Quotes:
Chosen for the Portable Wisdom feed on February 7, 2026
“Inextricably Linked in Freedom”
The originators of jazz were only two generations removed from slavery. They were victims of rigorous forms of segregation that routinely and institutionally denied their humanity. So freedom was much more than a word to them. These pioneering musicians were exuberant about exhibiting this newfound personal freedom through their art. But they were also excited about hearing other people do the same thing. They understood that all were inextricably linked in freedom, just as they had been inextricably linked in bondage. And it wasn’t theory; it was life as they lived it.
Wynton Marsalis, 2008 from the book Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life
© 2008 Wynton Marsalis Enterprises