By Sahana Gero | Artistic Director
On 1st December, some of our young musicians traveled back in time to the roots of jazz and showcased their talents with a Classic Funk concert at World Heart Beat Music Academy. It was an evening with a celebratory vibe, rhythmic grooves and strong beats – enjoyed by performers and audience alike.
This was a new style for our jazz musicians who have been benefiting immensely from the knowledge of acclaimed musicians Byron Wallen, Tony Kofi and Trevor Watkis, who have been teaching and mentoring them during our jazz programme on Monday nights. One of the young musicians, Ezekiel, perfectly summed up the experience of working on the music for this concert: “The most important thing I have learned about playing funk is groove, vibe and attitude. You can’t play funk if you don’t all lock in together.”
In this way, the concert has strengthened all our young jazz musicians and really connected them to the music. It has brought in new younger players Nathan (12), Jaidon (12) and Emilly (13) who have been receiving support from your funding. Emilly has only just started playing trumpet this term, having been given a trumpet courtesy of your kind contributions through GlobalGiving. It was incredible to see her playing tunes like Psychedelic Sally by Horace Silver and Mister Magic by Grover Washington Jr., and already with enough confidence to take solos. Our singers were also able to try out some new tones and harmonies, and are moving more out of their comfort zone. Learning funk has given all our young musicians a more expansive repertoire that they can continue building on with new genres.
In the words of Herbie Hancock: “playing music is really a wonderful example of the characteristics of the human spirit. Because we share, we listen to each other, we respect each other, we are creating in the moment.” On Giving Tuesday, this funk concert was the perfect event to embody the spirit of sharing, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who came and donated towards this ongoing project.
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