To the sounds of Muddy Waters, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched a “Musical Diplomacy Initiative” on Wednesday evening to promote US foreign policy through music.
In this context, the USA will send renowned artists to Jordan and Saudi Arabia and a philharmonic orchestra to China this autumn.
AFP
Herbie Hancock, accompanied by Dee Dee Bridgewater and the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Jazz Ensemble, will perform in Jordan in October to commemorate the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s historic 1963 concert, according to a statement from the State Department.
Herbie Hancock’s tour continues with four days of concerts in Saudi Arabia, the first between the United States and the Saudi Kingdom at a time when the United States, despite differences, maintains the Saudi ally and a historic rapprochement with Israel.
At the same time, the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in several cities in China from November 9 to 18 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its historic tour in 1973, a year after a trip to Beijing by Richard Nixon. A violinist who took part in this tour will be there.
It’s all part of this new “Musical Diplomacy Initiative” launched Wednesday night by the head of American diplomacy, himself an amateur guitarist who had fun playing a few notes of Muddy Waters during a ceremony at the State Department.
The goal: to put music at the service of American diplomatic ambitions and to promote cultural exchange.
The initiative plans a series of musical exchanges and collaborations, including sending hip-hop artists to Nigeria in September. Artist Quincy Jones also received an honorary “Peace through Music” award on Wednesday evening at the ceremony, which took place under the chandeliers of the Benjamin Franklin Room at the American Diplomacy Headquarters in Washington.