As long as there is democracy, there will be people wanting to play jazz because nothing else will ever so perfectly capture the democratic process in sound. Jazz means working things out musically with other people. You have to listen to other musicians and play with them even if you don't agree with what they're playing. It teaches you the very opposite of racism and anti-Semitism. It teaches you that the world is big enough to accommodate us all.
Wynton MarsalisEverything comes out in blues music: joy , pain , struggle . Blues is affirmation with absolute elegance.
Wynton MarsalisBenny Goodman's band was integrated before baseball. Even before it was physically integrated, music was integrated. Everyone listened to Armstrong and Ellington. The 20s was called the Jazz Age. It's part of being American.
Wynton MarsalisEven in these times, there are still neighbors that will turn their backs on neighbors.
Wynton Marsalis