Václav Havel’s Words Featured in Let Freedom Swing: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Václav Havel’s Words Featured in Let Freedom Swing, new album featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and special guests, available now on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records.

We are proud to share a special collaboration that brings Václav Havel’s words to a new audience through music.

Let Freedom Swing, released on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records, is the latest album by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. The record features “Mystery of Man,” composed by Czech pianist and composer Emil Viklicky, with words by Václav Havel read by Mario Van Peebles and Alfre Woodward.

Originally written by a playwright who became one of the world’s most influential voices for freedom, Havel’s words remind us that the human spirit cannot be controlled by fear or oppression. As the piece suggests, there is a “mystery” within every person that no tyrant can ever fully possess.

“How can we turn such a contradictory situation around? How can we make our actions correspond to our words? In my opinion, the only possible way is to begin with oneself…”

We are especially honored that Jazz at Lincoln Center acknowledged the Vaclav Havel Center as the organization carrying forward Havel’s legacy in New York through this collaboration. Partnerships like these help introduce Havel’s ideas to new audiences and demonstrate that his message of freedom, responsibility, and human dignity continues to resonate across cultures and artistic disciplines.

We invite you to experience Let Freedom Swing and hear “Mystery of Man” for yourself.
🎵 Listen here: https://jazz.org/freedom

Thank you for helping us keep Václav Havel’s legacy alive.