Showing The Way

For a long time I have felt that musicians (and other artists) are showing a way forward to the world. One of the reasons why I've loved jazz since I was a young child is how individual expression is balanced with collaboration in an ensemble and how the music absorbs influences from people and music all over the world. As the great drummer Art Blakey famously said, "Jazz is not African. Jazz developed in this country as a kind of stew of various social and musical ingredients thrown together in a pot." As I think about jazz in this way, it inspires me with a message of hope for the world.