How music carried the message for Palestine

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Dear friends: here are three recent examples of how my music brought the Palestinian cause to non-politically involved people from the West. I wish to share them with you, as accomplishments of the Musical Intifada, for which I also owe thanks to the many supporters that I feel blessed to have.

While I lacked the support of the usual pro-Palestine organizations, unlike many other Palestinian artists, it was you who ensured my online presence and helped maintain its exposure. Thank you so much, and I hope you will also be interested in reading the rest of this article.

What all three of these published examples have in common is:

 

1. They are people who were not previously specifically involved or interested in Palestine;
2. The quality of the music drew their interest first, and then pulled them into studying the Palestinian cause (in the case of Fred Mullins this is slightly different, but he also emphasis the qualitative aspects of the music);
3. They call upon others to embrace the music and its message.

I have worked long and hard to create my huge musical oeuvre, and its purpose was exactly this: to attempt to bring the message out into the world and reach people who are not automatically involved in the issue, instead of preaching to the choir.

I am thankful that finally, there are some indications that it is starting to work. My music was mainly supported by people who already supported the Palestinian cause, which is great, but I always hoped it would be a vehicle for exposing our struggle to those who are kept in the dark by mainstream media. It happened in ways that I didn’t expect; I thought that mainly friends and fans would carry the message to them, but instead, the music did it mostly by itself, as it seems. Read this please, and decide for yourself.

Kevin Kearney, British sound engineer now living in Mexico:

“I smiled to myself; here was a guy who really meant what he said, his conviction and belief, the medium he chose to out his message, all were in total harmony with each other. I have been an engineer for over 25 years and rarely have I heard music played and sung with such conviction. Yes, there are many love songs, songs about this and that, but not many written with such depth and meaning as I heard from Doc Jazz’s back log of over one hundred songs … I wrote this article because I truly believe that there is great music being missed out on and that Doc Jazz needs to be heard. He is truly a musician’s musician and a song writer with a heart and soul whose main concern is that of helping people with his healing hands and fighting for freedom!”

http://blogz.org/Blog874600-Healing-Hands-Of-Doc-Jazz-Palestinian-Surgeon-Sings-Songs-Of-Freedom.htm

Frederick Mullins, physics teacher in the United Kingdom:

“While his impressive musical abilities are evident from listening to his songs, it’s the lyrics that tie his large oeuvre together into an epic work of songs for the struggle of his people. Just about every aspect of the conflict is covered in these tunes, sending a message of determination, conviction, and hope … the take-home message of my article is: you must really acquaint yourself with the music of Doc Jazz. Seriously, you must, especially if you are interested in the Palestinian cause … What I rather believe is that people with education, sophistication, and a strong interest in the Palestinian cause, will find their favorite minstrel for the Palestinian struggle in the Doc.”

http://mentalachiever.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/doc-jazz-music-of-resistance-for-the-sophisticated/

Hans Sligter, musician and songwriter from the Netherlands:

“Within Doc’s songs I heard flowing melodies, backed up with smooth funky rhythms and jazzy harmonies and all delivered with a passionate rock-drive. I was struck by the artist’s musical (composing-) talents and his excellent mastering of multiple instruments, such as the guitar, the keyboards, the Arabian oud and the Palestinian shibbabeh, a lovely sounding flute. I was equally impressed by his ability to integrate all these Western and Middle Eastern musical influences and instruments into coherent and rich sounding compositions and arrangements and by his voice and vocal abilities, for he has a warm, soulful sound that can be both tender and powerful, giving a body to melodic vocal lines and rhythmic raps … I started to really listen to what he has to say. Thinking: if a gifted, eloquent and developed artist like Doc Jazz is dedicating most of his talents and energy to this cause, the world should listen. I should listen.”

http://www.docjazz.com/index.php/reviews/362-hans-sligter-doc-jazz

Thank you for reading this. Please do share, it might help bring more people closer to the music, and therefore to the message!

Doc Jazz

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Doc Jazz

Doc Jazz is a Palestinian musician, currently based in the United Arab Emirates. He was born and raised in the Netherlands, which is where he started his first musical endeavors. He works full-time as a surgeon, and produces his songs in his free time. He usually does all the instruments and vocals in his recordings by himself. His music, which covers a wide variety of genres ranging from funky pop and jazz all the way to rap and Arabic music, has been featured on many media outlets in the Netherlands, in the Middle East, and elsewhere. The Palestinian cause plays a big role in the themes of his songs.

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