The Cultures of Rhythm Head Abroad in 2007
Soul-Jazz Group To Represent United States As Jazz Ambassadors
Jazz Capital Events’ premier soul-jazz group, The Cultures of Rhythm, have been chosen to represent the US Department of State once again as Jazz Ambassadors.
This time around, the official title of the program is “American Music Abroad”, and they’ll be known as The Cultures of Rhythm, instead of the former, more unilateral-sounding, but slightly less truthful, “Aaron Thurston Trio” title of years passed. The group has been chosen to tour for about 4 or 5 weeks in 2007 to a region yet to be determined. If past experience tells us anything however, they’re bound to head somewhere interesting, and hopefully not too timely: Former tours for the State Dept have taken the fellas to countries like Syria, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and United Arab Emirates.
The mission of The Rhythm Road is to share American’s unique contribution to the world of music. Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State are producing the tour The Cultures of Rhythm to represent American music overseas.
From The US Dept. of State:
U.S. cultural diplomacy draws deeply on the transcendent power of music to communicate America’s strengths, freedoms, hopes and challenges. Through the presentation of jazz and hip-hop, American musicians are reaching out with high impact across cultural, language and social barriers. The Rhythm Road - American Music Abroad program takes American music around the world.
The Rhythm Road - American Music Abroad program – formerly known as ‘the Jazz Ambassador program’ - presents selected professional American performers of jazz and urban music styles on concert tours in countries where there is limited exposure to live American culture. Under an open solicitation, a grant was awarded to Jazz at Lincoln Center to administer the overseas tours as well as the application and audition process to select quartets for the tours.
Since the program began, participants have toured the Middle East, Eurasia, Central Europe and the Balkans, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. In some years, the program has had a specific theme such as the blues, vocal jazz, and Latin jazz or commemorated the music of jazz giants Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.
Participants in the Rhythm Road tour abroad under official U.S. government auspices, following their debut performances in Washington, D.C.
To learn more about the American Music Abroad program, visit www.JALC.org/TheRoad, http://exchanges.state.gov/education/citizens/culture/american_music.htm, or http://exchanges.state.gov/education/citizens/culture/highlights/index.htm#pap1
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