THE 2010 RHYTHM ROAD: AMERICAN MUSIC ABROAD PROGRAM ANNOUNCES NASAR ABADEY AND SUPERNOVA TOUR DATES

[WASHINGTON DC JAZZ NETWORK]

Support Jazz - Become a Member For Immediate Release: August 10, 2010 THE 2010 RHYTHM ROAD: AMERICAN MUSIC ABROAD PROGRAM ANNOUNCES NASAR ABADEY AND SUPERNOVA TOUR DATES For High Resolution Photos Who/What: Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs announced that the Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA will tour Eastern Africa with The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. The jazz ensemble from Washington, DC was selected from a pool of 132 applicants to travel abroad and promote cross-cultural understanding. International tour activities will include public concerts, master classes, lecture-demonstrations, workshops, jam sessions, collaborations with local musicians and media outreach. As part of The Rhythm Road, Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA will also perform two concerts in the United States. In Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Society will present the first concert on December 2, 2010 at 6:00pm at the Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. The second concert will be presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 11, 2010 at 12:30pm at Dizzy's Club Coca-Colaat Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Where/When: Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA will tour to Rwanda (September 2 - 6), Uganda (September 7 - 11), Ethiopia (September 12 - 17), Zambia (September 18 - 23), Mozambique (September 24 - 30). *Dates and locations subject to change U.S. Concert Dates: Washington, D.C.: December 2, 2010 at 6:00pm at the Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW New York City: December 11, 2010 at 12:30pm at Dizzy's ClubCoca-Cola at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center How: For more information visit The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad at jalc.org/TheRoad, now with additional elements including featured countries, bands, stories from the road, and more. Sponsorship: The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program is made possible with underwriting support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. Jazz at Lincoln Center proudly acknowledges National Geographic Live as the Washington, D.C. concert series partner. WPFW-FM is the media sponsor for this series. For more information: Anna Kukowski, Burson-Marsteller for Jazz at Lincoln Center 212-614-4560, [e-mail]. Laura Tischler, U.S. Department of State, 202-632-6454,[e-mail]. GENRE :: Jazz LISTEN :: Earthling | Diamond in the Rough | Brick by Brick VIEW :: Band Website DOWNLOAD :: HiRes Image Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA (Washington, D.C.) performs jazz in a multi-dimensional and multi-directional way—from crossing the borders of jazz and continuing beyond space and time. Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA perform and explore various jazz elements such as traditional African rhythms, bebop, fusion, Afro-Cuban, Afro Brazilian, and free form. Since the band was formed in 1979, it has sought opportunities for a wider, freer expression of music. The quartet’s musical inspirations include John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and Duke Ellington. Nasar Abadey and SUPERNOVA see touring as an opportunity to engage in dialogue about jazz music, the elements particular to the genre, its history, and the mixture of cultures that contributed to the creation of jazz as an art form. NASAR ABADEY (DRUMS) began playing drums at age five and received his first drum set at age 16. Inspired by Tony Williams, Max Roach, and Roy Haynes, this Maryland native creates jazz music steeped in modal, free form, fusion, and avant-garde styles pioneered in the 1960s and 1970s. His personal style is explosive, intriguing, and melodic. He has worked with Sonny Fortune, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. Abadey released his debut recording, Mirage, in 2000 (Amosaya Record), and is planning a follow-up release in 2010. Abadey has toured Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. He is Professor of Jazz Percussion at Peabody Conservatory of Music, teaches privately, and runs workshops in Washington, D.C. and its neighboring public schools. Abadey attended Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia JOE FORD (SAXOPHONE) is a passionate saxophonist who began playing in 1958 while in elementary school in Buffalo, New York. His melodious, humorous, dark and insightful style reflects the broad spectrum of the American experience, and ranges from spirituals, country, and rural blues to contemporary musical concepts and avant-garde jazz. Ford is classically trained and his influences include Sidney Bechet, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins. He has worked with musicians such as Frank Foster, McCoy Tyner, and the Fort Apache Band. His original post-bop tunes can be found on his album Today’s Nights. Ford received his Bachelor of Science in music education at Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio. CORCORAN HOLT (BASS) began playing djembe and other West African percussion at the age of four and began his study of classical acoustic bass at age ten with the renowned D.C. Youth Orchestra. He attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., received a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from Shenandoah Conservatory, and earned a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from Queens College under the tutelage of Buster Williams. Holt has performed domestically and internationally with jazz greats including Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Heath and is a current member of the Steve Turre group. In March 2009, he toured with Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants on a U.S. State Department tour in the Middle East. He resides in Brooklyn, New York. RICHARD JOHNSON (PIANO) is a skilled jazz pianist and active music educator. Born in Pittsburgh, Johnson graduated from the Berklee School of Music, earned a master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy from Boston Conservatory, and graduated from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance. Johnson has been a member of Wynton Marsalis' Septet, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Russell Malone's quartet and Irvin Mayfield's quintet. Johnson’s Reach AFAR “Jazz to Hip-Hop” programs have been extremely popular in schools across Atlanta. Along with his educational projects, Johnson maintains an active jazz performance schedule. He toured in East Africa with the Rhythm Road and in Central and South America, and South Asia on other U.S. State Department tours. - - - Jazz at Lincoln Center is dedicated to inspiring and growing audiences for jazz. With the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. These productions include concerts, national and international tours, residencies, a jazz hall of fame and concert series, weekly national radio programs, television broadcasts, recordings, publications, an annual high school jazz band competition and festival, a band director academy, jazz appreciation curriculum for students, music publishing, children's concerts and classes, lectures, adult education courses, student and educator workshops and interactive websites. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, Chairman Lisa Schiff and Executive Director Adrian Ellis, Jazz at Lincoln Center will produce thousands of events each season in its home in New York City, Frederick P. Rose Hall, and around the world. For more information, visit jalc.org. U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through international educational and exchange programs. Through its Cultural Programs Division, the Bureau supports a variety of cultural exchanges that support U.S. foreign policy, foster America's artistic excellence, and demonstrate America's respect and appreciation for other cultures and traditions. The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program presents selected professional American performers on concert tours in countries with limited exposure to live American culture. For more information, visitexchanges.state.gov/cultural/rhythm.html. 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