The U.S. Embassy Brings Jazz to Muscat on April 14
The U.S Embassy in Muscat will bring the sounds of New York jazz to Oman at a concert at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, on the Grand Lawn of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The concert is free and open to the public.
Performing will be the Chris Byars Quartet, an ensemble of talented American musicians who draw on the 1950's Bop tradition to create inventive, contemporary sounds.
The Chris Byars Quartet is visiting Oman through a special program of the U.S. Department of State: The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, produced in partnership with New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center. While in the region, the band will also visit Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Morocco. The Rhythm Road presents professional American performers of jazz and urban music styles on concert tours in countries where there is limited exposure to live American music.
"We are proud to bring The Rhythm Road to Oman again this year," said Ambassador Gary A. Grappo. "Jazz, one of the most significant U.S. contributions to contemporary world culture, is a great way to bring people from different backgrounds and cultures together."
The Chris Byars Quartet is led by saxophonist Chris Byars, winner of the Tanne Foundation Award and three Chamber Music America grants. Joining him are Ari Roland, who has performed with contemporary jazz greats Barry Harris and Lou Donaldson; John Mosca, musical director of the celebrated Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; and Stefan Schatz, a native New Yorker who recently played in the Broadway production of Bombay Dreams. Separately and as an ensemble, the Quartet's musicians have released two recordings and performed with many of the world's renowned jazz artists, including Dizzie Gillespie. They have traveled the world, from New York to Egypt to Central Asia, to spread the message of jazz.
Working in partnership with Omani public and private partners, the U.S. Embassy in Muscat supports a range of programs reflecting the deep historic, diplomatic, and economic ties between the United States and the Sultanate. To learn more about U.S.-sponsored educational, cultural, and exchange programming, visit the Embassy's website at http://oman.usembassy.gov.
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