Daniel Deeney, FCLC '26

Major: American Studies

Bio: Daniel Deeney, from Philadelphia, PA, is a member of the American studies program at Fordham pursuing a secondary major in Spanish and a minor in music. He is an active participant in music department offerings as a drummer in various groups, including jazz combos and the Afro-Latin ensemble, and has served as a Teacher's Assistant for the Jazz Arts Collective. A senior, Daniel will continue to engage audiences and students after graduating.

Title of Research: Down the Rhythm Road

Mentor: Matthew Gelbart, Music

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the complex functions of the U.S. State Department's Rhythm Road program, which both facilitated intercultural dialogue through musical performance and advanced State Department interests. Much of the literature on U.S. cultural diplomacy focuses on Cold War-era programs, namely that of the Jazz Ambassadors. The Rhythm Road, introduced in 2005 and modeled on the Jazz Ambassadors, featured a wide array of genres, including jazz and hip hop. For this project I conducted interviews with musicians and tour managers along with a review of primary source materials (press clippings, footage of performances and workshops, etc.). The result of my research is a documentary video, the score of which is comprised of newly recorded versions of songs musicians played on their Rhythm Road tours. The documentary conveys that the Rhythm Road, through its creative, bottom-up approach, more closely resembled a grassroots initiative than its 20th-century predecessor. Though tensions between official objectives and artists' own goals did emerge on certain tours, musicians negotiated informal encounters and engaged audiences in veritable exchange.