Jazz as a Force for Peace and Freedom

[Jefferson23]

Jazz legend Herbie Hancock, the brains behind International Jazz Day, an event that aims to encourage and highlight the “power of jazz as a force for freedom and creativity”. Credit: A.D. McKenzie


PARIS, May 2 2015 (IPS) - Against the backdrop of civil unrest in Baltimore, Maryland, the fourth annual International Jazz Day was celebrated with events around the world and appeals for peace, unity and dialogue.

“Each of us is equal. All of us inhabit this place we call home,” said American jazz legend Herbie Hancock. “We must move mountains to find solutions to our incredible challenges.”

Although the organisers of the event held on Apr. 30 did not refer directly to the protests that have followed the funeral of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray, an African-American who died in police custody, Hancock told IPS in an exclusive interview that musicians were conscious of this and other cases.

snip* In a sign of how significant the event has become since its launch in 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will host the 2016 International Jazz Day and its signature event, the ‘All-Star Global Concert’, at the White House in Washington, D.C., Hancock announced.

http://www.ipsnews.net/2015/05/jazz-as-a-force-for-peace-and-freedom/

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. Hell yes.

[Jefferson23]

2. Thank you and for the kick too. n/t

[Tom Ripley]

3. K&R

[hifiguy]

4. Jazz has always been one of America's greatest inventions/exports

and it is loved the world over.

Kickety rec.

[Jefferson23]

6. Yep, it is. n/t

[malaise]

5. K & R

Jazz forever!!!