"I have made a film about jazz that tries to look through jazz to see what it tells us about who we are as a people. I think that jazz is a spectacularly accurate model of democracy and a kind of look into our redemptive future possibilities"

This quote by Ken Burns talks to the power of jazz as a reflection of our society. He believes that jazz is a best representation of democracy, and that it can reveal us our capacity for redemption. He has actually created a movie that tries to explore this concept, and to utilize jazz as a lens to acquire insight into our cumulative identity. Burns thinks that jazz can supply us with a glimpse of our future, which it can help us to understand ourselves much better. He sees jazz as a powerful tool for self-reflection and development, and he hopes that his movie will assist to bring this message to a broader audience.