10 quotes
We're blues people. And blues never lets tragedy have the last word.
The first jazz musician was a trumpeter, Buddy Bolden, and the last will be a trumpeter, the archangel Gabriel.
Some stances are just conducive to swinging. If I stand up straight for too long it's harder to swing. Plus my feet hurt.
Quotable Jazz (2002)
I think that virtuosity is the first sign of morality in a musician. It means you're serious enough to practice.
For Wynton Marsalis’ 55th birthday (2015)
Democracy dies when you do not understand the need for leveling, and to create wealth for everybody, and to see in your neighbor not an enemy, but a friend, and for elites to manage themselves.
Wynton Marsalis on What Jazz Can Teach Us About Democracy (2026)
That's what I have to say as a band leader. I can't say, "Well, I'm going to solo on every tune. Every time somebody plays it's me." That's not the solution.
Wynton Marsalis on What Jazz Can Teach Us About Democracy (2026)
That's democratic leadership. It's like a flock of geese. They make the calls from the back. ...If you really are leading, everybody is leading.
Wynton Marsalis on What Jazz Can Teach Us About Democracy (2026)
They take your drawers off for you, they show your ass, they sell bullshit, they call themselves 'niggaz' and the women 'bitches' and 'hos' and it's fine with everybody. ...That's what the essence of decadence is. Civilisation is an effort.
The reason why the music is important is that it's an art form—an ancient art form—that takes in the mythology of our people.
Attributed
Flexibility is an essential part of Jazz. It's what gives Jazz music the ability to combine with all other types of music and not lose its identity.
Attributed