Committee on Information to Observe International Jazz Day 30 April;

 

Panel discussion, film screening to focus on “Unlearning intolerance”

 

The Committee on Information of the United Nations General Assembly, in association with the United Nations Academic Impact and the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, will organize a special event to celebrate the first International Jazz Day on 30 April 2012.

The event, which will take place at United Nations Headquarters from 3‑6 p.m., will include a panel discussion entitled, “Unlearning Intolerance:  Jazz as a Force for Education and Dialogue”, followed by the screening of  Finding Carlton, a documentary film by Susheel Kurien, which retells the universal story of jazz with a particular focus on the genre’s “migration” to India.  Several exponents and scholars of jazz music will discuss their personal perceptions about the role of jazz in bridging communities and cultures and how music can help “unlearn” ingrained intolerance.

Eduardo Ulibarri, Chairman of the Committee on Information, will preside.  Those joining him in the discussion will include:

Manjeev Singh Puri:   Acting Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.

Rosemary A. DiCarlo:   Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations.

Amir ElSaffar:  Iraqi-American trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and composer who has distinguished himself with a mastery of disparate musical styles and a singular approach to combining aspects of Middle Eastern music with American jazz.

Grace Kelly:  Just graduated saxophonist from Berklee College of Music, Boston, she is also a composer and arranger who has performed with such jazz greats as Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Harry Connick, Jr., Jamie Cullum and Esperanza Spalding.

José Masso:  A native of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, who has celebrated 36 years as host/producer of "ConSalsa!" on WBUR 90.9 FM in Boston.

Roland Schatz:   Founder and CEO of the international research institute, Media Tenor, headquartered in Switzerland, spent his early life training to become a concert pianist;he still believes that understanding the compositional complexities of a Bach Fugue is the best way to learn how to navigate the parallel complexities of the political, business and media arenas.

Aminata Annie Soumare:   A native of Mali, she is a vocalist, currently a student of the United Nations International School.

Alexandra Yabrov:  A native of Poland and Russia and Operations Manager at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston where she has been since 2000. 

The United Nations Academic Impact (http://outreach.un.org/unai) is a global alliance of institutions of higher education and research committed to practical support to the United Nations in the realization of its principles, purposes and mandates.

“International Jazz Day” was proclaimed in November 2011, by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  It is intended to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.

The event will be webcast live and can be viewed at www.un.org/webcast.

For media queries and/or additional information, please contact:  academicimpact@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record