First published: 14th Feb 2008 17:14 GMT
US Jazz Musical Group, Ryan Cohan Quartet, to tour Zimbabwe

By a Correspondent

Ryan Cohan Quartet, a U.S. jazz musical group, will tour Zimbabwe beginning February 17, 2008. During the tour, the Chicago-based group- composer and pianist Ryan Cohan, Geof Bradfield on saxophone, Lorin Cohen on bass and Kobie Watkins on drums– will hold workshops and educational sessions with students and musicians as well as perform concerts in Harare and Norton.

The tour is part of The Rhythm Road- American Music Abroad program, co-sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and the Jazz at Lincoln Center program, which offers professional American jazz and urban music performers the chance to perform their music in countries with limited exposure to American culture.

The group will kick off their Zimbabwean tour with a concert at Pakare Paye Arts Center in Norton on Monday February 18 at 4 pm. A similar concert will follow on Wednesday February 20 (7 pm) at the Harare International School in Mount Pleasant. Both concerts are free. The group will conclude their tour with a joint concert with Luck Street Blues featuring veteran guitarist Dave Ndoro at Harare’s premier jazz club, the Mannenberg, on Thursday February 21st at 9 pm.

The group’s tour to Zimbabwe concludes a marathon tour of countries in the Middle East and Africa that saw the group visit Jordan, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda since January 29 2008.

Paul Engelstad, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy described the tour by the jazz group as “a musical homecoming of sorts that will allow the group to bridge cultural divides and communicate with their audiences through the universal language of jazz.”

“While on tour, the Ryan Cohan Quartet will introduce their music within the context of the great repertoire of jazz and open up dialogue, meet Zimbabwean musicians, interact with them and play with them,” said Engelstad.

The Ryan Cohan Quartet constantly searches for new musical territory to explore while remaining deeply rooted in jazz and blues traditions. Conversant in a variety of world-music styles and rhythms, the group has distinguished itself on major stages throughout the U.S. and Canada by balancing dynamic and tight ensemble playing with explosive, expressive solos.

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=3553&cat=6