Louis Armstrong entertains children at the Tahhseen Al-Sahha Medical Center. Photo Courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

In the mid-1950s and continuing through the 1970s, many American jazz greats traveled the globe under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department – serving as musical envoys, transcending national boundaries, and making friends for our country at a time when Cold War tensions were at their height.

Jam Session is a photographic exhibition that depicts this creative and successful approach to cultural diplomacy - perhaps the most effective cultural diplomacy effort of our time. The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Cultural Programs Division, through a partnership with the Meridian International Center, is offering an exhibition of 55 framed photographs with promotional posters, music CDs of classic jazz recordings, brochures, signage, and media kits. Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Portuguese translations may be available at a later date.

For more information about Jam Session please contact the Cultural Programs Division at CultureContact@state.gov or visit the Meridian International Center's Jam Session site.