“We were at the top of a stairwell, and there was this huge window that was looking onto the street," he recalled. “They actually took out a big chalkboard and put it in front of the window. So from the street level you couldn't see inside. Just in case."
As education director for Jazz St. Louis, Dunlap typically welcomes public attention to jazz performances. This time, however, he found himself in Kabul, Afghanistan, where it's best to fly under the radar.
“Some people have been threatened or gotten death threats for participating in U.S. Embassy programs," he explained.
Dunlap traveled to the Afghan city as a participant in Jazz Bridges. The cultural exchange program is run by American Voices , a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “further the accessibility and the understanding of American music and culture, especially in developing countries," according to the program's website. Along with singer CoCo York and bassist Gene Aitken, Dunlap taught and performed jazz for Afghans.
At First, Listen
Jazz Bridges originally began as a collaboration between American and Burmese musicians in 2002. Thanks to its success, American Voices launched versions in other Asian countries and entered Afghanistan in 2005.
This year marked Dunlap's first with American Voices. “My friend Marc Thayer, who's with the St. Louis Symphony, got me connected with John Ferguson, who runs American Voices," said Dunlap. “They needed a piano player, someone to teach in this program, so they asked if I would go and do it. I said yes." (Thayer was in Iraq last summer teaching Iraqi musicians. He sent letters and videos to the Beacon.)
