Renowned American trumpeter, composer, and jazz icon Wynton Marsalis has described his visit to Nigeria as a dream come true, saying it offers him a personal and artistic connection to the African roots that have long inspired his music.

Marsalis, who performed in Lagos as part of his international tour with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, said coming to Nigeria represents a full-circle moment in his lifelong pursuit of understanding Africa’s musical traditions and cultural spirit.

“It’s a dream for me to visit Nigeria,” he said. “I’m from the most African city in the US, but we don’t know how African. I have always pursued the traditions of Africa. I’m not so shocked about the soul, diversity and sophistication of Africans.”

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, the Grammy winning musician, celebrated for his artistry and commitment to preserving jazz heritage, explained that the African influence is deeply embedded in the sound and soul of his hometown, New Orleans which he called “the most African city in America.”

Marsalis said his Nigerian visit reaffirmed the shared rhythm and humanity that connect African and African-American musical traditions. His performance in Lagos, held in collaboration with Runway Jazz, brought together artists and audiences in what he described as an expression of unity through music.

“We are bringing real jazz, the music itself,” Marsalis noted during the visit, emphasising that his tour is not about commercial spectacle but about authenticity and cultural truth.

Marsalis’ appearance at Runway Jazz, alongside Nigerian performers and enthusiasts, was part of a larger celebration of jazz as a language of freedom, creativity, and shared heritage.

Convener of Runway Jazz, Afolabi Oke, hailed the collaboration as historic for Nigeria’s cultural landscape.

“For the very first time to have a full jazz orchestra in Lagos, it’s amazing. This is history in the making today,” Oke said.

For Marsalis, the Lagos concert was more than just a performance; it was a homecoming of spirit, a reconnection with the origins of the rhythms that shaped his life’s work.

“When you present people stuff with some dignity, some intelligence… when you’re speaking directly to people with a warmth and a soulfulness and a spirituality, you don’t have to do all of that,” he reflected, underscoring his belief that true music transcends borders and speaks to the soul. (AriseNews TV)

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