Sister Cities Jazz Ambassadors and Citizen Diplomacy

Music has always held the capacity to break down communication barriers and has brought people together from around the world. In the name of citizen diplomacy, the Sister Cities Jazz Ambassadors will attempt to do that very thing through American jazz music on their upcoming tour of Turkey this summer. This won't be their first tour. As a matter of fact, they have been to various other countries performing their music in a way that is quite reminscent of the Jazz Ambassadors from the Cold War era.

To learn more about the Sister City Jazz Ambassadors, visit their website and read about their upcoming tour in Turkey where they will play side by side with other musicians.

Also, read the Q&A spotlight highlighting the band and their work.

1. What was your motivation to start the SCI Jazz Ambassadors band?

I have been a music teacher since 1981. I have also been playing in bands since 1970. My love of music, and the joy that I have seen it bring to others, led me to realize that music is a means of touching the lives of others. Jazz music, America's own music, is special in that much of the music is improvisational and leans on the instuments to provide melody, harmony, and rhythm. Thus, it can be understood as well by a non English speaker as by an American. With the Jazz Ambassadors, we bring the music to other nations and cultures to help us build friendships using music as our common starting point.

2. You are a jazz ensemble, but do you play any other music?

Yes, all of the musicians in the group have long resumes, full of performance in rock, blues, country, folk, as well as the jazz tradition.

3. In what locations has the group performed?

We have performed in schools throughout the Northeast of the USA, teaching jazz to young people with the goal of exposing them to jazz music in a fun and interactive fashion. We have played in Nicaragua, Ireland, and Italy. The band performs in concert settings, in outdoor festivals, schools, as well as nightclubs.

4. Music and the arts transcend culture and humanity. In what ways have you experienced this happening through your travels and performances abroad?

One example that comes to mind is that I became good friends with a Sandanista from Nicaragaua who trained with the Russian army in Russia, he trained with the Cuban army. He held beliefs about Americans that were not accurate. After we perfomed music in his daughter's school, he and I spent a good deal of time getting acquainted and realizing how much more that we have in common, than we do that is different. I know that our friendship would not have happened without the icebreaker of the musical exchange.

5. In the band's upcoming trip to Turkey, in what ways will you be engaging with citizens there?

Yes, in Turkey, a mainly Muslim nation, we will perform music, but, also play music together with Turkish musicians. We will learn from them, their musical forms, as well as share our music with them. I really believe that if you play music together with someone, you will not want to go to war with them. We also plan to visit schools, as is our custom, to share our love of music with Turkish students.

6. While traveling and performing abroad, what has been your favorite memory?

My favorite memory is of our saxophonist, Charlie Tokarz, leaving the stage at an evening outdoor concert in Cava de Tirreni, Italy, to play his sax in the midst of a group of dancing Italian children! To see how much fun those kids were having, as was Charlie, made me so happy that I was nearly in tears. Charle is 6' 2" tall, and the little ones were all standing knee high to him, laughing and dancing as he crouched down to honk for them. I am the guitarist, Charlie Tokarz is sax, Andy Jaffe is on piano, Marty Jaffe is on bass, Fran Curley is on drums in this 2007 photo from Cava de Tirreni, Italy.