Meet Our Community
Adele Zamani Iran
A native of Tehran, Iran, Adele Zamani most recently organized an International Jazz Day event at the renowned Vahdat Hall, one of Iran’s most prestigious performing arts venues. The program featured three bands representing the next generation of Iranian jazz musicians, with performances themed around conveying messages of peace and friendship to the entire international community. Read on to learn why Zamani feels that jazz music, and International Jazz Day, are particularly relevant to the Iranian context.
What does jazz music mean to you? To your community?
To me jazz music is a different attitude toward life, it has impact on the way of viewing my life. Its rhythmic pattern and meter are the real rhythm of life. Through improvisation, I learn how tolerant and nonjudgmental I should be.
In my community, although jazz music is not the most popular form of music, jazz lovers in the young generation are increasing. Basically, because improvisation is one of the most important characteristics of Persian traditional music, jazz music make considerable sense for Iranian audiences.
“Through improvisation, I learn how tolerant and nonjudgmental I should be.”
Why are you celebrating International Jazz Day? Why is it important?
International Jazz Day has become a social event, rather than a music and art event. Many important concepts such as freedom, peace and friendship are behind it, which has made this a very important day and event for us. We, in Iran, in the Middle East, in the heart of war and violence, would like to convey our messages of peace and friendship through every possible way. In this regard, we–the young Iranian generation–welcome international events which provide us the opportunity to say who we really are and what we really want: peace and security.
Regardless of what place jazz music has in our culture and community, joining this wonderful peaceful movement and having a minor role in this extraordinary event is our main motivation.
What would you like to see happen through this day–short term and long term?
It is vital that we make these events an occasion of joining the international movement. Although it is not the first time that this event has been celebrated in Iran, it is important that we hold this event bigger and better and spread it all over our country and this region.
