U.S. Jazz Ensemble Visits Namibia To Promote Mutual Understanding Through Music

The jazz ensemble Helen Sung and NuGenerations, visited Namibia May 8 through 14, 2009.  Their performances and musical workshops were free, courtesy of the U. S. Embassy Windhoek and The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. 

Helen Sung and NuGenerations fuses jazz tradition with musical exploration.  Its jazz roots firmly established, this ensemble takes creative risks, sparking new works and innovative performances.  A project of bandleader Helen Sung, each member of this New York City-based band represents a different generation of life and musical experience.  With diverse backgrounds including classical music, R&B, funk and world-music, and from varied origins across the United States—from the Bay Area to Michigan to Texas to Chicago—Helen Sung & NuGenerations collectively create distinctive music and inspire audiences to participate in and learn more about this great American art form, jazz.

There were two shows scheduled which were free to the public.  The first was on Saturday, May 9, at the Warehouse Theatre, and the second on Sunday, May 10 at the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN).  Local artists such as the Erna Chimu Band, Vocal Motion 6 (VM6) and the College for the Arts Choir opened the shows and performed, as well.  The Warehouse and NTN concerts were sold out. 

The ensemble also hosted two workshops during their stay in Namibia.  The first was a vocal workshop with the College of the Arts Choir and the second for base guitar and drum at the Warehouse Theatre. 

“Namibians and Americans share a love of music.  Through this musical and cultural exchange, we can reach beyond our borders and boundaries and better understand each other.  Jazz is a part of America’s culture and history that is loved all over the world.   We thouroughly enjoyed sharing this unique American art form with Namibia, and in that way we recognized our similarities and celebrated our differences,” said Ray Castillo, Director of the American Cultural Center.

Helen Sung and NuGenerations are one of 10 musical ensembles that are touring the world this year as part of The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad.  Each ensemble will tour for four to five weeks in regions that include Asia, Africa, the Balkans, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.   Helen Sung and NuGenerations toured in Swaziland after their successful concerts in Zimbabwe.  After Namibia, they will travel to South Africa.

Through performance, education, and person-to-person interaction, The Rhythm Road program encourages mutual respect and understanding between the United States and the countries visited by its designated musical ensembles.  The Rhythm Road showcases America’s unique contribution to the world of music.   Ensembles chosen to tour in 2009 specialize in jazz, urban/hip hop, blues and bluegrass.

A partnership between Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, The Rhythm Road was formed in 2005 to promote cultural respect and understanding between the United States and countries not often visited by American musicians.  The Rhythm Road has brought 108 musicians from 28 jazz, urban or American roots ensembles to 89 countries over the past three years. 

Rhythm Road evolved from Jazz Ambassadors, a program established in 1955 by the U.S. Department of State.  March 1956 marked Jazz Ambassadors’ first international tour.  Dizzy Gillespie travelled through southern Europe, the Middle East and south Asia with his 18-piece band, greeting awestruck audiences along his path. 

In 1956, 1960 and 1961, Louis Armstrong also participated, bringing his celebrated trumpet and distinctive voice to Ghana (then the British Gold Coast), 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.

For more information please visit www.jalc.org/theroad