The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad is the result of a partnership between the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the State Department (ECA) and Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) with a distinctive standing in American diplomatic history. The Rhythm Road evolved from the Jazz Ambassadors, a program established in 1955 by the U.S. Department of State, in response to Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.’s proposal to send some of America’s most famous jazz musicians on world tours during the Cold War era. That first year, a New York Times headline deemed jazz the country’s “Secret Sonic Weapon,” a reference to the program’s effectiveness in bridging existing differences.

American Greats: First Jazz Ambassadors

March 1956 marked Jazz Ambassadors’ first international tour. Dizzy Gillespie traveled through southern Europe, the Middle East and South Asia with his 18-piece band, meeting awestruck audiences along the way. In 1956, 1960, and 1961, Louis Armstrong also participated, bringing his celebrated trumpet and distinctive voice to Ghana, Congo, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, and the United Arab Republic. In 1963, 1970, and 1972, Duke Ellington toured the Soviet Union, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Dave Brubeck visited 12 Polish cities in 1958. One onlooker said to Brubeck years later, “What you brought to Poland wasn’t just jazz. It was the Grand Canyon. It was the Empire State Building. It was America.”

Today

Launched in 2005, the Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program has already brought 108 musicians from 28 jazz, urban or American roots music ensembles to 89 countries. In the traditions of Gillespie, Armstrong and Brubeck, Rhythm Road brings American culture through person-to-person exchanges to audiences around the globe, focusing particularly on those in more remote areas. Rhythm Road artists are the new generation of musical ambassadors, reaching beyond concert halls to interact with other musicians and the general public. Their direct engagement with foreign audiences via workshops, master classes and jam sessions present a positive image of the U.S. and a provide a greater understanding of our society. The U.S. artists themselves deepen their knowledge of other cultures, enhance their creativity, and feel the pride of representing their country.