TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
From the White House lawn to grand state dinners, jazz has long been part of the nation’s political soundtrack. Duke Ellington made history in 1969 when President Nixon awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom—and even played a few notes of “Happy Birthday” on the piano for Duke’s 70th celebration.
Louis Armstrong played for heads of state worldwide and at the White House, famously charming audiences with his trumpet and smile. Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, and Dave Brubeck also took the stage at presidential events, their music bridging generations, ideologies, and borders.
These moments weren’t just performances—they were statements. Jazz, America’s original art form, honored in the halls of power, speaking in a universal language of freedom and swing.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, co-produced by ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.