Historic Performances in Afghanistan

For Photos from this project, please visit Projects 2005.

October 7, 2005

American Voices Presents Jazz Bridges Concert in Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghan Traditional Music and Songs of ‘The Afghan Elvis’ given new life through unique collaboration with the Jazz artists of American Voices

American Voices Presents American Jazz Performers in Kabul, Afghanistan –  September 28 to October 3

First Jazz Concerts by American Artists in Afghanistan Since Early 1970s

American Voices has recently completed “Jazz Bridges Afghanistan” a series of concerts, DVD and CD recordings and documentary filming in Kabul, Afghanistan from September 28 to October 3, 2005. Continuing a series of performance and recording projects begun in Burma, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the project brought together American Voices’ Pianist and Executive Director, John Ferguson, Mike Del Ferro Jazz Trio and vocalist CoCo York, a recording technician and two groups of Afghan traditional musicians (playing the Tabla, Dilruba, Rhubab, Tablas and Harmonium) and pop musicians for three concerts broadcast on national television and recorded for release in January 2006.

The American performers presented the first concerts by American artists for the Afghan public in over twenty-five years. The concerts were met with an ecstatic reception by the Afghan public who was literally dancing in the aisles to the Jazz renditions of popular Afghan songs such as the traditional ‘Flower Girl of Kabul’ and Ahmad Zahir’s ‘Laily Laily Jan’.

The Afghan concert-goers applauded wildly upon hearing an American vocalist singing in Dari and many remarked that the collaborative concerts heralded a much-desired return to normality in the cultural life of the nation.

The Jazz Bridges Afghanistan project was underwritten by a grant from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy, Kabul with further support from The Embassy of the Netherlands, Ronco Consulting and Global Fleet Sales, representing the Ford Motor Company in Afghanistan. Visit them online at http://www.roncoconsulting.com/ and  http://www.rmasia-ca.net/afghanistan/.

The concerts featured performances of American Voices ‘Jazz from J to Z’ concert program, as well as joint performances of the American and Afghan musicians in improvisations based on traditional Afghan music and the music of Ahmad Zahir, known as ‘The Afghan Elvis’ for his popularity since the 1960’s and 1970’s throughout the region.

The Afghan musicians were chosen in cooperation with Kabul’s leading cultural center and performance venue, The Foundation for Culture and Civil Society. In addition, several former band members of Ahmad Zahir were reunited for this project and joint performances with the artists of American Voices. The Afghan performers included Kabul’s premiere traditional music ensemble under the leadership of Robab player Ustat Ghulam Hossin. The segment of the concert honoring Ahmad Zahir was performed by Afghan vocalist Zabih Jawanmard, the most popular young Afghan singer devoting himself to the repertoire of Ahmad Zahir.

In addition to being the first Jazz concerts in Afghanistan in over 25 years, these concerts were also the first performances of American music by U.S. musicians for an Afghan public since the fall of the Taliban, as well as the first interaction between Kabul-based popular and traditional musicians and Jazz musicians of U.S. in Afghanistan. The CD and DVD will be the first recording of the synthesis of Afghan traditional and American jazz styles.

This project completes the first phase of American Voices’ ‘Cycle of the “Stans”. Since October 2001 they have presented concerts, festivals and recording projects in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

For press inquiries or more information about Jazz Bridges Afghanistan, please contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-797-9166 or .