Brian Horton Quartet • Performing in Uzbekistan

Welcome to The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, a program that Jazz at Lincoln Center has had the honor of administering for the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. We have created this website to help you follow our activities worldwide and to share as much information as possible about this exciting program with you.

The mission of The Rhythm Road is to share America’s unique contribution to the world of music and to promote cross-cultural understanding and exchange among nations worldwide. Since 2005, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State have produced ten tours each year that represent American music to overseas audiences.

Building on the rich legacy of the legendary Jazz Ambassadors, the program has expanded in recent years to include music that is quintessentially American. Musicians are invited to apply in the genres of jazz, blues, bluegrass, Cajun, country, gospel, hip hop/urban, and zydeco. Ten quartets have been selected from a national pool of applicants and together they reflect the talent and diversity of musicians across the United States.

The artists on The Rhythm Road will travel in Spring and Fall of 2010, performing in countries that are not regularly visited by American musicians. Tour activities include public concerts, master classes, lecture-demonstrations, workshops, jam sessions, media outreach, and collaborations with local musicians. In addition, each ensemble is presented in a free concert at the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. and at our wonderful home in New York City, Frederick P. Rose Hall.

We hope that you will enjoy exploring this site and learning more about the bands, the countries they visited and their stories from the road.

Adrian Ellis
Executive Director