“Changing the World through Jazz”

The Zigen Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in1988. Zigen (pronounced “Tzee-gun”) literally means to nurture the roots. The Fund is dedicated to the support of grassroots efforts with a vision to creating enabling conditions for poor and underprivileged communities in China. It provides people-to-people assistance to sustainable human-centered development projects, in the areas of basic education, primary health care and environmentally-sound technologies. The Fund has provided about 70,000 scholarships to enable thousands of girls and orphans to go to school, established 185 libraries, renovated 56 schools for safe building, access to drinking water and toilet facilities; provided literacy and agriculture training to 7,000 villagers, professional training to 280 paramedics and 52 teachers, supported 14 village paramedic clinics and 4 women’s centers, built 11 small hydroelectric stations and 715 energy-saving stoves, made 500 small-scale loans, etc. For more information visit Zigen’s website at http://www.zigen.org.

The world renowned jazz pianist and vocalist Rick DellaRatta started the first Jazz for Peace concert, cosponsored by The Joshua Foundation, along with the United States Mission to the UN, on September 25, 2002. This concert is now recognized worldwide as "one of the single most significant cultural events of our time" and has led to a benefit concert series that has raised funds, awareness and publicity for over 350 organizations.

Rick DellaRatta founded Jazz for Peace in 2002, working to continue the benefit concert series, expanding its performances around the globe; to bring jazz back into the schools and expose Americans to one of its greatest art forms; and to donate musical instruments to underprivileged children and schools. Over the past year, Jazz for Peace has played concerts across many of the finest jazz venues in the United States for numerous non-profit organizations and garnered support and praise from distinguished Americans such as Senator John McCain, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, activist Noam Chomsky.

Starting Oct. 8, Jazz for Peace is kicking out their benefit tour for the Zigen Fund in New Jersey. Then Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace will come to the Bay Area and hold two concert for The Zigen Fund.

One concert is on Friday, October 13, 2006 at 7:00PM, at The China Stix located at 2110 El Camino Real in Santa Clara, California; . The China Stix and US Chinese Radio are co-sponsoring the concert. Tickets are $45.00 per person including dinner for general admission.

The other concert is on Sunday, October 15, 2006 at 2:00PM, at The Poleng Lounge located at 1750 Fulton Street in San Francisco, California. Suggested Donation of $30.00 at the door.

Tickets are available online at http://www.jazzforpeace.org. Tickets purchased online will be available at the door prior to the event. Tickets are also available at The China Stix (408-244-1684), US Chinese Radio (408-855-8262), and the Zigen Fund (Wujing Harrison: 510-390-2558; So Chang: 510-748-0350).