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GOD BLESS THE CHILD" JAZZ TRIBUTE FROM KAZAKHSTAN

ARNIE LAWRENCE & "GOD BLESS THE CHILD" ALL STAR JAZZ TRIBUTE LIVE FROM KAZAKHSTAN

Almaty, Kazakhstan:
With the striking of a wooden match, a candle for the protection of all children in conflict regions was lit last night in The Kazakh State Zhambyl Philharmonic Hall in Khazhstan's Southern Capital, Almaty.

As a thunderous standing ovation hailed Saxophone legend Arnie Lawrence, accompanied by Jazz soloists representing Kazakhstan, Holland, France, Japan, Ireland, Great Britain, Canada and Kyrgestan, he played his reflection on the candle's significance: "Now Is The Time" by Charlie Parker.

Jazz and bold gestures of freedom are considered synonymous by many, and the responsibility of artistry as the torch-bearer of liberty, particularly for children entrapped by violent conflict, is the message Mr. Lawrence continues to spread, in Concert appearances that have carried him in recent years throughout Israel, China, Germany, France, the United States, and, this week, Kazakhstan.

The diplomatic significance of the current Jazz Festival in Almaty is underscored by the unique personalities on its Bandstand: accompanying Mr. Lawrence, the self-described " Be-bop saxophone player from Brooklyn " currently resident in Jerusalem and considered by many the the world's greatest living saxophonist and international music educator, were Dutch Jazz legend Thijs Van Leer, flautist and royal family scion, violinist Dusen Kasinov, who is also Minister of Culture of Kazakhstan, and emissaries of ten nations, including Divas from Japan and Kazakhstan, and French saxophonist Francois Jeanneau, at Kazahstan's 3rd Annual International Jazz Festival, Jazz from A to Z, a cultural co-operation hosted by Kazakhstan, France, The Kingdom of Netherlands, Israel, Great Britain, Kyrgyzstan, and the United States.

Empowering Mr. Lawrence's mission to save children's lives is The International Artists Conclave, an alliance of world artists, with a Consultancy Council headed by the late Lionel Hampton, and its "God Bless The Child" Campaign For The Protection of the Lives of All Children in Conflict Regions, saluting with its title the universally beloved Billie Holiday, who co-authored and immortalized the song by that name in the years of the Second World War, and singling out other outstanding women who unify the world culturally.

Mr. Lawrence and fellow Jerusalemite Anna Immanuel created their Jazz-inspired child protection campaign at a time of escalating Mid-East tensions, but on the night of their opening Jazz Tribute in Jerusalem's infamous Gai Ben Hinnum, a lush valley beneath the Old City Walls named for the Molochite King of Biblical times who ritually practiced the public sacrifice of children in the inferno of the valley,God Bless The Child became irrevocably internationalized: the opening concert date overlooking Hell was September 11, 2001.

" Although the press kept calling, asking if we would cancel, we went on, with a reinforced sense of purpose, dedicating our all-night Jazz vigil to our sisters and brothers in the inferno across the sea. In the Jazz tradition, we celebrate life, and we are not silenced by cowards and bullies," Mr. Lawrence told reporters.

Last night, in Almaty, as then in Jerusalem, reality superimposed its landmark dates over the calendar of Jazz musicians. As Deputy Head to the Israeli Mission in Kazakhstan, First Secretary Salin Alkukil, lit the candle that has moved like a beacon across continents in the name of war child protection, Israel observed a Sabbath of remembrance and reflection on the eve of World Holocaust Remembrance Day, a deep national look at the six million names branded into the arm of its Jewish identity.

" We light a candle for each child sacrificed needlessly to terror, hate, and war since the beginning of time. And we strike a match for all the children we still can save, for every baby born as we play, with the prayer that they will inherit a world we are proud to give them, a world that will protect the right to life and joy of every child on this planet," Mr. Lawrence said.

by A. Bear