1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: This is Bloomberg Best. Bloomberg Best is about the insight 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: and the context that we get from our guests. It's 3 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: a great way to catch up on some of the 4 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: stories you might have missed on the Bloomberg stories you're 5 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: not going to find in any other news organizations. Bloomberg 6 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: Best Bloomberg's Best stories of the week, powered by twenty 7 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: seven hundred journalists and analysts in more than a hundred 8 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: twenty countries around the world. I'm at Baxter and On 9 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: Denise Pelligrini on this weekend edition of Bloomberg Best. It 10 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: objectifies a lot about basic prisons. Jazz is a national 11 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: art form now, is Elvi is going to not be 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: the King Man, Well, you're gonna put jazz i Felgus 13 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: of the King Whitten Marcellus on why some insists jazz 14 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 1: is dead. For somebody like me to complain is I'd 15 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: have to be out of my mind. The Jazz great 16 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: and managing director at Lincoln Center on music, race and 17 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: the world. All this and more coming up in the 18 00:00:54,760 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: next hour of Bloomberg Best. All right, we've been looking 19 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,639 Speaker 1: forward to this one for weeks, oh have we? That's right, 20 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: The one and only went and Marcellus on all the 21 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: big topics. We had a chance to hear from him 22 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: on the David Rubens Toun Show Peer to Peer Conversations. 23 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: Let's listen in. So, do you get tired of people 24 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: calling you a jazz legend? You feel older when they 25 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: say that to you. Yeah, I like the word jazz. 26 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: I don't like the legend. Um. Let's talk about your 27 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: family for a moment. Sadly, your father passed away in 28 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: April at the age of eighty five because of COVID. 29 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: So it must have been a very sad loss because 30 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: you were very close to him, of course, Yeah, for 31 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,559 Speaker 1: all of us, for me and my brothers, of course, 32 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: as he's our father. We loved him so much. He 33 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: was such a such an example for us, and he was. 34 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: He's such a kind man and a man with a 35 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: with a large worldview and also a large person. He 36 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: never he didn't do small things. He was very philosophical. 37 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: He wasn't a touchy feely type of person. He's from 38 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: that generation to It wasn't a lot of hugging and 39 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: I love it, I love you was going on, but 40 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: there was underneath a lot of of resolve and and seriousness. 41 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: And just just kind of deep love not just for us, 42 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 1: but also he had many students who who love him 43 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: and and love to tell stories about him, and he 44 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: supported a lot of a lot of us. So, for 45 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: those who may not be familiar, your father was a very, 46 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: very prominent jazz pianist. When you were growing up, did 47 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: you you obviously looked up to your father. Um was 48 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: he somebody who said I want you to be a 49 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: trumpet player. I want you to be a jazz trumpet player. 50 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: Did he not push you into that? No, he didn't 51 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: push any of us into anything. You know, I went, 52 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: I always hung out with him. My father really struggled 53 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: when I was growing up. He was trying to play 54 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: modern jazz uh in segrette in the era of segregation 55 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: and in clubs and with a populist that didn't like 56 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 1: that style of music. So much of my experience was 57 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: going to sparsely populated clubs with him and UH in 58 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: colorful areas. So I love to go because I was 59 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: always the only kid in the room. And it started 60 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: when I was three, four or five years old, and 61 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: it continued until I got into high school and started 62 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: to work myself. But I always went with him and 63 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: identified with his struggle really because he continued to play 64 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: even though he didn't get audience support. He was not 65 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: well known, he wasn't famous, He struggled financially. He never complained, 66 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: and he had he was very high minded in his 67 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: belief in jazz and and and in his belief in 68 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: the necessity of it as as a as a tool 69 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,839 Speaker 1: for healing people, in raising consciousness and things like that. 70 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: So when you were growing up, you obviously experienced racial 71 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: discrimination because there was a segregated area. That is that right, 72 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: yah know, that defined the entire uh segregation, discrimination, racism. 