I’ve recently discovered one can view online concerts at the Jazz at Lincoln Center, led by Wynton Marsalis. I’ve been listening to Jazz for years, thanks primarily to my spouse’s appreciation of the music and his immersion as a fan in the jazz world, exposing me to great talents, past and present. We’ve traveled to live stage performances over the years, including attending the Monterey Jazz Fest, a Chicago Jazz Fest, and traveled at least three times to the Newport Jazz Festival. There are many new artists he has exposed me to, from Gregory Porter to the young pianist, Joey Alexander. The musicians have their own favorites, and interchange who they play with on various stages or recordings. You can follow an individual and be exposed to more talent each year. Loud and live or soft in the background, jazz is exciting yet calming. It was not always my go to music. Growing up in Chicago, I love the blues, and frequented the blues clubs. When I met Neil in Chicago, he took me on dates to Andy’s Jazz Club, and in Minneapolis, the Dakota. My appreciation has grown over the years. This week, I listened to an interview with Wynton Marsalis which nearly brought me to tears. He noted that the Afro-American creation of jazz is the cultures’ greatest American achievement. Sadly, all voices, even in music, are not heard. We have a long way to go to ensure freedoms and rights for all Americans. Read on about Wynton Marsalis’ experience, legendary success and intelligent leadership.

Wynton Marsalis intrigued me when he spoke about how journalists don’t understand enough about the jazz and its form to be qualified to write about it. What also struck me was how his comments parallel complaints from BIPOC about the publishing industry, which is working now to be more inclusive of non-white voices, ever so slowly. Marsalis is an advocate on many levels. He notes that the level of action each person takes depends on their stamina; on their tolerance for pain as they fight discrimination. “The degree of fighting has to do with the degree of pain one is willing to endure in the fight.” Some give up, accept and conform to / comply within systematic discrimination, while others take higher risks, repeatedly raise their voices, put themselves at risk, until they can’t endure the pain any longer. I listened to the interview twice, to catch all he had to say. Here, I include a transcription, in case the interview is hard to find in the future.

African-Americans invented Jazz. Wynton Marsalis is the Managing Director and Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center. He’s a musician, a composer, a teacher, a person who lives jazz 24 hours a day. He is a Jazz legend. What follows is an unofficial transcript of David Rubenstein’s interview with Wynton Marsalis, recorded in Oct. 2020.  Questions appear in bold. [Read more…] about On Jazz: The Greatest Music Form Achievement in America – Wynton Marsalis