Black History Month Concert shares Authentic American Music with Palestinian audience

Clapping their hands, nodding their heads and singing along to the beat, an audience of Palestinian musicians, school children, civil society leaders and government representatives joined Consul General Jake Walles at the American Consulate in Jerusalem on February 11 for a concert of Gospel, Jazz, and Blues music to formally welcome this year’s celebration of African American History Month.  Visiting American musicians Janice Harrington, Rick Cotton and Fontaine Burnette performed a repertoire of “authentic American music,” tracing the contributions of African-Americans from slave spirituals to gospel to contemporary popular music. 

The group also conducted a lively workshop earlier in the day with Palestinian music students from two local schools.  The American musicians shared the history and theory of these distinctly American musical forms with the students in an interactive session that linked the development of the music to the history and experiences of African Americans.  The students clapped, sang and drummed along, and even performed a piece of Palestinian music for the visitors.  Both the workshop and concert audiences left with smiles on the faces, a song in their hearts and a better understanding of the history of African Americans and their musical contributions to America and the world.

• Photo Gallery
• Musicians' Biographies