Two Philadelphia-area singers selected out of hundreds by the State Department to bring jazz around the world

In 1956, jazz became a tactic in the Cold War. To counter Soviet criticisms of racial tension in the U.S., the State Department sent artists such as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and Dave Brubeck around the world as “Jazz Ambassadors.”

The program has evolved since then, renamed American Music Abroad (AMA) and broadening its mission to foster cross-cultural connections around the world. Its musical showcase has expanded, as well, encompassing a wealth of different genres including blues, folk, country, rock, hip-hop, and R & B.

Among the 17 artists selected for the 2019-20 program are two area jazz vocalists: Philadelphia’s Laurin Talese and Paul Jost of Vineland, N.J. Both were selected in competitive auditions, held at Joe’s Pub in New York City, from among a pool of nearly 250 bands representing 34 states. Both will embark on two-week international tours, performing for audiences and leading educational workshops in far-flung locales across the globe.

There’s been a string of good news for Philly jazz musicians of late. In addition to the selection of Talese and Jost, pianist Sumi Tonooka recently received a New Jazz Works grant from Chamber Music America. She’s one of a dozen artists nationwide, including such renowned names as David Murray and Andrew Cyrille, to be awarded the grant, which supports the creation and performance of new jazz compositions.

“It’s an honor and a privilege,” Jost said over the phone last week from his South Jersey home. “No matter where I am, I want to convey a certain vulnerability and human experience, to make a connection between my heart and the people that are listening. I always want to connect with people, whether I end up in South Korea or Germany or Ireland.”

While Jost doesn’t yet know where the program will take him, Talese is set to embark in mid-September for Eastern Europe, where she’ll tour Montenegro, Ukraine and Poland. She was originally scheduled to make the same trek in February, but plans were postponed amid the 35-day government shutdown that began in December. That fact is a potent reminder that these tours arise during yet another tumultuous period in the country’s history.

“I typically don’t talk a lot about politics,” Talese professed, sipping a lavender latte at Mount Airy’s High Point Café. “I think we can all agree that jazz is an American art form, and exposing different cultures to something distinctly American definitely helps take the focus off of other things that are going on. I want to represent who I am as an individual and let people know that America at large is a little bit more nuanced and complex than it’s painted to be.”

The AMA tour, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by the Association of American Voices, is the latest in a string of new experiences for Talese. Since the release of her 2016 debut album, Gorgeous Chaos, she’s won the acclaimed Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition and toured the world, including a recent appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival and a two-month residency at a Tokyo hotel. Among the highlights of her forthcoming trip will be a performance with symphony orchestra in Lviv, Ukraine.

Wherever he winds up, Jost will bring along his quartet with pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tim Horner, all of whom also appear on his latest album, Simple Life. The band’s improvisatory chemistry, he explained, will help exemplify the message he hopes to share. “Here in America, we have the freedom to explore and express ourselves. That’s what I’m doing in my music, and if I’m approaching it artfully and sincerely, that’s going to translate.”

The prospect of sharing an American approach to musical invention is exciting to Talese, as well, though she expects to gain as much as she gives from the experience. “Music brings people joy and healing,” she said. “It’s a coping mechanism to get through not just all the crazy stuff that’s going on in the world, but the monotony of doing the same things every day. We often know what we’re going to do when we wake up: We’ll hit our alarm clock, get ready to go to work, and at the end of the day we come home exhausted and get ready for the next day. Music is a nice respite from that, and I love being able to see the world while doing what I love.”