Islamabad ( CNN ) -- A head-bopping , hip-shaking flurry of drum beats . The soulful screams of a saxophone . The gut-thumping strums of a double bass . And the silky smooth lyrics of Summertime -- the lullaby classic made famous by Ella Fitzgerald -- all under a starlit night . The scene could be straight from an outdoor Jazz festival in New York City . But this is Pakistan -- a country plagued by its reputation for Islamist militancy , corruption and poverty -- and the jazz is courtesy of three New Yorkers and a Texan who make up the Ari Roland Jazz Quartet . The four performed at a 500-seat amphitheater on the outskirts of the capital , Islamabad , in a country American musicians almost never visit because of security concerns and widespread anti-Americanism . The U.S. State Department helped organize the band 's visit as part of a cultural exchange program designed to win Pakistani hearts and minds . `` We do n't feel like we 're in danger , '' said the band 's creator and bassist Ari Roland . `` We 're thrilled to be here . We feel welcome , so at home . '' The band 's visit comes at a time when relations between the U.S. and Pakistani governments are strained . Joint Chiefs Chairman repeats Pakistan claim . The partnership hit a new low when U.S. officials accused Pakistan 's top spy agency , the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI , of harboring extremists and helping insurgents in Afghanistan . Islamabad hit back with it 's own tough talk , accusing Washington of using Pakistan as a scapegoat for its failed policy in the region and warning the U.S. might lose Pakistan as an ally if it continues with the public accusations . The Ari Roland Quartet is under no illusion that it can solve the U.S.-Pakistani rift but jazz can help , they said . `` Music has a history of bringing people together from across the world , '' said Roland . But the band acknowledged the hearts and minds America needs to win were probably not among their audience . The concert was invite only , not open to the public . The guests were mostly foreign diplomats , Pakistani politicians and their families -- many educated in the west , people who probably already like America . Even so , the quartet said this was a start . They drew loud cheers when they performed their jazzed up rendition of Dil Dil Pakistan , the country 's most patriotic song . More applause came when they joined Pakistani rock band Fuzon for a song called Friendship is Life . Within seconds American and Pakistani musicians were in soulful synchrony . If only U.S.-Pakistani relations were that easy .
Three New Yorkers and a Texan make up the Ari ##sta Jazz Quartet . They are part of a cultural exchange program designed to win Pakistani hearts and minds . Relations between the U.S. and Pakistani governments are particularly strained . U.S. officials suspect Pakistan 's top spy network of harboring extremists .