“[Our] songs, dances, writings allow us to speak to one another across generations. They gave us an understanding of our commonality long before the DNA told us we are all part of one glorious procession.”
“At any point on the timeline of human history, there are tales to be told — of love and loss, glory and shame, profundity, and even profound stupidity, tales that deserve retelling, embellishing, and if need be, inventing from whole cloth. This is our story. This is our song. If well sung, it tells us who we are and where we belong.”
Wynton Marsalis
The Balad of American Arts
Wynton Marsalis gave the Nancy Hanks Lecture at the Kennedy Center on March 30, 2009. He tells a story about art and identity. And then he plays.
Wynton Marsalis: 22nd Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy from Americans for the Arts on Vimeo.
Robbo
That was brilliant. Thank you.
I get ticked off by the current copyright “reforms” that are locking up our public domain and stealing the words, sounds and images from our creative lexicon with which to tell these vital stories and sing these necessary songs so aptly described by Mr. Marsalis.
With persistence, endurance and just sheer luck we may survive the corporate onslaught against culture and continue to spin the tales of who we are, were and dream to be.
Cheers.
admin
Glad you liked it, sorry I gave you a reason to goof off for an hour watching it.