Between the 1950s and 1970s, America’s greatest jazz musicians—Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, Sarah Vaughan, and others—traveled the world to promote a positive view of the United States at the height of the Cold War. Their efforts blossomed into an assortment of other music diplomacy programs, including American Music Abroad, OneBeat, and Next Level.
Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville
Count Basie has a final rehearsal of the popular Burmese song, “Emerald Dusk,” 1971Count Basie has a final rehearsal of the popular Burmese song, “Emerald Dusk,” 1971
Rangoon (Yangon), Burma
The Charlie Byrd Trio jams with the Lito Molina jazz group at the U.S. Embassy ballroom, 1975The Charlie Byrd Trio jams with the Lito Molina jazz group at the U.S. Embassy ballroom, 1975
Manila, Philippines