73 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: That was just a part of life. Like it's it's 74 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: not something you could uh as, there's not philosophy, I'm 75 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: talking now, it's just how was your neighborhood looked a 76 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 1: certain way the white neighborhoods was a certain way. Black 77 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: people generally lived in our area on one side of 78 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: railroad tracks. We had still had ditches in our streets, 79 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: and any type of systems always worked against you, and 80 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: you you had to uh, it was just what it was, 81 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: what the system was. You didn't have distance from it, 82 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: so you didn't have It's easy to look back on 83 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: a thing and experience it not the way you experienced 84 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: it when you grew in it. When you grew in it, 85 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: it was very much a fact of life. So I 86 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: happened to be someone who never liked it. So I 87 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:23,359 Speaker 1: fought with it a lot and had a lot of 88 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: problems in that system. But most people adapted to it 89 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: and we're okay with it. They didn't like it, but 90 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: they would sometimes. Sometimes you're not in a bad situation 91 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: in this case, we talked about racism. It could be anything, 92 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 1: could be a health situation. The degree to what you're 93 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,160 Speaker 1: willing to fight against it really is is based on 94 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: your your your ability to accept the pain of fighting 95 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: against it. So are you surprised about the Black Lives 96 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: Matter situation? Here we are in the year, well advanced 97 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: past the time that you grew up, and we still 98 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: have racial problems of that type. Yeah, we're not anywhere 99 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: near advanced past what I grew up with, So no, 100 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: I'm not surprised by it. I had the honor to 101 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: go into so many American schools throughout the eighties and 102 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: nineties and early two thousand's it probably will over a 103 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: thousand schools. So we have a segregation in our systems 104 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: in general. So no, no, it doesn't none of None 105 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: of it is surprising to me. So today, as a 106 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,719 Speaker 1: famous jazz musician, you're recognized all over the country, in 107 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,360 Speaker 1: many places around the world. Do you feel you are 108 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: still suffering from racial discrimination? Do you still feel, even 109 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:35,720 Speaker 1: despite your exalted status in the music world, you are 110 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: really not treated the same as you would be if 111 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: you were white. Yes, I feel that. I feel that 112 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: in terms of the kind of intellectual patronization that I received, 113 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: the low level of criticism of our music. Um, I'm 114 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: subject to things, of course, nothing like what I grew 115 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: up with. Nor do I make a habit of complaining 116 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: about it constantly because I'm also treated in a way 117 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: with so much respect by so many people. Did for 118 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: me to complain would be it would be past gratuitous. 119 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: So you asked me the question directly, Yes, I will say, 120 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: have been treated unfairly by by newspapers something like the 121 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: New York Times. The way our institution jazz and then 122 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: concerning it has been covered is abominable. Even though we 123 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: get articles, the quality of those articles are always very poor, 124 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: poorly research the writers oftentimes down to the history and 125 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: lack the intelligence and depth of engagement with the form 126 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:32,239 Speaker 1: to be qualified to speak on it in a paper 127 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: of record. But because it's jazz, it doesn't matter. So 128 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 1: that's only in direct response to your question because I 129 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:43,359 Speaker 1: don't want to. I don't want to confuse it with 130 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: when I was growing up. Are the situations that I 131 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: found myself and on my father's situational grandfathers, or let's 132 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 1: go back in the generations. So I'm not doing that, 133 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,359 Speaker 1: and I'm very, very grateful for how I've been treated 134 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,479 Speaker 1: by people all over this country of all kinds. So 135 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: there's a story that when you were time, your father 136 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: had you sit down with I think Al Hurt and 137 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: maybe it's Miles Davis, and they said, how would you 138 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: like to play the trumpet? And they gave you a 139 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: trumpet to play. Is there anything true to that? You know, 140 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: when I was six, my father was playing without her 141 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: and al Hert gave me a trumpet for my sixth birthday, 142 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: So that's true. And my father Lady was talking to 143 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 1: Miles Davis. He said, I'm getting my son a trumpet. 144 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: Before before al got me a trumpet, my father was 145 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: talking to Miles. You're standing without your mole, said don't 146 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: get that boy a trumpets too hard. So that is 147 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: a true story. Okay, So as you grew up, you 148 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: were actually, as I understand that, a classical musician more 149 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: than a jazz musician. And when you went to Juilliard 150 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: where you went to college, Um, you were interested in 151 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: classical music. Is that true? No. I grew up always 152 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: wanting to play jazz, but jazz was It's always much 153 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: more difficult to learn in that time, especially than classical music. 