Bassist Marcus Miller Designated UNESCO Artist for Peace | Upcoming Concert March 22nd, 2013
Marcus Miller Designated UNESCO Artist for Peace,
Celebrates Emancipation at the United Nations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – The United Nations will
host American jazz musician and designated UNESCO Artist for Peace,
Marcus Miller, in an upcoming concert to commemorate the International
Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and
the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
The concert will take place at the United Nations
General Assembly Hall on Friday, March 22, 2013 at 7:00 pm (by
invitation only). The musical program will follow the slave trade
route, starting with artists from Africa, then the Caribbean
and finally North America. Along with Miller, there will be
performances by the National Ballet of Cameroon, Benyoro (a West African
band), Somi (an American singer of Rwandan and Ugandan origins) and
Steel Pulse (an English reggae band of Afro-Caribbean,
Indian and Asian descent).
Marcus Miller is a two-time Grammy Award winning
American jazz musician, composer, producer, and radio host who is best
known for his mastery of the bass guitar and his collaboration with
legendary artists Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne
Shorter, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn. Miller began working with
UNESCO in April 2012, when he participated with the first International
Jazz Day organized by UNESCO with the Thelonious Monk Institute,
performing with Hugh Masekela and giving master classes
to young people. He will participate again this year. The official
ceremony to designate him a UNESCO Artist for Peace will take place at
UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on July 4, 2013. In his new capacity,
Miller will work with UNESCO’s Slave Route Project
and will focus on promoting peace, dialogue, and unity through music.
For more information on Friday’s concert:
http://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday/index.shtml
The International Day of Remembrance for the
Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade serves as an
opportunity to honor and remember those who suffered and died at the
hands of the brutal slavery system, and to raise awareness
about the dangers of racism and prejudice today. For more information
on events for this celebration, visit the Remember Slavery website at
On August 7, 2012, Miller returned to composing and exploring new music of his own on his latest release Renaissance with
a sharper focus than ever before, a new band of curious and like-minded
young musicians, and a mission to travel
the world – country by country, city by city, venue by venue – to take
the message of this musical movement straight to the hearts, souls and
minds of the people.
Renaissance was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album.