FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 28, 2001

TWO TRIOS ADDED TO SUMMER-FALL KENNEDY CENTER-
DEPARTMENT OF STATE JAZZ AMBASSADORS
Each Trio to Perform a Free Millennium Stage Concert at the Kennedy Center:
August 2, 21, September 6, 13, 20, 24, 2001

Six Summer-Fall 2001 Jazz Trios Tour to Areas Including
Africa, The Near East, South Asia, South and Central America

(Washington, D.C.) Two additional jazz trios have been added to the four previously announced as Summer and Fall 2001 Kennedy Center-Department of State Jazz Ambassadors. The Jazz Ambassador Trios will kick off their tours with free concerts on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. The WAG Trio (trumpeter Walter Szymanski, baritone saxophonist Alex Harding, and guitarist Gary Wittner) will perform on the Millennium Stage both at noon on Capitol Hill and at 6 p.m. on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage on Thursday, August 2; the Aaron Thurston Trio (drummer Aaron Thurston, trumpeter Kevin Louis, and keyboardist Adam Scone) will appear on both stages on Tuesday, August 21. In September four trios will play 6 p.m. programs on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage: The Eric Byrd Trio (pianist Eric Byrd, bassist Bhagwan Khalsa, and percussionist Alphonso Melvin Young) appear on Thursday, September 6; the Baum/Bailey/Harris Trio (flutist Jamie Baum, guitarist Sheryl Bailey, and bass guitarist Jerome Harris) perform Thursday, September 13; the Gilmore/Allen/Peterson Trio (guitarist David Gilmore, trumpeter Eddie Allen, and bassist Mark Peterson) jam on Thursday, September 20; the Mayhew, Miller, Wang Trio (tenor saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, drummer Allison Miller, and bass guitarist Gary Wang) conclude this showcase of Jazz Ambassadors Trios on Monday, September 24. While on tour, the Kennedy Center-Department of State Jazz Ambassadors will appear under the auspices of American Embassies in Africa, the Near East, South and Central America, South Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus.

The trios, who hail from throughout the United States, were selected by competitive auditions held last summer at Steinway Hall in New York City. The Department of State will provide their overseas traveling expenses and a modest honorarium for each Jazz Ambassador. The tours, which usually last four to six weeks, are designated for countries that are not often visited by American musicians. In addition to public concerts, the visiting Jazz Ambassadors will conduct master classes and lecture-recitals for local musicians. The Jazz Ambassadors' overseas performances will highlight the work and improvisational musical style of Louis Armstrong, celebrating the 100th year of his birth.

The Kennedy Center and the Department of State (DOS) are now in the fifth year of a partnership created to showcase some of this country's most talented musicians in performances that include contemporary American music. In 1997, the Kennedy Center and the DOS joined in presenting classical musicians as Artistic Ambassadors. In 1998, the Kennedy Center and the DOS jointly presented jazz musicians in the Jazz Ambassadors program, which will continue through the year 2002. The 2001 Jazz Ambassador trios were selected from among 75 trios who submitted applications and auditioned for this exciting program. The jury panel consisted of trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, pianist Junior Mance, and Derek E. Gordon, vice president for education at the Kennedy Center.

Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser commented, "As these Jazz Ambassadors showcase the work of Louis Armstrong, the preeminent jazz musician, the Center is pleased to present these talented performers in concert and conversation across the globe. This important program provides excellent opportunities for understanding between talented Americans who represent the United States through music and the people of other countries who hear our artists. I am delighted to continue our relationship with the Department of State through the Jazz Ambassadors program."

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Dr. Helena Kane Finn said, "The Jazz Ambassadors program has been a key element in introducing audiences around the world to gifted American musicians and to an art form that so resonantly captures the American spirit. The Department of State looks forward to its continued partnership with the Kennedy Center in this dynamic public diplomacy effort."

The seven 2000-2001 Jazz Ambassador trios, plus three alternate trios, were selected from among 75 trios who submitted applications and auditioned for this exciting program. The jury panel consisted of trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, pianist Junior Mance, and Derek E. Gordon, vice president for education at the Kennedy Center.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, under the leadership of James A. Johnson, chairman, and Michael M. Kaiser, president, is the nation's performing arts center and a Presidential Memorial. The Center's programs reflect the institution's commitment to the recognition and celebration of the rich heritage of the American people through the presentation of the finest and most diverse performing arts offerings from the United States and throughout the world. To nurture the continued vitality of the arts in America, the Center's Education Department, under the direction of Derek E. Gordon, vice president for education and jazz programming, holds as its mission the provision of opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to learn about and to experience the performing arts. For more information about the Kennedy Center and its programs, please visit its web site: http://www.kennedy-center.org. Jazz Ambassador applications and information may be obtained from: http://www.kennedy-center.org/ambassadors

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, fosters mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through international educational and training programs. The bureau does so by promoting personal, professional, and institutional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad, as well as by presenting U.S. history, society, art and culture in all of its diversity to overseas audiences. Further information is available at http://exchanges.state.gov.

KENNEDY CENTER PUBLIC INFORMATION:
(202) 467-4600; 1-800 444-1324

Kennedy Center-Department of State Jazz Ambassadors
Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Dates and Tour Countries

Internet Broadcasts
Internet broadcasts of Millennium Stage events allow anyone with Internet access to view both live and past performances, in the archives of the Website, by visiting kennedy-center.org or washingtonpost.com.