154 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: Because my father's a jazz musician. I was always around 155 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: the music. I was raised in the culture. I love 156 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: the musicians. My father was a modern jazz musician. He 157 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: wasn't playing New Orleans jazz, but at a certain time, 158 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: when I was maybe ten or eleven, he started to 159 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: play New Orleans music. And I also played and Danny 160 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,559 Speaker 1: Parker's fairew Baptist Church Band, which was a New Orleans 161 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: traditional band jazz. It was difficult at that time for 162 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: a person of my age, in my generation to figure 163 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: out what it was because it was not a part 164 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: of the American mythology, whereas the classical music. He had 165 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: competitions and and and classes you could go to so 166 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: you could get a track record on your on your 167 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: on your resume, Like if you see what did I do? 168 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: It will say when I was fourteen, I want a 169 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: competition to play the Hiding Trumpet Concerto with the New 170 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: Orleans Philharmonic. But I was playing jazz the whole time. 171 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: But what could I say that I did? I played 172 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: in the club called Tyler's Beer Gardens on on on 173 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: a Wednesday. But one year you want to Grammy. The 174 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: only person I ever went a Grammy and jazz and 175 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: the classical music in the same year. It's funny story 176 00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 1: about my father. He went to the Grammys. He even 177 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 1: was not into those kind of things, and he sat 178 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 1: through the whole show and he was like, wow, you know, 179 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:06,560 Speaker 1: just the Grammys. So at the end of the show 180 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: I won. I was in the back in the hotel 181 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 1: with him and my mother. I was like, you know, 182 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: getting ready to go out to the party or something, 183 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: and I was I was like, yeah, man. My daddy 184 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 1: looked at me and he was wondering. He said, man, 185 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: he said, I'm glad that was the Grammys. He said, yeah, 186 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: I'm glad you want. I mean, don't don't get me wrong, 187 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: it's great to do it, but you don't think this 188 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: means you can play, do you? So? I still at 189 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: laughed because I was like twenty two and I knew 190 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: what he was saying, because I still, of course had 191 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 1: a long way to go to learn how to play. 192 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: You could argue classical music came from Europe, and you 193 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,199 Speaker 1: can argue that other parts of music came from other 194 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: parts of the world. But jazz was invented in the 195 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: United States, and it's a classic American kind of invention. 196 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: I would say, um, but why is it so hard 197 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: for some people to understand that You've written a book 198 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 1: about it, and you make it in your book sound 199 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: like it's almost a religious experience to play jazz and 200 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 1: understand jazz. It's important to be an individual and who 201 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: can play well, but also to play with the team. 202 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: Can you explain why jazz is almost like a religion 203 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: to people who care about jass? Well, jazz is our 204 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: national art form and as such, it objectifies a lot 205 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: of our basic principles. And if a group of people 206 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: are are blessed to have an art form which you 207 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: can have a civilization and a society, you may never 208 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: create an art form that has that does that. It's 209 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: a blessing. So America was blessed with a group of 210 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: musicians and a social condition that produced this music. That 211 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,959 Speaker 1: the music has three fundamental elements. The first is improvisation, 212 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: which is our kind of individuality and what we what 213 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: we believe in. We have rights and freedoms and things 214 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: that are about the individual. Then swing, which is about 215 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: nurturing common ground, finding balance with other people, working out 216 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: an agenda as you go along under the pressure of time. 217 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: And then the blues. And the blues is an optimism, 218 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: it's not naive. So the blues also implies an acuity. 219 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: That's that's a democratic thing. Now, suffice to say that 220 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: everything in the music ties into things that we do, 221 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: down to the three branches of government, like the rivem 222 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 1: section are what to a man, the Constitution is like 223 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: adding to an arrangement. I could go on and on, 224 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,680 Speaker 1: and after a while of giving you these examples, you'll 225 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: realize these are not superficial things that are contrived, that 226 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: they actually come out of the American way of life. 227 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: Now to kind of give you it's gonna be a 228 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: little longer answer, but it's important because the central question 229 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: of jazz's position in our country concerns the relationship of 230 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: slavery to the American identity and our mythology as a country. 