When you watch a jazz pianist, it’s easy to focus on the notes but there’s so much happening behind the keys. This is true whether they're performing solo or as part of an ensemble.

Jazz played a surprising yet powerful role in the desegregation of U.S. military bands. During World War II, African American musicians were often restricted to all-Black units despite their talent and experience. Yet their exceptional skill in jazz ensembles and big bands could not be ignored.

Jazz played a quiet but powerful role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Artists like Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim used music to protest racial segregation, promote unity, and give voice to the oppressed.

Marking three decades of showcasing top piano talents, the HHIPC is bringing 20 teenagers representing six countries to Hilton Head for its Young Artist Competition March 16th-21st.

Louis Armstrong was a global ambassador for music and goodwill. During the Cold War, he toured the world under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, performing in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Dave Brubeck led some of the most influential U.S. State Department jazz goodwill tours, bringing his quartet to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

During the Cold War, Duke Ellington became one of America’s most powerful cultural ambassadors. Beginning in the 1960s, Ellington and his orchestra toured Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa as part of U.S. State Department goodwill missions.

In 1956, Dizzy Gillespie led one of the Cold War’s most influential cultural missions — the U.S. State Department’s jazz goodwill tour.

During the Cold War, jazz became a form of cultural exchange. As the United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence, jazz traveled the world as a symbol of creativity, freedom, and individuality.

Failure is one of the most important teachers in jazz. Every missed note, every rough gig, every moment that didn’t go as planned carries a lesson—if you’re willing to listen.