* Creates The Global Gumbo Group with UAE entrepreneur Badr Jafar; to focus on producing music and collaborative events with American and European Artists
MUMBAI: Multi-Grammy winning producer and multi-media entrepreneur Quincy Jones and United Arab Emirates entrepreneur Badr Jafar have entered into a joint venture, The Global Gumbo Group, to develop multi-media opportunities across all entertainment platforms including music, film, television, publishing and digital applications, in the Middle East and North Africa. The announcement was made on 7th March, 2011 Jones will serve as Chairman of the Board of the new venture and Jafar will serve as President.
Initially focusing on producing live entertainment opportunities in the Middle East for Western artists in collaboration with renowned Middle East and North African artists, the Global Gumbo Group will also look to nurture new Middle Eastern and North African talent and acquire content from the region to introduce to the West.
Quincy Jones said, I have long been a vocal proponent of music and the arts, which is a great asset in building bridges between cultures, and from many experiences starting in 1953 touring the Middle East and North Africa with Lionel Hampton and again in 1956 as the musical director and trumpeter for Dizzy Gillespie's first State Department Tour, I have witnessed that ability firsthand. It is my hope that this partnership with my dear friend Badr Jafar will provide a cultural exchange between the West and the Middle East and North Africa that will foster a better understanding of these regions and an appreciation for our common values at this crucial time in the region's history....
Badr Jafar said, This partnership had been a long time in the making, and is being launched at an important time in our region of the world. I am a great believer in the power associated with the principles of social entrepreneurship, and the Global Gumbo Group's mission is perfectly in line with these, using music and the arts to build on and promote mutual respect and appreciation across borders, while giving our youth in the West and the Middle East an opportunity to showcase their talents in our respective parts of the world, which in-turn will lead to much needed collaboration and cooperation. There is no better person in the world to spearhead this venture than Quincy Jones, and I am truly grateful for his vision and commitment to making this world a better place for our future generations....
The first Global Gumbo Group production, in association with Dawn Elder World Entertainment, will be a concert during Morocco's annual music festival in May, the Mawazine Festival, which will feature performances by The Global Gumbo All-Stars (Alfredo Rodriguez, Greg Phillinganes, Richard Bona, Lionel Loueke, Francisco Mela and Paulinho Da Costa), Patti Austin, Siedah Garrett, Naturally Seven and Riffat Sultana. Jones will also unveil a new Arabic version of the 1990 #1 song Tomorrow, originally recorded by Tevin Campbell for Jones' Grammy Award-winning Record of the Year Back On The Block, which will raise money to finance educational scholarships for some of the region's most promising youth.
Financed in part by the Maroc Cultures Association, the song and its video will feature some of the biggest Arabic stars from all 21 Middle Eastern Countries.
The song will be co-produced by Moroccan-born producer Red One and the Arabic lyrics and indigenous music contribution will be provided by Iraqi-born composer Kadim Al Sahir, one of the biggest artists in the Middle East. The music video and behind the scenes documentary will be produced by Quincy Delight Jones III and Malek Akkad of Trancas International. The song aims to serve as a beacon of solidarity and hope for the region at a crucial time.