Thank you, friends, for joining us tonight for a unique event. An event that isn't about competition; it's about community, and cooperation. Tonight, you won't hear ratings or placements, no one is going to win best soloist or best saxophone section. Tonight, there are no winners and losers - only winners. If you're here tonight, congratulations, you have won.

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The beautiful thing about jazz is that it grew from the oral tradition, not the written tradition. It has been passed on by one musician saying to another, "here, I want to play something for you." This is at the heart of improvisation and the communication that happens on stage when this great music is played. Jazz is taught, at its heart, through the oral tradition. It is not over-regulated. It has a set of guidelines, but  allows us to be creative within those guidelines. This makes it a beautiful metaphor for what we do in everyday life, and what our human potential can be. 

 

Please join me in thanking and applauding our guests tonight: educators, musicians, and students. All are putting the hours in. All are taking the courageous risk of getting on the stage and sharing what they have with us. And all are carrying on the tradition of America's Unique Art Form. Thank you all for coming and enjoy the evening.