There's The Tradition In Jazz Of Having

It's Really Not A Stretch. The Checks And Balances Are The Same. The Drums Are The Executive Branch. The Jazz Orchestra Is The Legislative Branch. Logic And Reason Are Like Jazz Solos. The Bass Player Is The Judicial Branch. One Our Greatest Ever Is Milt Hinton, And His Nickname Is "the Judge."

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 About Whether It's Contemporary Or Not.

But You Listen To Coltrane And That's Something Human, Something That's About Elevation. It's Like Making Love To A Woman. It's About Something Of Value, It's Not Just Loud. It Doesn't Have That Violent Connotation To It. I Wanted To Be A Jazz Musician So Bad, But I Really Couldn't. There Was No Way I Could Figure Out To Learn How To Play.

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.

This Rebuilding Of New Orleans Gives Us The Perfect Opportunity To See If We're Ready To Extend The Legacy Of Dr. King.