VOA标准英语2010年-New Exhibit Celebrates Jazz Ambassador

Popular US public diplomacy¹ efforts of the late 20th century, Jazz Ambassadors, remains² an important part of its cultural outreach

Art and culture can often be effective instruments of global diplomacy. They can transcend³ political and economic differences, winning hearts and minds of people around the world. One of the most successful U.S. public diplomacy efforts of the late 20th century was a program known as the Jazz Ambassadors, and music today remains an important part of U.S. cultural outreach.

During the Cold War, jazz was a powerful instrument of American cultural diplomacy.  It transformed superpower relations and helped shape the image of democracy in the world, especially for those living under Soviet⁴ communism and in eastern Europe.  A U.S.-government-sponsored program sent jazz ambassadors around the world - among them such well-known musicians as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck.

 From the 1950's to the 1970's, they toured more than 35 countries in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Their music dramatically influenced the perception of the United States, promoting a positive view of America and easing Cold-War tensions.

"No one travelled back then, especially if you think about normal people. Who in 1956 would get on an airplane and go to Burma or Thailand? It was just unheard of. Those were romantic locales for most people. So jazz ambassadors were really quite famous and were hailed as America's diplomats⁵ musically. The legacy⁶ that they left is still valid," Curtis Sandberg said.

Sandberg is vice⁷ president for the arts at the Meridian⁸ International Center, and the curator of an exhibit called Jam Session - a musicians' term for an impromptu⁹ performance. The exhibit, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, will travel to countries around the world over the next three years. It contains 100 photographs from 22 years of the Jazz Ambassadors program.

"These guys were remarkable," Sandberg said. "They braved dangers and sickness. Those were really tough tours. They were kept out very often for up to 3 months, under some pretty grueling conditions. They were heroes."

The legacy of the original Jazz Ambassadors still lives through a modern-day State department program called Rhythm Road, which blends different forms of music, from jazz and blues¹⁰ to Cajun and hip-hop.  Its mission is to share America's unique contribution to the world of music and to promote cross-cultural understanding.

Maura Pally, the State Department's acting¹¹ assistant secretary of Educational and Cultural Affairs, says cultural diplomacy remains extremely important in today's world. "Cultural diplomacy offers us a unique way to connect with people that we otherwise wouldn't. Art and music in particular transcends¹² religious, political, and language divides in a way that nothing else does," she said.

Penny von Eschen is a History professor at the University of Michigan.  She says cultural diplomacy should be a model for international relations in a world that has too often been overrun by wars and hostility¹³. "It is a lesson to many countries to open up and have far more cultural exchange and make that a priority for diplomacy," she explained. "It remains as relevant today as it would have been in the 1950's and 60's."

As music remains an important part of U.S. public diplomacy, the newest generation of jazz musicians is coming to the stage. Nine-year-old Geoffrey Gallante started performing when he was five years old. He has played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and is the youngest jazz instrumentalist ever to perform at Washington's Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at the White House.

"I got to play with the president's own piano player," he recalled. "I did not play for President Bush, because I think he was on a trip to Iraq. It's a cool style of music and I want to keep doing it."

This new generation of jazz artists will continue to carry the torch of mutual¹⁴ understanding in the world - passed down by the original Jazz Ambassadors.
 

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 transcend   

vt.超出，超越(理性等)的范围

参考例句：

• We can't transcend the limitations of the ego.我们无法超越自我的局限性。
• Everyone knows that the speed of airplanes transcend that of ships.人人都知道飞机的速度快于轮船的速度。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 meridian   

adj.子午线的；全盛期的

参考例句：

• All places on the same meridian have the same longitude.在同一子午线上的地方都有相同的经度。
• He is now at the meridian of his intellectual power.他现在正值智力全盛期。

9 impromptu   

adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地)

参考例句：

• The announcement was made in an impromptu press conference at the airport.这一宣布是在机场举行的临时新闻发布会上作出的。
• The children put on an impromptu concert for the visitors.孩子们为来访者即兴献上了一场音乐会。

10 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

12 transcends   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的第三人称单数 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• The chemical dilution technique transcends most of the difficulties. 化学稀释法能克服大部分困难。
• The genius of Shakespeare transcends that of all other English poets. 莎士比亚的才华胜过所有的其他英国诗人。

13 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

14 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。