Wynton Marsalis on “60 Minutes” January 2, 2011 (Video)

The profile featured live concert footage interspersed with interview segments. Of the historical importance of jazz as a unique art form, Wynton Marsalis said: “The arts are our collective human heritage. You’re a

better person if you know what Shakespeare was talking about. If you know what Beethoven struggled with, if you know about Matisse. If you know what Louis Armstrong actually sang through his horn, you’re

better….because it’s like you get to speak with the wisest people who ever lived.” The profile featured live concert footage interspersed with interview segments. Of the historical importance of jazz as a unique art

form, Wynton Marsalis said: “The arts are our collective human heritage. You’re a better person if you know what Shakespeare was talking about. If you know what Beethoven struggled with, if you know about Matisse. If you know what Louis Armstrong actually sang through his horn, you’re better….because it’s like you get to speak with the wisest people who ever lived.” Wynton Marsalis, America’s music ambassador, was on “60 Minutes” tonight. Morley Safer went on a jazz tour with Marsalis on the Lincoln Center Orchestra on the show. The company was in London and Havana during this episode of “60 Minutes.”

Jazz is uniquely American, and the show featured Wynton Marsalis bringing the music to people all over the world. This is what he considers his lifelong mission, and he came by it honestly being the son of Ellis Marsalis, a famous jazz pianist from New Orleans. New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz.

The group not only performed, but they also taught. While in Havana, Ted Nash, the band’s saxophone player, patiently showed a young Cuban girl how to coax soulful notes out of the horn. Nash said, “It’s so beautiful to travel, because we get to mix with people, maybe at a point when we would normally be getting kind of worn out…we get kind of recharged a little bit from the energy of the people.”

Wynton Marsalis said that “The arts are our collective human heritage. You’re a better person if you know what Shakespeare was talking about. If you know what Beethoven struggled with, if you know about Matisse. If you know what Louis Armstrong actually sang through his horn, you’re better.” He is right, and Marsalis serves a worthy mission for his life. His “60 Minutes” appearance was memorable and beautiful. It appears as if he and his orchestra were able to touch and teach many people throughout the world. You can see the segment in the two videos below.