I just finished this book, given to me by my friend Marc Barbier.  I have always felt a supreme respect for Jazz, and for those who participate in it, however, but I don't think I come close to really understanding it.  When experiencing jazz live, I'm often faced with a strange tension between 1) being drawn to its very inclusive, communal nature (there is a lot of intra-band communication), and 2) being excluded, as if from a conversation being had in a foreign language.  In fact, I hear it the same way I hear someone speaking in a romance language - it sounds great, but I cannot understand it.  Reading Wynton Marsalis' letters to an aspiring jazz musician (Anthony) was enlightening in a lot of ways - not only in broadening my understanding of jazz, and how folks approach it and participate in it - but also in understanding how Wynton's views of artistic expression can be applied to many of the things I'm doing right now.  I also enjoyed his colloquial writing style (at the end of a letter/chapter he'll often write something like "Well, my hand is getting tired - catch you later bro").  I envy Anthony (whoever he is) for having a mentor so well-established in the world of Jazz, be so dedicated to imparting knowledge to him and maintaining a relationship.  This is probably the thing that impacted me most about this book: the relationships that are built among jazz musicians.  Those who speak the language of jazz are bonded so tightly, and their community is so attractive because it is real and witnessed by all as being something good.  Yet it remains so undefinable, because it is formed by people in a collective pursuit of something that is bigger and more beautiful than themselves, and it can only be fully, truly experienced by those who are in participation.  It's not so much about the performance (giving something to an audience because it is created for their enjoyment), as much as it is extending an invitation (inviting the audience to experience the joy, passion, and energy that is happening among the musicians as they play).  An onlooker is faced with the realization that what they are attracted to was not curated for their enjoyment, but rather they are attracted to the enjoyment that is being had by those who are participating in it.