This website asks the question “Was the Jazz Ambassador Project a Turning Point in the Civil Rights Movement?” The answer to that question is every bit as muddled, messy, and contradictory as the program itself. The musicians themselves struggled with the hypocritical nature of this proposition. Perhaps the question is best answered by stating that the program was a turning point for both civil rights and jazz music itself in many nations across the world. Based on the experiences of Gillespie, Armstrong, and Brubeck however, the program failed to be any major impetus towards the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The prominent examples of racism experienced by the musicians in their own country, as well as failure to accept jazz as any type of “highbrow” musical style support this conclusion. Especially given the fact that each of these musicians describes an overall acceptance of jazz in their experiences across the globe. In recent years, much scholarship has emerged (and will most likely continue to emerge) in the fields of civil rights history, international civil rights struggles, Cold War history, and music history, which continue to shed new light on these musicians and their experiences and perceptions of the program. This often-overlooked piece of history does much to demonstrate the interconnectedness of both foreign and domestic issues. Indeed, the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War did not occur in isolation of one another, but their policies often crossed paths and influences one another. As these musicians have gained fame in modern society, and jazz has most certainly been vindicated as an art form, it is critical not to discredit the role of these early pioneers and their profound influence not only on jazz, but the “winning” of the Cold War, and the international struggle for racial equality.
Website by Christi Carlson, Northern Arizona University
Website by Christi Carlson, Northern Arizona University