231 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 1: Black Americans buying large in our country have little or 232 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 1: no knowledge of jazz, and uh, jazz is the greatest 233 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 1: achievement of the Afro American culture in the context of 234 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,559 Speaker 1: the American culture, meaning it's Afro American, but it applies 235 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: to all Americas, as many things in American culture apply 236 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:58,199 Speaker 1: to all Americas. Our poor public education system make sure 237 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: that a certain group remains ignorant. And the average white 238 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: jazz writer is actually a rock fan who's for a 239 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: long time, which the jazz will actually be something else 240 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:10,839 Speaker 1: without black folks at the core of it. But it 241 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 1: maybe jazz will just die away. That's why if you 242 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 1: study jazz, there's a longstanding tradition of article after article, 243 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:22,560 Speaker 1: the decade after decade saying it's jazz dead. That's probably 244 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: one of the most questions that's been asked since the 245 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:28,719 Speaker 1: nineteen thirties. Now, all of this investment and the destruction 246 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: of jazz is to further obscure a big lie that 247 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 1: jazz uncovers. And it's important to look at this because 248 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: it's it's a serious it's a serious thing to consider 249 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: if we are to transform our nation. If we say 250 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: our nation is based on human freedom, and we're the 251 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: first on earth founded on the glorious celebration of human freedom, dignity, 252 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,080 Speaker 1: and rights, how do we then reconcile and correct the 253 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: systemic the humanizing ownership, brutalizing a large underclass of people 254 00:12:57,240 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 1: for free labor because of their skin color. It's too 255 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 1: much in justice to correct, so we're forced to say 256 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:06,080 Speaker 1: that those people are responsible for the problem. They're less 257 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 1: than human and it's just their condition. But if they aren't, 258 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,200 Speaker 1: if it's not their condition, it means that omnithology and 259 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 1: belief about ourselves is not true. Now, if Elvis gonna 260 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: not be the king, man, well you're gonna put jazz 261 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,040 Speaker 1: if Elvis of the king. So let me ask you, 262 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:23,439 Speaker 1: if I were to go to and listen to a 263 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 1: Tchaikovsky concert or a Beethoven concert, it's gonna be mostly 264 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: sounding the same and where never, no matter where I'm 265 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,080 Speaker 1: gonna listen to it, no matter what the orchestra, they 266 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: basically might play slightly better, slightly different, but basically you 267 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 1: know what you're gonna get when you sit down with jazz, 268 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,199 Speaker 1: Am I wrong in that a jazz musician can kind 269 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: of expand on what has been composed and kind of 270 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: play it differently every different time. Is that part of 271 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:51,439 Speaker 1: what jazz is? Uh? All about? The improvisation part? That 272 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: one part allows you to You have a lot of 273 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 1: latitude to do things. It's like the way Americans conduct business, 274 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: all the innovations. We have the freedom we have to speak, 275 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: the fact that we think we can step into space 276 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:06,440 Speaker 1: and use our personality to transform a tradition. Yes, we 277 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: have that freedom. But balancing that freedom is we have 278 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: the responsibility to extend a courtesy and an understanding to 279 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: other people who have those freedoms and nurture that common space. 280 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: That's the part of jazz we struggle with. So in 281 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: your book on Jazz, you talk about some of the 282 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: grades who either played with or who influenced you, and 283 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: I just like to ask your brief comments on some 284 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: of them. Uh. Versus Louis Armstrong, you originally thought he 285 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: was as you say and Uncle Tom, but you obviously 286 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: changed your view. I guess yeah, because it's it was 287 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: It's hard for for later generations to understand, uh, the 288 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: challenges of earlier generation, and and and and norms and 289 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 1: and things of show business and what Louis Armstrong did, 290 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 1: it doesn't mean that necessarily, even with my now I 291 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: understand more of his genius and who he wasn't when 292 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: he played. But it still doesn't mean And when I 293 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: look at the movies he made, all the positions he went, 294 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: I still don't necessarily like that. I don't like a 295 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: lot of where black people or in any of the 296 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: American movies of the nineteen thirties and forties and in fifties, 297 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: and as a matter of fact, some of it now 298 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: a lot of it now uh that he has that 299 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,920 Speaker 1: same type of destructive mythology if you consider the fact 300 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: it when I was a teenager, the heroic figure for 301 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: black youth in movies were pimps. I mean, what is 302 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: it for a pimp to be a hero and be 303 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: at the topic of mythology? So but to not get 304 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: sidetrack with that, yeah, I thought that, But later I 305 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: learned and understood who Louis Armstrong was as a musician, 306 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: that's a totally different story. That man was a genius 307 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: of such magnitude you can't even you could lie about 308 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 1: how great he was, and you still wouldn't be saying enough. 