Wynton Marsalis Quotes about Music

Jazz music is the power of now. There is no script. It's conversation. The emotion is given to you by musicians as they make split-second decisions to fulfill what they feel the moment requires.

Jazz music is the power of now. There is no script. It's conversation. The emotion is given to you by musicians as they make split-second decisions to fulfill what they feel the moment requires.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, Decision, Splits

Wynton Marsalis, Geoffrey Ward (2008). “Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life”, p.8, Random House

Don't settle for style. Succeed in substance.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, Style, Substance

"Bibi, Moses, and Churchill" by Rabbi Michael M. Cohen, www.huffingtonpost.com. February 19, 2015.

We're blues people. And blues never lets tragedy have the last word.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, People, Tragedy

"35 Who Made a Difference: Wynton Marsalis". www.smithsonianmag.com. November 01, 2005.

How great musicians demonstrate a mutual respect and trust on the bandstand can alter your outlook on the world and enrich every aspect of your life, understanding what it means to be a global citizen in the most modern sense.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, Mean, Understanding

Wynton Marsalis, Geoffrey Ward (2008). “Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life”, p.15, Random House

A beat is a moment in the life a groove.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, Jazz, Moments

In Jazz, improvisation isn't a matter of just making any ol' thing up. Jazz, like any language, has its own grammer and vocabulary. There's no right or wrong, just some choices that are better than others.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, Vocabulary, Choices

Jazz music is the power of now.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, Jazz, Power Of Now

No particular music makes me feel nostalgic. If it's great, it just keeps me in the present moment. That level of music is like a classic story, like the Iliad-something so perfect it can never be old.

Wynton Marsalis

Music, Perfect, Stories