Photos of Wynton Marsalis can give the impression of a man with a cool demeanor.
Not in that Miles Davis or Dizzy Gillespie kind of way, but in an urbane, upright, elegant and well-scrubbed way.
When Black America Web's Reginal Thomas talked to the 45-year-old jazz trumpeter, he was led to think otherwise.
Beneath the seemingly detached calm is a torrent of passion -- for education, the community, the arts and the synergy among them.
It is the music, however, where Marsalis’ tone seems clearest.
“The groove identifies the dance, and the dance is the vitality of the piece,” he said.
It’s a point Marsalis has been making with his gift since he released his first album. His latest album, “From Plantation to Penitentiary,” echoes some of those same themes, tracking the journey of black Americans from slavery to today.
Now, as artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, Marsalis is involved in numerous education programs that introduce music to children. Whether it is in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged streets of his native New Orleans, or the boroughs of New York City, Marsalis is on a mission.
It's his world, and we are just a captive audience:
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