309 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: So you're a composer as well as a performer, educator, conductor, 310 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: and so forth. One of the great composers in the 311 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,800 Speaker 1: jazz world was Duke Ellington. Uh did he have any 312 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: influence on you? Great? You know, I love Duke and 313 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: the Duke's intelligence, his dedication over two thousand pieces, and uh, 314 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: I of him. And because I grew up also listening 315 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 1: to classical music, I love Beethoven. What about Disney Gillespie? 316 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: Was he an influence on you? The thing about Disney, 317 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: because that's hit me first, was the depth of his intelligence. 318 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 1: I met him when I was fourteen, and just when 319 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: he started talking with my daddy and other musicians listened 320 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: to him. Yeah, Dizney was a very intelligent He's part 321 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 1: of the reasoning we we developed jazz at Lincoln Center. 322 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: Because I didn't want to play in a big band, 323 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: because I had always gonna play in small band music, 324 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,360 Speaker 1: and Dinney told me. I called him and asked him, man, 325 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: what do you think I should do? He said, to 326 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: lose ones orchestral heritage should not be considered and achievement. 327 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 1: So he was telling me, because you need to figure 328 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,360 Speaker 1: out how to keep our orchestral heritage. We we paid 329 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: a lot of dudes to builoup orchestral music in jazz 330 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: and for us to just give it away and say 331 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,359 Speaker 1: the big band is old fashioned, that's that's not intelligent. 332 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: Let's talk a bit about jazz at Lincoln Center. So 333 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 1: you began playing jazz at Lincoln Center when in the 334 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 1: late nineteen eighties that evolved into Jazz at Lincoln Center, 335 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 1: which is you're now the director of artistic director and 336 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,959 Speaker 1: music director of the Jazz Lincoln Center Orchestra. Is that right? 337 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: We wanted to fill fill fill a space in the 338 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 1: American arts and and provide enough education and music and advocacy, 339 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: enough concerts for us as a nation to have our 340 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: native art form when it came it came time for 341 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:30,360 Speaker 1: us to address our mythology incorrected so that we can 342 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: move forward as a nation. So we've we've we've succeeded 343 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 1: behind beyond any of our wildness imagination with the volume 344 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:40,680 Speaker 1: of concerts we've been able to do. We built three 345 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:43,400 Speaker 1: concert halls in the middle of men Manhattan on fifty 346 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 1: nine Street, the House of Swing. We have put on 347 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: concert series over thirty years. We have twelve education programs 348 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: and even since this pandemic, I mean we've we've put 349 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: out over over five hundred, six hundred pieces virtually. You know, 350 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: we're we're we're deeply engaged. So when you started Lincoln Center, 351 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: many people Lincoln Center open in the nineteen sixties, people thought, Okay, 352 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:08,119 Speaker 1: this is opera, symphonic music, classical kind of music. You 353 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:11,159 Speaker 1: came along and said maybe we could have jazz. What 354 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: do people say initially when you said we need to 355 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 1: do more jazz at Lincoln Center. We we had a 356 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: lot of support from the top of the organization. Everybody 357 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:20,959 Speaker 1: was everybody was dedicated. And you know when when it 358 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: was found to baby Lincoln Center didn't think about the music, 359 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: or maybe the initial founders of Rockefell and they didn't 360 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,679 Speaker 1: like the music. It doesn't matter. The Constitution was not 361 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: written with the rights of African Americans and Native Americans 362 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:34,439 Speaker 1: in mind. But the Constitution can be amended, and it 363 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:38,040 Speaker 1: has been amended. Let me ask you on a normal 364 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,400 Speaker 1: time before COVID came, and hopefully when COVID's gone, you'll 365 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: return to the situation had before. Are you on the 366 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: road half the time and half the time in New 367 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:48,919 Speaker 1: York or How do you divide your time and how 368 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: do you divide your time between playing, conducting, composing, and teaching. Well, 369 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: I do many things. I'm also the managing director of 370 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,880 Speaker 1: our organization, so I deal with with everything in USA. 371 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: Executive Director Greg Show, and our management team, they're all fantastic, 372 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: uh colleagues. If if anything, I mean I work, I 373 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,920 Speaker 1: work all the time, so I don't I don't separate anything. 