Wynton Marsalis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wynton Marsalis
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Marsalis at the Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center Seventh Annual Jazz Festival in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wynton Learson Marsalis |
| Born | October 18, 1961 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, post-bop, mainstream, dixieland, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, educator, artistic director |
| Instruments | Trumpet |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Columbia, Sony, Blue Note, Marsalis Music |
| Associated acts | Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra |
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is a famous American trumpet player, composer (someone who writes music), and music teacher. He is the boss of music at a big place called Jazz at Lincoln Center. Wynton loves to share classical and jazz music, especially with young people. He's won nine Grammy Awards, which are like the Oscars for music! His special music piece called Blood on the Fields, an oratorio (a long piece of music for voices and orchestra), was the very first jazz music to win a big award called the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Wynton is also super special because he's the only musician ever to win Grammy Awards for both jazz and classical music in the exact same year.
Contents
Getting Started with Music
Wynton Marsalis was born in the musical city of New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 18, 1961. He grew up in a town nearby called Kenner. Wynton was the second of six brothers! His parents were Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis Jr., who was a talented pianist and music teacher. Wynton was named after another famous jazz piano player, Wynton Kelly. His older brother is Branford Marsalis, and his younger brothers include Jason Marsalis and Delfeayo Marsalis. Guess what? They all became jazz musicians too!
One day, when Wynton's dad was with some famous trumpet players like Al Hirt, Miles Davis, and Clark Terry, he joked that Wynton should get a trumpet. Al Hirt offered to give him one, and just like that, six-year-old Wynton got his first trumpet!
Even though he got his trumpet at six, Wynton didn't really start practicing seriously until he was 12. He went to Benjamin Franklin High School and also studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He learned classical music at school and jazz music at home with his dad. He even played in funk bands and a marching band led by Danny Barker.
Wynton was a talented young musician. He once played his trumpet with the New Orleans Civic Orchestra. When he was just fourteen, he won a music competition! His prize was to play a trumpet concerto (a special piece for trumpet and orchestra) by Joseph Haydn with the New Orleans Philharmonic. Two years later, he played another famous piece, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major by Bach. By seventeen, he was so good that he got into the Tanglewood Music Center, a special music camp, and was one of the youngest people ever accepted. When it was time for college, Wynton applied to two top music schools: the Juilliard School and Northwestern University. He got into both and decided to go to Juilliard.
Becoming a Professional Musician
In 1979, Wynton moved to New York City to study trumpet at the famous Juilliard School. He planned to become a classical musician. However, his plans changed! In 1980, he got a chance to tour Europe with the Art Blakey band. He became a member of Blakey's group, The Jazz Messengers, and played with them until 1982. He left Juilliard in 1981 without finishing his degree to focus on his music career.
Playing with Art Blakey made Wynton realize he wanted to focus on jazz music. He said that his time with Blakey really helped him make this decision. He made his first recording with Blakey. A year later, he toured with another jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. Soon after, Wynton signed a record deal with Columbia and released his first album all by himself. In 1982, he started his own band, a quintet (a group of five musicians). This band included his brother Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Charnett Moffett, and Jeff "Tain" Watts.
Three years later, Branford and Kenny Kirkland left to play with the rock star Sting. So, Wynton formed a new quartet (a group of four). This group featured Marcus Roberts on piano, Robert Hurst on double bass (the big string instrument), and Watts on drums. Over time, more talented musicians joined his band, like Wessell Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, and Eric Reed.
Who Inspired Wynton's Music?
Wynton has said that many great musicians helped shape his playing style. Some of his heroes include jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. He also looked up to famous trumpet players like Harry Sweets Edison, Clark Terry, Cootie Williams, Clifford Brown, and Freddie Hubbard. Early jazz pioneers like Jelly Roll Morton and classical trumpet players like Maurice André also influenced him.
Wynton Marsalis is not just a musician; he's also a great teacher and a spokesperson for music. One writer even called him a "21st-century Leonard Bernstein" (Leonard Bernstein was another very famous musician and teacher who helped many people understand music).
Leading Jazz at Lincoln Center
In 1987, Wynton Marsalis helped create a summer concert series called "Classical Jazz" at Lincoln Center in New York City. Lincoln Center is a huge place for arts like music and theater. These concerts were so popular that "Jazz at Lincoln Center" became its own special department. By 1996, it became a separate organization, just like other famous groups there, such as the New York Philharmonic orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera.
