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Home
Authors
Wynton Marsalis
American
Musician
About the author
There was one thing Beethoven didn't do. When one of his string quartets was played, you can believe the second violin wasn't improvising.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
I believed in studying just because I knew education was a privilege. It was the discipline of study, to get into the habit of doing something that you don't want to do.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Want
#Study
#Habit
#Education
#Discipline
#Privilege
I believe in professionalism, but playing is not like a job. You have to be grateful to have the opportunity to play.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Play
#Opportunity
#Job
I always read all these books about the slaves. My mother is very educated. My father would talk to us like we were grown men. We never knew what he was talking about half the time.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Talk
#Time
#Men
#Books
#Mother
#Talking
#Father
Even in these times, there are still neighbors that will turn their backs on neighbors.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Will
#Neighbors
Don't worry about what others say about your music. Pursue whatever you are hearing... but if everybody really hates your music maybe you could try some different approaches.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Music
#Hearing
#Worry
Don't wish for someone else to do later what you can do now.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Now
Don't settle for style. Succeed in substance.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Style
#Succeed
I feel like a lot of the fundamental material, I've assimilated. So now the question is: Am I going to really get into my spiritual inheritance of music and really develop my abilities?
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Now
#Question
#Spiritual
#Music
#Inheritance
This rebuilding of New Orleans gives us the perfect opportunity to see if we're ready to extend the legacy of Dr. King.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Opportunity
There really have only ever been a few people in each generation who step out, are willing to put themselves on the line, and risk everything for their beliefs.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#People
#Risk
#Beliefs
I didn't want to get that ring around my lips from practicing the trumpet, because I thought the girls wouldn't like me. So I never practiced.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Want
#Thought
#Girls
I dress up a certain way because I respect the music.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Respect
#Music
#Dress
Through first-class education, a generation marches down the long uncertain road of the future with confidence.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#First
#Education
#Future
#Road
#Confidence
I got my first trumpet when I was six years old, from Al Hirt. My father was playing in Al Hirt's band at that time.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Time
#Years
#Old
#First
#Father
I have absolutely no idea what my generation did to enrich our democracy. We dropped the ball. We entered a period of complacency and closed our eyes to the public corruption of our democracy.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Public
#Democracy
#Idea
#Eyes
#Corruption
I sounded like myself. People be saying I sound like Miles or Clifford Brown.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#People
#Saying
#Sound
When did we begin to lose faith in our ability to effect change?
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Ability
#Faith
#Effect
#Change
When I auditioned for my high school band the band director was excited because my father was known to be a great musician. When he heard me, he said 'Are you sure you're Ellis's son?'
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#School
#Son
#Father
When I first came to New York everybody on the scene would treat me like I could play, but I couldn't.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Play
#First
Whenever you face a man who's playing your instrument, there's a competition.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Man
#Competition
You need a team. You need people to push you. You need opponents.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#People
#Opponents
There are forces all around you who wish to exploit division, rob you of your freedom, and tell you what to think. But young folks can rekindle the weary spirit of a slumbering nation.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Freedom
#Spirit
#Nation
The young very seldom lead anything in our country today. It's been quite some time since a younger generation pushed an older one to a higher standard.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Time
#Today
#Country
Only a few act - the rest of us reap the benefits of their risk.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Risk
#Act
#Rest
#Benefits
I wanted to make somebody feel like Coltrane made me feel, listening to it.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Listening
It was Dr. King's tireless activism that fostered our modern way of relating to one another.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Activism
It's important to address young people in the reopening of New Orleans. In rebuilding, let's revisit the potential of American democracy and American glory.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#People
#Democracy
#American
#Potential
#Glory
Jazz is not the kind of music you are going to learn to play in three or four years or that you can just get because you have some talent for music.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Years
#Play
#Talent
#Jazz
#Music
Many a revolution started with the actions of a few. Only 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. A few hanging together can lead a nation to change.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Independence
#Men
#Change
#Actions
#Nation
#Revolution
Maybe the preoccupation with technological progress has overshadowed our concern with human progress.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Progress
#Concern
My daddy expected that my brothers and I and our generation would make the world a better place. He had lived in an America of continual social progress.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#World
#America
#Progress
#Brothers
There's the tradition in jazz of having the Battle of the Bands, and you do not want to get your head cut when you're playing.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Want
#Jazz
#Tradition
#Battle
My older brother and myself always played together in bands, but we never knew we would be professional musicians.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Musicians
#Brother
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,
American
Musician
#Fight
People have taken time out of their day and spent their money to come sit down at a concert. And it's jazz music-it's not easy for them to get to it. I don't want them ever to feel that I'm taking their presence lightly.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Want
#Time
#People
#Day
#Money
#Jazz
#Music
What, other than injustice, could be the reason that the displaced citizens of New Orleans cannot be accommodated by the richest nation in the world?
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#World
#Reason
#Nation
#Injustice
We always hear about the rights of democracy, but the major responsibility of it is participation.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Responsibility
#Democracy
#Rights
#Participation
What I really have in my head, my imagination, my understanding of music, I never really get that out.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Imagination
#Understanding
#Music
Thank the good Lord for a job.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Job
The rebuilding of New Orleans is an important point in the history of the United States.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#History
#states
#United
The nerves are a problem on trumpet, because when you mess up everyone can hear it. Just remember most people are too polite to say anything about it. That should calm your nerves.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#People
#Nerves
The musicians I respected were much older than me. I expected them to cut my head, and they did.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Musicians
The first time I ever played the trumpet in public, I played the Marine Hymn. I sounded terrible.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Time
#Public
#First
The best way to be, is to do.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
The bandstand is a sacred place.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
We looked up to our father. He still is much greater than us.
Wynton Marsalis,
American
Musician
#Father