374 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: My my work is also my hobby. And this pandemic 375 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: because as I always respected all of my colleagues. But 376 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you that the pandemic has given me 377 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 1: such a greater appreciation of the quality of people. I've 378 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: been blessed to work with our orchestra. We still have 379 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,439 Speaker 1: a vast majority of our staff on. We're open for 380 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: business with getting things done. The orchestra is so supportive 381 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: of the mission of the of the organization. We have 382 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:38,479 Speaker 1: a level arrangers in our orchestra. That's something that has 383 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:42,640 Speaker 1: never happened, composers, teachers, the phone calls I get. Then 384 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 1: when you get to our staff and our managers of 385 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: every division of our building, our financial, our CFO, I 386 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: can go position to position people's dedication will bring me 387 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:55,400 Speaker 1: to tears. And that's why you know we're we're we're 388 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: struggling like all the arts organizations are, because we've lost 389 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: the ability to earn revenue. But we are so for 390 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:06,400 Speaker 1: real about our our mission and achieving it even under 391 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: this type of darrest. I think it's really the greatest 392 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 1: blessing I've had in my life has been to work 393 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: with this high quality of people for this amount of time. 394 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: So I'm I'm so grateful for that opportunity. I don't 395 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,359 Speaker 1: even consider it to be worked when you go overseas. 396 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: Is jazz popular outside the United States? Jazz has never 397 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 1: really been popular, So no, it's not. It's not popular 398 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: like like like phone was popular, like rock and roll 399 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,919 Speaker 1: is popular. It's not popular. It is. It is a 400 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 1: jazz is meaningful and it's necessary. So those who are 401 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,160 Speaker 1: interested in that like jazz. Those who are not, they don't. 402 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 1: They don't like that. There's a lot of other things 403 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: to life. We need to teach our kids about the music. 404 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: It is a national art form. And I always make 405 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: make the point people say, what's gonna be new and jazz? 406 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 1: I said, people are gonna listen to it. That's what's 407 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: the new thing. Let's suppose somebody says, I've never been 408 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,359 Speaker 1: exposed to jazz very much. I guess uh us into 409 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 1: went and Marsalis. I'm persuaded he knows what he's talking about. 410 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:05,959 Speaker 1: Uh So I'm gonna listen to jazz. What is it 411 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: that that you would tell people about why the jazz 412 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 1: experience as a listener is so uh compelling compared to 413 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,479 Speaker 1: other forms of music. Well, because it has a development section, 414 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: so you have to follow what musician has played from 415 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: one point. It's like what I loved about that beats 416 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: open symphony. It wasn't just one thing repeated over and 417 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: over and again. It was a thing and then another thing, 418 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,439 Speaker 1: another thing. Jazz is the music is most in the world. 419 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 1: Like conversation, jazz is a music that the prizes individuality. 420 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:34,679 Speaker 1: You have a lot of great individuals you can interface with, 421 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: from Lester Young, the Billy Holiday to Check Korea, Herbie 422 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: hank I got you can name just name musicians. You 423 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: have great groups that you can love. They're play in 424 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: different forms, and you have the whole appro Latin form 425 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: of jazz that that takes you everywhere from Brazil to 426 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 1: Cuba to Puerto rico. It. It integrates your citizenship and 427 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: your understanding of the world, and mostly and most important, 428 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: it gives you tremendous pride and being America because we 429 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: didn't have to denigratee or cut anybody down or do 430 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 1: anything negative to anybody to create this. It's a non 431 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: predatory form. It's a symbiotic form. And you can be 432 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:12,199 Speaker 1: as rich as you want to be in jazz and 433 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: nobody else has to be poor. You're a teenager by 434 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,920 Speaker 1: my standard, so you're very, very young. But you'll continue 435 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 1: to do this for another couple of decades because this 436 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: is what your love of doing. Is that right, man? 437 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: I still smell simulac on you. I don't know what 438 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: you're talking about. Yeah, I'm gonna do this till I 439 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 1: die if I can, if if the good law willing, 440 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 1: and people will have me. I've been I've been blessed 441 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:40,360 Speaker 1: to do something kind of this, attract and get unbelievable 442 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 1: support from people. That's why earlier when I answered the 443 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: question of racism, for somebody like me to complain's I'd 444 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: have to be out of my mind. And that's it 445 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: for Bloomberg Best. I'm at Baxter and I'm den This 446 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: is Bloomberg footsc regated gaut Gications lot to Cows and 447 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:06,720 Speaker 1: World