cool facts about jazz:

1. April 30 is International Jazz Day! This year, Washington, D.C. will join with over 190 countries to celebrate the musical holiday through thousands of performances and programs.

2.  Adolphe Sax, inventor of the Saxophone, had many near death experiences as a child. One of them being completely burnt from a frying pan!

3.  Thanks to the creation of jazz, we have dances like the Foxtrot, Swing, Tango, and the Charleston.

4. Roaring 20's was the era of Jazz. In fact the novel, The Great Gatsby, takes place during this time.

5. Back in the 20s, race records existed. These jazz recordings were only sold and played in the black neighborhoods of Chicago and New York.

6. 1935 was the start of the swing era, which was started by the talented Benny Goodman, who was known for his hit songs Sing, Sing, Sing and Stompin' at the Savoy.

7. Frank Sinatra loved the Count Basie band because no other bands played his songs  like they did. It was because of this band that helped Sinatra become an iconic jazz singer.

8. Jazz became the bee's knees in the 1920's. This is because radio started broadcasting the music into American's homes, making it quite the popular genre of the time.