Wynton Marsalis is not just one of the jazz masters of New Orleans. Since Katrina, Wynton has been one of the most eloquent speakers about our city. For example, check out his great speech at the Nation Press Club in October 2005, just after Katrina. We quoted some of this speech in Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?, and I wanted to quote even more. In fact, I was tempted to put the whole thing in the book.

Mr. Marsalis is a speaker who can express a true passion for the culture of New Orleans while avoiding all of the clichés about the city. Anyone who wonders whether it is worth the effort to save this city — perhaps after reading the current edition of National Geographic — should consider the cultural importance New Orleans has for the country. Another excellent example of Wynton’s eloquence is the speech he gave at Tulane University in early 2006.

Now, of course, this is “music” Friday, so if you are tired of hearing him talk, click through to listen to him play — over in Japan. That’s his father, Ellis, at the piano. Is that Mt. Fuji in the background?