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Wynton On Being Thankful On Thanksgiving
Turkey may be the ceremonial centerpiece but let’s not forget about stuffing, cranberry sauce and all the comfort and dysfunction that family and extended family bring to the table. Thanksgiving: the mythic meal shared by Native Americans with starving Pilgrims became a symbol of giving to others in need, of accepting kindness with gratitude and of recognizing the temperamental authority of Mother Nature through prayer. It was in response to the bloodiest year of the Civil War, that President Lincoln decreed the final Thursday in November to be the holiday we now observe. Through the years this annual celebration of thanking and giving, praying and cooking has become a sacred tradition. The harder the times, the greater the giving, the deeper the thanks.
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On Martin Luther King’s Legacy
On Monday January 16, 2012 Wynton appeared on CBS This Morning to premiere his remembrance piece on Martin Luther King Jr.
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60 Minutes Profiles Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO
As we bring in the New Year, we thought we’d bring you some great music. He is an American master - Wynton Marsalis - at age 49, arguably the best known living jazz artist and leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, probably the best big band at work today. They’re on the road constantly, bringing America’s most distinctive art form to the world, most recently to London, Berlin and Havana.
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Speech for The Century Association’s Monthly Meeting of Members
My great uncle was born in 1890. He was an artisan who cut the names and last statements of the deceased into their resting stones. I lived with him for the entirety of my 6th year and visited on many weekends. He taught me so many valuable lessons passed down from ‘old folks sometime long ago’ in stories, songs and folkways. My experiences with him saved me from falling into the generation gap. I return in my mind always to his shotgun house on Gov. Nicholls St. in New Orleans with its lack of hot water, 1930’s appliances, and big super-cooling house fan.
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The Spirit of New Orleans
Down on the Bayou where the mighty Mississippi kisses Lake Pontchartrain and spills into the Gulf of Mexico. There sits that jewel of the Southland. What the French lost to the British who gave it to the Spanish who lost it back to the French who sold it to America for….. Well, some folks say Jefferson conned Napoleon in a card game and won it for some jambalaya and a chicory coffee.
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Transcript and audio recording of Wynton giving entire Northwestern Commencement speech
Even though the rain kept me from giving the entire speech I had prepared at Northwestern’s commencement, I wanted to make the full transcript and the audio available to you all.
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Transcript of Wynton’s speech at Jazz in Marciac opening
Yesterday, Wynton spoke in Marciac for the official opening of the Jazz Festival. He was introduced by the producer Jean-Louis Guilhaumon. Here is the transcript of his speech:
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Photo and video: Wynton playing at memorial service for Ed Bradley
A long list of entertainers, journalists, politicians and musicians from across the country packed New York’s Riverside Church for the memorial service, reflecting Bradley’s achievements and diverse interests.
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Wynton played “Just a Closer Step to Thee.” -
Wynton’s speech to the Juilliard’s 2006 Graduating Class
On Friday, May 26, in Alice Tully Hall, Wynton Marsalis spoke for the Juilliard’s 101st commencement ceremony.
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Transcript from Wynton’s speech at World Business Forum
Last night, Wynton was with former President Bill Clinton, Jack Welch, and others between the headliners who spoke to an audience of over 4,000 top business executives during the World Business Forum New York taking place at Radio City Music Hall.
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