James Baquet

    American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Music is the universal language of mankind” (adding that “poetry [is] their universal pastime and delight.”) The quote is from Outre-Mer (French for “Overseas”), Longfellow’s first published work and a prose account of a visit to Europe.

    And it’s true. One can be moved by music from any culture, from simple drumming to the most complex Baroque fugue.

    With this in mind, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared April 30 International Jazz Day. We have already seen that April is Jazz Appreciation Month in America. That observance was initiated in 2001. The celebration went international in 2011.

    What, you may ask, is “international” about jazz? UNESCO made eight points in that regard.

    First, they said that it “breaks down barriers,” creating “opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance.” Next, they considered it a “vector of freedom of expression.” “Vector” here means something like “carrier” or “bearer.”

    Next, it symbolizes “unity and peace”; furthermore it “reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities.”

    Fifth and sixth, it “fosters gender equality” and “reinforces the role youth play for social change.”

    It also “encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones.” Finally, it “stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.”

    You may have noticed that almost all of these discuss jazz’s social ramifications; but the penultimate one, about “artistic innovation, improvisation,” etc., is more specifically about the artistic consequences of jazz.

    To be honest, although I personally love jazz, I wonder if UNESCO hasn’t somewhat overstated their case. Nevertheless, I can’t argue with their conclusion that jazz — like many forms of music and art — can be “an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.”

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. musical work with intertwining themes

    2. gives greater influence to

    3. next-to-the-last

    4. promotes, encourages

    5. asserted too strongly

    6. everyday language, not poetry

    7. pushed to the edge

    8. fairness between the sexes

    9. results, consequences

    10. period of classical music from 1600 to 1750