India Press Release

January 6, 2006                             (Bengali)                     

U.S. Bet Jazz Greats To Visit Calcutta,
"Indians And Americans Together Against Hiv/Aids"

Calcutta – BET is a jazz group with a mission. The American Center, under funding from the U.S. State Department, is hosting the visit of the BET (Black Entertainment Television) and Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz artists – Kenny Garrett, Nicholas Payton and Lisa Henry - to Calcutta from January 27-29, 2006.  The group's current tour of India is emphasizing the efforts of Indians and Americans working together against HIV/AIDS.  The BET group, the first and only 24-hour television programming service in the United States, is dedicated exclusively to jazz music and culture.  The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is a non-profit education organization established in memory of Thelonious Monk, the legendary jazz pianist and composer.
 
 The jazz artists will present a blockbuster concert in cooperation with Congo Square at the Dalhousie Institute at 7.30 p.m. on Friday, January 27.  While in Calcutta, the BET musicians will give a Master Class at the American Center for musicians and students, and meet with jazz lovers and media representatives.  They will also visit local facilities with HIV/AIDS programs. 
 
HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest threats to India's desire to become a more productive and prosperous nation.  On the occasion of the World AIDS Day, 2005,
U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford expressed his concern about the situation in India by noting that there are over five million Indians infected, with new infections occurring every day.  However, Ambassador Mulford said, "America has kept its promise and is now working in partnership with 123 nations including India as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to support sustainable, locally-driven responses to the pandemic."   The United States provided $37 million towards AIDS prevention and care in India this year, which includes the recent U.S. and India Partnership Against HIV/AIDS Initiative signed by President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last July.  Mulford added, "U.S. Government agencies are working in high prevalence states, including the Northeast, to build the capacity of healthcare providers and public health professionals to make available quality prevention and care for people living with HIV/AIDS."   In addition, American NGOs and private sector foundations are major supporters of HIV/AIDS work in India.
                                                                                   
Under the theme "Indians and Americans Together Against AIDS," the BET jazz group will visit both Calcutta and Mumbai.  The 12-member group includes Kenny Garrett (Alto Sax), Nicholas Payton (Trumpet), Lisa Henry (Vocals), Kristopher Funn (Bass), Ronald Brunner (Drum) and Carlos McKinney (Piano). 
  
Saxophonist and multi-Grammy nominee Kenny Garrett is described by Billboard magazine as "one of music's most dynamic and adventurous players" who has composed "songs that he hopes will nurture the next generation of jazz musicians."  He has performed alongside musicians such as Miles Davis, the Duke Ellington orchestra, Woody Shaw, Sting and Peter Gabriel.
 
Trumpeter Nicholas Payton, prominent among the "young lions of Jazz," was born and raised in New Orleans, where jazz resounds regularly from the streets and clubs.    Observers have noted that Payton's musical style, as well as his looks conjure memories of legend, Louis Armstrong.
           
The group's vocalist, Lisa Henry has been described as "a winner at home and abroad." Her showing at the 1994 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in Washington, D.C.'s prestigious Kennedy Center, earned her the "Jazz Ambassador" award.
 
Bringing the eminent BET Jazz group to perform in Calcutta to carry forward the message of HIV/AIDS is one of the many such public diplomacy efforts of the U.S. Consulate General in Calcutta.   "At the end of the tour, everyone - jazz aficionados included - will surely feel convinced to join the global campaign on HIV/AIDS.  All of us, from BET Jazz artists in the U.S. to members of the network of people afflicted with the disease, corporate sector, youth, government, and NGOs, will have to lend support and make the mission a true example of public-private partnership effort," says American Center Director Susan M. Shultz.
 

For more information contact the American Center at 2288-1200.