Music is always for the listener, but the first listener is always the musician — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
Through first-class education, a generation marches down the long uncertain road of the future with confidence. — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
The first jazz musician was a trumpeter, Buddy Bolden, and the last will be a trumpeter, the archangel Gabriel. — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
The first time I ever played the trumpet in public, I played the Marine Hymn. I sounded terrible. — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
I got my first trumpet when I was six years old, from Al Hirt. My father was playing in Al Hirt's band… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
I think that virtuosity is the first sign of morality in a musician. It means you're serious enough to practice. — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
I think that when the education system started to be dismantled during the first Great Depression in the 1930s, we didn't recover… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
Grace Kelly plays with intelligence, wit and feeling. She has a great amount of natural ability and the ability to adapt. That… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
The black hole in democracy is integrity. The great unspoken is integrity. When integrity is not first and foremost, it's quite palpable… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
Many heroic things happened during slavery. And remember that there was a national movement away from it even at the time. The… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share Image
I never minded giving my opinions. They are just opinions, and I had studied music and I had strong feelings. I was happy for… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
I always read all these books about the slaves. My mother is very educated. My father would talk to us like we were grown… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
“The best musicians know this music isn't about "schools" at all. Like my father says, "There's only one school, the school of 'Can you… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
And that's the soulful thing about playing: you offer something to somebody. You don't know if they'll like it, but you offer it. — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
I'm not a person who writes really abstract things with oblique references. I look at abstraction like I look at condiments. Give me some… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
Many a revolution started with the actions of a few. Only 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. A few hanging together can lead… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
“Today you go into make a modern recording with all this technology. The bass plays first, then the drums come in later, then they… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
In the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra we play such a diversity of music, with 10 arrangers in the band, we don't really worry… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing. — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
Instead of imposing your will on every situation...focus on including everyone else, and just that little adjustment of attitude gives you the space to… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
“I noticed that religion gave some people a way to escape dealing with the world: “Things will be better when you die,” the people… — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
Trumpet players see each other, and it's like we're getting ready to square off or get into a fight or something. — Wynton Marsalis Copy Share
