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One of the greatest inspirations for me is Melody Gardot. Here is a photo I took of her promotion poster in a Paris metro station recently. It's for her upcoming European tour. - The authenticity of this woman's voice and compositions touches me so profoundly, I feel it often as I play my flute and sing... Her official website :   http://melodygardot.co.uk/

A chance encounter with this versitile Jazz-Man in a Paris INDIANA CAFE convinced me I was going in the right direction, to try and mount an INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY event, even though I am not a Jazz musician by formation. Cédric Hanriot has worked with Terri Lyne Carrington(who has playedwith Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder),  Diana Reeves on her Grammy-award winning album Beautiful Life, and others.   http://www.cedrichanriot.com/

Many writings I have read since 1974 related to World Citizenship, Human Rights education as well as Intercultural Dialogue, by SGI President Daisaku IKEDA. Such as his speech at Columbia University Teacher's College in 1996 :   http://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/resources/works/lect/lect-08.html

The great Kabyle singer IDIR is a profound inspiration since discovering his IDENTITIES album in 2002. His intercultural approach to bring people together really hit me. There are many other albums since, but TARGIT (Dream) is a song that stands out for me as someone growing up in the USA in the 1960s. Although it sounds like an Oriental version of Scarborough Fair, the lyrics in Berber (which I had translated into French) for me echo the Martin Luther King "I have a dream" speech and it sends chills down my spine. ...   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETLl8s6Uj6g

This fascinating WikiStage Conference of Jazz-Man Antoine Hervé gave me a more precise direction for my "intercultural approach" to Jazz Day.  So grateful ! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i1PaYeac4A

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An on-going inspiration is the book by Abdennour BIdar published immediately after the tragic ChalieHebdo attack in Paris "Plaidoyer pour la Fraternié" (An Appeal for Fraternity) - unofficial translation. 

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