Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs have announced that Johnny Rodgers Band will tour with The Rhythm Road American Music Abroad program in 2010.

Selected for their great sound, artistic integrity, musical ability and educational skills, the Johnny Rodgers Band will tour internationally with The Rhythm Road program to share their music with the world to promote cross-cultural understanding with special emphasis on countries not regularly visited by American musicians. Tour activities will include public concerts, master classes, lecture demonstrations, workshops, jam sessions, media outreach and collaborations with local musicians. Johnny Rodgers Band members include Johnny Rodgers on piano and vocals, Brian Glassman on bass, Danny Mallon on drums and Joe Ravo on guitar. “It is a great honor to be selected by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department as a music ambassador” said Rodgers after receiving the news. “We look forward to sharing our music and connecting with music lovers around the world.”

10 American music ensembles were selected to participate in the 2010 Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. Selected ensembles specialize in the musical genres of jazz, urban/hip hop and other American roots music including bluegrass, blues and gospel. While Johnny Rodgers Band crosses many American genres, the band’s selection in the roots category reflects the many voices of America that are found in their music.

Soon to be announced are Johnny Rodgers Band performances as part of The Rhythm Road in New York at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center and in Washington, D.C. presented by National Geographic Live! at the Grosvenor Auditorium The ensemble’s four week long international tour is also soon to be announced. 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.

Johnny Rodgers Band has several upcoming performances planned in the New York area including a holiday return engagement at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency on November 30 and Iridium Jazz Club on January 19. In between on December 10-12 Johnny performs at the inaugural Miami Music Festival, and then February takes the band back to Florida for Performing Arts Centers, outdoor festivals, Super Bowl and Palm Beach’s The Colony Hotel performances. Check out what Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department will be sharing with the world!

Johnny Rodgers Band is brilliant jumping from one style to another with the ease of an expert trapezist: pop, rock, jazz. Their music literally takes you on a guided tour of American pop exhibiting the driving energy of rock and roll, blended with jazz sophistication. The band’s chemistry and Johnny’s personable stage presence completes the formula that creates the band’s dynamic performances. Johnny recently released two EP’s to add to his 2005 debut CD titled Box Of Photographs. The new releases are the indie-pop Bound Together, featuring the Father’s Day/graduation tribute The Best Of You In Me picked by Hal Leonard publishing for a Pop chorale arrangement, and Let’s Make a Date, the title song being a big-band swing duet with Johnny and Liza Minnelli. Music and more at www.johnnyrodgersband.com , iTunes, Amazon and select New York and Miami F.Y.E stores.

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.

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 programs that support U.S. foreign policy, foster America‘s artistic excellence, and demonstrate America’s respect and appreciation for other cultures and traditions. The http://exchanges.state.gov/education/citizens/culture/index.htm

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, visit