JHC Announces Second Major Exhibit - Jazz Ambassadors!
Community celebration on Sunday, May 17th

04-29-2009 to 04-29-2009

Location:
1330 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA CA

-Groundbreaking Art Exhibit-

Jam Session: America's Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World

Exhibit opens May 11, with community celebration/performance on May 17th

 (San Francisco) --- The Jazz Heritage Center, San Francisco's only permanent cultural and educational complex dedicated to jazz, announced today its second major exhibition, Jam Session: America's Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World.

The timely exhibit, which chronicles the U.S. State Department's use of American jazz legends as ambassadors for the United States from the mid-1950s through the 1970s, will make its only West Coast stop of the year in the Jazz Heritage Center's Koret Heritage Lobby (1330 Fillmore Street) from May 11 – June 25^th.

The exhibit is open free of charge to the public everyday from Noon-to-10PM.

Originally organized by the Meridian International Center in Washington DC, this exceptional collection of photographs and documents drawn from important archives around the country chronicles the tours of American jazz legends as they traveled the globe on behalf of the U.S. State Department. From the mid-1950s through the 1970s, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and others served as cultural diplomats, transcending national boundaries, and making friends for the U.S. The exhibit includes nearly 100 compelling images of American musicians visiting 35 countries in four continents. The tours are widely recognized as one of America's most successful cultural diplomacy efforts.  Given the new Administration's increased focus on diplomacy, the exhibit provides a timely historical reference.

To celebrate the opening of this important exhibit, the Jazz HeritageCenter will host a special free community celebration on Sunday, May 17 (from 3PM to 5PM), including a free performance by the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet, from the University of Pacific in Stockton. Legendary jazz pianist Dave Brubeck's participation in the jazz ambassador tours, including a well-documented trip to Poland, is featured prominently in the exhibit.

As part of the Jam Session exhibit, the Jazz Heritage Center's Lush Life Gallery will host a special collection of paintings of many of the jazz ambassadors, including images of Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, and Quincy Jones. In addition, the Jazz Heritage Center will host a series of events in May and June tied to the exhibit. Visit www.jazzheritagecenter.org for more information. The Jazz Heritage Center is partnering with the World Affairs Council and Business for Diplomatic Action on the exhibit.

"The Jazz Heritage Center is honored to welcome America's jazz ambassadors to Fillmore Street," said Peter Fitzsimmons, Executive Director, Jazz Heritage Center. "This important and historical exhibit shows how important jazz has been in American history. We are proud to celebrate this history since it is so central to the mission of the Jazz Heritage Center. We are thrilled to bring this exhibit to San Francisco."

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For more information please contact:
JHC at peter@jazzheritagecenter.org or 415-255-7745