Committee on Information

Panel Discussion

Panel Discussion ‘Unlearning Intolerance:  Jazz as Force for Education

 

and Dialogue’ Marks First International Jazz Day

 

During a “jam session” of ideas at Headquarters this afternoon, musicians and musical scholars shed light on the role of jazz music in bridging communities and cultures and encouraging tolerance and social change.

A product of slavery and repression in the United States, jazz had become a universal language that symbolized hope, peace and dialogue, speakers said during a panel discussion titled “Unlearning Intolerance:  Jazz as a Force for Education and Dialogue”, which was organized by the Committee on Information, in association with the United Nations Academic Impact and the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations.

The panel was followed by the screening of Finding Carlton, a documentary film by Susheel Kurien, which retold the universal story of jazz with a particular focus on the genre’s “migration” to India.  The events were held to commemorate 30 April as the first International Jazz Day, which was proclaimed last November by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to raise global awareness about the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.

“Jazz is a musical way to rise up and communicate social and global issues,” said Aminata Annie Soumare, an American vocalist of Malian descent and a student at the United Nations International School.  She recounted jazz’ creation by African-Americans in New Orleans during the 1920s and 1930s, which fused African rhythms with the blues and improvisation.  Spreading north to Harlem, New York, jazz gave African-Americans a chance to strengthen civil rights.

Manjeev Singh Puri, Acting Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, said that jazz, since its development in India after the First World War thanks to the presence of Americans living there, had remained vibrant, lively and the heart and soul of many Bollywood films.  “Jazz gave us a unique experience, a unique insight into globalization,” he said, adding that:  “It allowed us in India to imbibe the spirit of cosmopolitanism.”

Mr. Kurien said jazz was human expression; a voice that “speaks sometimes against the grain and often is not heard”.  His film, which told the story of an elderly guitar player in Calcutta who wanted only to play bebop, shed light on what inspired the man and other jazz musicians.

“The common voice that came out of this (film) is the voice of humanity,” Mr. Kurien said.  The great trust and mutual respect that developed between jazz musicians and their desire to bring truth and a final resolution allowed for a high level of communication and dialogue.  Jazz could be an instrument for communication in the political forum, too, he said, proposingthat the General Assembly pass a resolution making jazz the seventh official language of the United Nations.  Quoting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a jazz aficionado himself, Mr. Kurien said that:  “After all, the United Nations flag is kind of blue, and we will be assembling on 30 April to get in the mood to sing, sing, sing.”

Eduardo Ulibarri (Costa Rica), Committee Chairman, said indeed jazz and other forms of music were a tool for fulfilling the United Nations role of building bridges and overcoming barriers.  Jazz, in particular, was able to open up people’s minds.  A reaction to oppression, it had later become a tool for social inclusion.  Communication was not just written or spoken.  The long history of concerts and the use of songs in the Organization illustrated the great contribution of music and art to communication and public information, he said, adding that today’s programme was in harmony with the Information Committee’s mission to promote a more just, effective communications order.

José Masso, host and producer of ConSalsa! on WBUR 90.9 FM in Boston, agreed and pointed to jazz’ role in promoting environmental conservation and human rights.  He stressed the importance of support for jazz by cultural, Government and private institutions.  “Jazz is spiritual food; it is our duty to feed on everything that is best to build a world with understanding, solidarity and without borders,” he said.

Echoing those sentiments, Roland Schatz, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Switzerland-based international research institute, Media Tenor, pointed to the political and social powers of music.  He cited the eighteenth century composer Mozart, who had used his opera Le Nozze di Figaro to criticize the practice of the then-Viennese dictator raping newlywed brides on their wedding night.  Through Figaro, who in the opera sang a song in which he asked the dictator if he really wanted to dance with him, Mozart challenged that practice.

“Breaking rules is part of the concept in music.  It’s the fundament of what we do.  But, we do it in a given frame, which we accept, as well,” Mr. Schatz said.  Jazz musicians also inspired high expectations and motivated people to achieve excellence.  He likened the pursuit of jazz to the United Nations Academic Impact — a global alliance of institutions of higher education and research committed to practical support to the United Nations in the realization of its universally-recognized principles in human rights, literacy, sustainability and conflict resolution.

Amir ElSaffarm, an Iraqi-American trumpeter, santur player, vocalist and composer, said he had been inspired by the spontaneity, rhythm and freedom of jazz, since first being introduced to the genre at the age of three by his father’s Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald records.  As an adult, he fused jazz with maqam music, which he had listened to and come to love during visits to Iraq.

Similarly, Grace Kelly, a saxophonist, composer and arranger from the United States, said since an early age, said she had appreciated the freedom of jazz music.  As a young jazz musician, she had tried, like jazz musicians before her, to use innovation to capture the spirit of her time by merging all kinds of styles.  Jazz taught people to unite and solve problems rather than mistrust each other.  There were no boundaries in music.

Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, agreed, saying that while jazz’ origins were American, its presence and influence were felt everywhere, and it had been inspired and enriched by a variety of global sounds.  Quoting Martin Luther King, Jr., she said “jazz speaks for life”.

Alexandra Yabrov, Operations Manager at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, said jazz could overcome isolation.  Beginning with her own childhood during the 1950s in the then Soviet Union, she associated the sound of jazz with the sound of freedom of the outside world.  Following Benny Goodman’s historic visit in 1962 to the former Soviet Union, jazz great Duke Ellington gave 20 concerts in five Soviet cities during a five-week visit.  After the Soviet Union’s collapse, jazz flourished throughout Eastern Europe, uniting people of different social and religious backgrounds.  Decades later, at her job in Boston, she witnessed jazz music uniting people from around the world.

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For information media • not an official record