U .S. Ambassador to Guyana D Brent Hardt in collaboration with the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry hosted a night of “Jazz by the Seawall” last Thursday evening.
American jazz trio, Phil Dunlap on the keyboards, along with his band members, Nick Jost on the bass and Marty Morrison on the drums, entertained guests at the U. S. ambassador’s home in Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown.
The night of “Jazz by the Sea wall” was attended by several government ministers and members of the diplomatic corps.
Hardt told his guests that since his arrival in Guyana some two years ago, he has been desperately trying to get a jazz band to perform, and is happy to accomplish his aim. “We wanted to show people of diverse cultures and background the quality of our civilisation, which was so beautifully reflected in jazz music and most especially in the people who performed it,” he stated.
The U. S. ambassador noted that despite the U. S. struggles, currently and in the past with issues of race, jazz music offers a means to supersede traditional categories of thinking and to point the way forward to a better, fairer and more perfect America.
home on Thursday evening
“So tonight, we are just going to have a relaxed evening with no fuss and ceremony. We want you to think of this as the ‘Blues Alley’ of Cummings Lodge, an intimate jazz club with good wine, beer and spirits,” the ambassador said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds thanked Ambassador Hardt for providing Guyanese the opportunity to listen to American’s finest jazz music.
The jazz trio has played at events across the world. Throughout this past week, they have been performing a series of concerts and have hosted educational workshops with music students at all levels.
The group has also played alongside some of Guyana’s top jazz musicians, in addition to hosting an educational presentation and performance at the St John’s Basco Boys Orphanage.
The trio had conducted indepth workshops with students and staff from the National School of Music, made educational presentations and gave performances at the Bishops’ High School and other secondary schools in Berbice.
On Friday, the trio closed their week on a high note with a concert at the Theatre Guild.
The concert was opened to the general public and was free of cost.
