Becoming Quote by Ellis Marsalis, Jr

Jazz is people's music, a collectivity.

— Steve Lacy

The philosophy of jazz represents tolerance, teamwork and inclusion. That's what America is about. The music reflects that.

— Anonymous

Jazz is such a powerful cultural statement that it's almost as if it's intertwined with society.

— Tom Harrell

Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but is a gift that America has given the world.

— Ahmad Alaadeen

Jazz has the power to make men forget their differences and come together... Jazz is the personification of transforming overwhelmingly negative circumstances into freedom,…

— Quincy Jones

Jazz comes from our way of life, and because it's our national art form, it helps us to understand who we are.

— Wynton Marsalis

Jazz music celebrates life! Human life; the range of it, the absurdity of it, the ignorance of it, the greatness of it, the intelligence…

— Wynton Marsalis

“In a society of increasingly mass-produced, assembly-line entertainment, where every individual is treated like an empty pitcher to be filled from above, jazz retains…

— Marshall Stearns

Jazz is an art form that depends on its antecedents, there must be respect for the people that have gone before.

— Jon Hendricks

Jazz, like leadership, combines the unpredictability of the future with the gifts of individuals.

— Max De Pree

One thing that sticks in my mind is that jazz means freedom and openness. It's a music that, although it developed out of the…

— Herbie Hancock

Jazz is one of the few things you can do in society and express yourself freely and creatively.

— Mulgrew Miller