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Let Freedom Swing Analysis

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The first amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech. Because of the first amendment, citizens across the United States of America can express themselves and not have any fear of punishment. People don’t only express themselves through voice, but they can also express themselves by making music. Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor discuss in several “Let Freedom Swing” videos the relationship between American democracy and jazz music. They stress the importance of how anyone playing jazz has the ability to speak their own mind freely, and that democracy enables people to exchange ideas and rationalize opinions. The American government and a good jazz band both run smoothly because of democracy, but there will always be controversy within the two. When a group of people are working together to create something, like a new law or a new song, there are going to be people who will disagree. …show more content…

Whether it’s the United State’s President being elected or who is playing the bass or the trumpet in the band, decisions have to be made. Democracy in jazz grants each person the right to share their views on a topic or play their music the way they want to, which naturally causes creative differences to arise. The definition of creative differences is, “An Interpersonal disagreements within a collaborating group of musicians, authors, or other artists, especially resulting in a collapse of the collaboration.” To keep everything running smoothly there needs to be balance within each part of the band. Winton Marsalis said, “Swing is a matter of equilibrium, the constitution is a supreme example of swing.” For the constitution to remain a functioning document the three branches of the government need to stay balanced so that no branch has more power over the

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