When JazzReach’s Metta Quintet ended its recent campus visit with a masterclass for William & Mary’s jazz band, students received mentorship from some of the best musicians of our time.

Wisdom flowed: Look and listen while you play. Phrase solos with intention. Vary volume and tempo to reflect emotion. Breathe!

But the most important lesson went unspoken, conveyed in the way the artists approach their craft and the collective sound they inspire.

Jazz, America’s classical music, is democracy’s soundtrack — one and many at work, bouncing, swinging and, at times, teetering together.

As with democracy, jazz’s magic is messy and unpredictable. The music zigs and zags with an alacrity of the moment. Often, it sounds better than it looks.

A few minutes into the class, Metta’s tenor saxophoni

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