During the 40th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, US President Bill Clinton left an entire audience stunned when he stepped up on stage with a live jazz band to reveal his secret musical talent.
Decades later, the moment is still wowing jazz fans as they discover a brand new side to the political leader; one that brings him back down to earth from his celebrity status and proves he’s just another guy with a vivid passion for music.
Amassing more than 3.2 million views to date, Music Man readers can check out the moment Bill Clinton stole the show in the viral video above.
As the jazz pros crowd the stage, Bill Clinton is handed a saxophone while shaking hands with the musicians, one of them soon taking the mic and filling the audience with anticipation, telling them, “You haven’t heard nothing yet!”
With Hillary Clinton watching on from the crowd, Bill snatches the limelight from the jazz pros as he glitzes a smooth sax solo over their backing track, unleashing his surprising hidden talent for the world to see.
Such a spontaneous performance could have ended in disaster – the President taking to the stage with what seems like no rehearsal time or forethought to stepping on stage for a solo. But Bill slays the show completely, spurring countless viewers to wonder where on earth he learned to play.
According to the Met Museum, Bill has had a lifelong love for music, practicing the art as a hobby for up to “four hours at a time.” Jazz is his main game, having played in his high school’s jazz ensemble, and even tinkering with the idea of pursuing music as a career before stepping into the world of politics.
This Newport Jazz Fest performance wasn’t the only time Bill shocked the world with his unexpected sax skills. In 1992, during his Presidential campaign, Bill appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show in a clip that’s since become the stuff of meme legend, playing the sax wearing shades and a suit in a hilariously sweet performance. Don’t believe us? Just check out the moment in our second video above!
After discovering Bill’s secret skill, viewers flocked to the YouTube comments to reveal their thoughts. One fan wrote, “Jazz music is America’s greatest cultural contribution to the world. Very appropriate for the president to be playing this.” But another drew out the satire of Bill’s Newport Jazz Fest gig when they hilariously commented, “If it starts with an “S” and ends in “X”, you know Bill is good at it!”
Bill Clinton’s surprise Newport jam remains a joyous reminder that great music transcends status, and the viral clip keeps delighting listeners. If you’d like to watch the moment again or learn more about the festival and Clinton’s musical side, check the useful links below this paragraph.