The performances are sponsored by the US Department of State and the US Consulate General in HCM City.

The quartet has been preparing for these performances in Vietnam for two years. The band is expected to perform 14 pieces of music composed by its members and other famous musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and George Gershwin.

Band members include Ari Roland (contrabass), Chris Byars (tenor and saxophone), Zaid Nasser (alto saxophone) and Keith Balla (drum). They have participated in many international tours and cultural exchange programmes organized by the US Department of State and produced many CDs with Small Records Company.

The band will also give a lecture for the academy’s students and a talk with some Vietnamese artists in HCM City. Free tickets are available by calling 08 3520-4610 for the Ho Chi Minh performance or by registering online for the concert in Hanoi at the US embassy website: vietnam.us.embassy.gov.