The Rhythm Road is currently seeking ten, four-piece bands for its American Music Abroad program. The acts chosen to participate will tour in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, or the Middle East for roughly a month under the auspices of the US State Department.

Auditions will be handled by personnel with Jazz at Lincoln Center and are open to any US citizen 21 years or older with a valid US passport. Selected quartets are expected to perform some form of American music, and bluegrass is specifically mentioned in the audition criteria.

These tours promise adventure and a chance to share uniquely American music forms with audiences who may have no familiarity with them. Remuneration is said to be modest, and tour conditions are described as challenging.

Applications must be submitted by September 15, 2008 for the upcoming tours, which include trips to Senegal, Indonesia, Guatemala, Turkmenistan and Honduras.

More details and an application form can be found at The Rhythm Road’s web site.