The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad

The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad is a $1.5 million per annum cultural exchange

United States Cultural Exchange Programs

United States cultural exchange programs, particularly those programs with ties to theBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, seek to develop cultural understanding between United States citizens and citizens of other countries...

program for musicians sponsored in part by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

State Department

United States Department of State

The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world...

. This program is in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz at Lincoln Center

Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. JALC's performing arts complex, Frederick P. Rose Hall, is located at West 60th Street and Broadway in New York City, slightly south of the main Lincoln Center campus and directly adjacent to Columbus Circle. Frederick P....

. It provides an opportunity for American musicians to reach out to areas in the world where American society and culture are not particularly liked. Since its launch in 2005, 150 musicians have participated in the Rhythm Road, travelling to over 100 countries. The State Department draws a direct link between this program and the Jazz Ambassadors

The Real Ambassadors

The Real Ambassadors is a jazz musical developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Dave and Iola Brubeck, in collaboration with Louis Armstrong and his band. It addressed the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, the music business, America’s place in the world during the Cold War, the nature of God, and...

program during the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

era, when Jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

legends such as Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...

, Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....

and Dave Brubeck

Dave Brubeck

David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...

went on global tours on behalf of the State Department.

In addition to performing for foreign audiences, musicians who participate in this program lead workshops and classes to educate locals in their instrument.

See also