Good evening! Welcome everyone. It’s really a pleasure to be here with you tonight, particularly with such talent and beautiful music that we can appreciate this evening. Really it’s a great pleasure to introduce formally the Gypsy Jazz Club, which I think is a real treat for all of us. The Gypsy Jazz Club has been making many rounds in various cultural venues in and around Brasilia. I’m delighted that they finally arrived here at the Information Resource Center (IRC), at the Casa Thomas Jefferson to share this beautiful music with us.
The U.S. Embassy proudly supports many cultural programs that celebrate the rich diversity of U.S. art, and music; and promotes the two-way transmission of leadership between the United States and Brazil. Annually, the United States celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month in April to honor this musical genre founded in the early 20th century in New Orleans, in Louisiana. I studied there and learned to appreciate jazz music. Today, countless forms of jazz fusion are played around the world.
Tonight we develop an appreciation for a particular style of jazz that is considered the precursor to U.S. jazz, played by talented American and Brazilian musicians.
The IRC is a jazz café tonight, a cultural venue of the U.S. Embassy. In a given day, the IRC presents expert research assistance to the Brazilian government, for universities, and everyday clients seeking quality, authoritative material about the United States. The Center is also a good programming platform that engages students, academics, and professionals aimed at deepening mutual understanding between the U.S. and Brazil.
So, now I invite you to continue appreciating this beautiful music of the one and only Gypsy Jazz Club. Thank you.
