(audience applauds) - First band you're gonna hear is Norfolk State U.

(audience cheers) (cheerful jazz music) - [Audience Member] Whoo!

- Two years ago was super impactful for our band program as jazz musicians.

Getting able to get into the culture of it and see the greats like Wynton and the rest of his band, it really impacted us.

For us coming back, it's kind of like coming back home.

Yes, we're from Norfolk at Norfolk State University, but it's cool to see our growth.

And hearing the same messages, the same stuff that Wynton preaches again but understanding it at a whole new level is really just great.

(wily jazz music) - We'd like to start with acknowledging our band directors, our ensemble directors, and we're gonna have them all come up and stand in front of the stage.

Norfolk State University, Stephanie K. Sanders.

(audience applauds and cheers) (audience member shouting) - [Wynton] I love my young people, my directors.

You know, a lot of 'em I knew when they were 18 and 19.

- I only have three out of the entire jazz ensemble that are back this time.

So this is a new green group, and they're excited.

- [Adriel] There is a little bit of pressure, but we've been practicing.

We put our work in, and we're just gonna see what's happening.

- I'm very, very excited to experience the new bands that have come and joined the Virginia Arts Festival.

The most rewarding is seeing the fruits of our labor, honestly, the long hours, the many days going over this music and conveying a message that people can gravitate towards and perceive, honestly.

- [Stephanie] I just told them, you know, all these bands that are here, you just need to hear some good music from all of these programs.

Every band that's here has a stellar program.

I think it's a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet other musicians that wanna explore jazz, but to also have Wynton Marsalis, you know, they can touch him.

They can talk to him.

(rehearsal jazz music) (band member vocalizing) - If you're gonna ask questions, please come to the microphones.

You can line up behind them.

And please welcome Wynton Marsalis.

(audience cheers and applauds) - Nice to meet you.

Thank you very much.

It's a pleasure for me to be here to talk to everybody.

- Good afternoon, Mr. Marsalis.

My name's Myron Peter Contrent.

I'm a fourth-year music education major at the Norfolk State University.

- "The?"

Oh.

- Oh, can't forget.

- Oh, (chuckles), oh, oh, oh.

I like it, ain't nothing wrong with that.

- I'm Laila Bazemore from Norfolk State University.

I play trombone and piano.

Nice to meet you.

- My pleasure.

- How do you go about balancing like form and I guess the normal build of going about jazz, the approach with the emotion, the feeling, the soul of it?

- The mistake we make sometimes is that we think our balance is the balance.

There's billions of perceptions, billions of soul.

I think you have to ascertain what the balance is for you, and you have to analyze your own plan.

(low-key jazz music) - [Audience Member] Whoo!

- [Stephanie] So members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center did clinics with the participating bands.

They listened to the music, gave their ideas and input, and we just happened to have Carlos the bassist, and he just did a wonderful job of talking with the students, relating to them.

(low-key bass music continues) (lively trumpet music) (lively trumpet music continues) (audience cheers and applauds) - Our music was integrated before other stuff in American life.

The white musicians were participants in it changing the society.

It's what Benny Goodman wanted to see.

It's what Gerry Mulligan, all these great white jazz musicians, they wanted to see a deeper level of engagement.

Now, we as a nation, we fall short of it.

But yeah, I can't wait.

I love the kids and the directors.

I look forward to it, just hugging them, you know?

- My name's Hezekiah Hope, senior music education major at Norfolk State.

My question is, in your life and in your career as a musician, how have you dealt with burnout?

Or how have you dealt with losing motivation but still knowing, "I got a gig this weekend, so I can't not want to play"?

- If you feel like you're not motivated, find somebody you know who you wanna play for, or find a person you can talk to that is smart, that will tell you sometimes stuff you don't wanna hear.

It doesn't matter what color you are, you gotta practice, man.

(cheerful trumpet music) (cheerful trumpet music continues) My main thing is take yourself seriously.

Like take your thoughts, your ideas, your dreams, take your stuff seriously 'cause a lot of it is uphill.

Another thing is always write a mission statement, and that mission statement should have three sentences: what you do or you wanna do, how you're gonna go about doing it, and why you're doing it.

It's very simple, what, how, or through what means, and why.

- Good afternoon, Mr. Marsalis.

- Yes.

- My name is Jabbari Stanton, and I am from Norfolk State University and a bass sax player.

The question I have for you was, how would you advise someone who wants to be a dedicated musician but has aspirations outside of music?

- Do what you wanna do.

Do both of 'em if you can.

There ain't no law say you can't do two things.

(sophisticated jazz music) Yeah, I just wanna say that sometimes people deserve awards.

They don't get them.

Sometimes they don't deserve 'em, and they get them.

Okay, and I don't want you to take it any kind of way, except if you don't like that you got an award, practice harder.

- In 2023, the Norfolk State University Jazz Ensemble was selected to perform an opening set for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra's concert.

Let's behold the green and gold and welcome Norfolk State University.

- All right, thank you.

(audience applauds) (audience member shouts indistinctly) All right, thank you.

(Stephanie snaps) (energetic jazz music) (energetic jazz music continues) (energetic jazz music continues) - So now I'm gonna announce the two bands selected to perform this evening, and of course it was difficult to select two bands, but here they are.

Huston-Tillotson University.

(audience applauds) Florida A&M University.

(audience continues applauding) Congratulations to everybody.

- All right, we'll see you in two more years.

We'll be back again.

(energetic jazz music) (bus swooshing) (energetic jazz music continues) (energetic jazz music continues)