Wynton became the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. This means he's in charge of the music and artistic vision. He also leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as its musical director. This amazing orchestra plays concerts at their home base, Rose Hall. They also travel around the world on tour, visit schools to teach kids about jazz, perform on TV and radio, and even make their own albums through their label, Blue Engine Records.
In 2011, Wynton Marsalis teamed up with famous rock guitarist Eric Clapton for a special concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center. They recorded the concert, and it was released as an album called Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Sharing Music in Many Ways
Wynton Marsalis does more than just play the trumpet and lead an orchestra. He's also a dedicated teacher and shares his love for music in many other ways.
Teaching Through TV and Radio
In 1995, Wynton hosted a TV show for kids and families called Marsalis on Music. It helped people learn about music in a fun way. In the same year, he had a radio series called Making the Music. Both of these shows were so good that they won a very important award called the George Foster Peabody Award, which is a top prize in broadcasting.
Music for Movies and More
Wynton Marsalis also wrote, arranged (planned out the parts for different instruments), and played music for the 2019 movie Bolden, which was about an early jazz musician.
He has also written new classical music. The famous Philadelphia Orchestra played a Violin Concerto (a piece for violin and orchestra) that he wrote in 2015. They also played a Tuba Concerto he composed in 2021. More recently, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced plans to record Wynton's Blues Symphony with conductor Jader Bignamini, with the album released in March 2025.
Other Cool Projects
- In 2005, Wynton played his trumpet at a big event for Apple when they introduced new computers and iPods. He was even in an iPod TV commercial in 2006 featuring his song "Sparks."
- In December 2011, he became a special reporter on culture for the TV show CBS This Morning.
- He helps advise a learning website called CuriosityStream.
- He is also the director of Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School, where he once studied.
- In 2015, Cornell University gave him a special title: A.D. White Professor-at-Large.
Wynton's Ideas About Jazz
Wynton Marsalis is known for loving a style of jazz called straight-ahead jazz. This style often uses traditional jazz instruments and sounds, rather than newer electronic instruments that became popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Wynton believes that real jazz music should have certain important parts, like:
- The feeling of the blues (a type of sad, soulful music).
- Playing well-known jazz songs called "standards."
- A "swing beat" that makes you want to tap your feet.
- Good skills and understanding of jazz history, from early New Orleans jazz up to musicians like Ornette Coleman.
Different Opinions in Music
Not everyone always agrees on what makes music "good" or "jazz." This is normal in the art world!
- Some people think Wynton focuses too much on older styles of jazz and doesn't appreciate newer or more experimental kinds of jazz as much. For example, some musicians in the 1970s mixed jazz with rock music (called fusion), which Wynton wasn't a big fan of.
- Famous pianist Keith Jarrett once said he thought Wynton copied other musicians' styles too much.
- Bass player Stanley Clarke also had some criticisms but said that Wynton has done a lot of good for jazz and helped people respect it more.
Wynton Marsalis also had strong opinions about other music. He and another jazz legend, Miles Davis, didn't always see eye-to-eye. Miles Davis started using rock and pop music sounds in his jazz. Wynton felt this was like turning away from true jazz. Wynton has also shared his thoughts on rap and hip-hop music, sometimes critically.
Wynton understands that when you share strong opinions, not everyone will agree with you. He believes it's important to be able to discuss and even disagree about art and music.
Family and Personal Life
Wynton Marsalis comes from a very musical family!
- His father was the late jazz musician Ellis Marsalis Jr., who played the piano.
- His grandfather was Ellis Marsalis Sr.
- His brothers are also musicians: Branford Marsalis (plays saxophone), Delfeayo Marsalis (plays trombone and produces music), and Jason Marsalis (plays drums).
Wynton has a son named Jasper Armstrong Marsalis, who is also in the music world as a producer known professionally as Slauson Malone 1.
Wynton Marsalis grew up in the Catholic faith.
Amazing Awards and Recognitions
Wynton Marsalis is one of the most celebrated musicians of our time. He has received many awards for his incredible talent and his work in sharing music with the world.
Grammy Gold!
- In 1983, when he was only 22, Wynton did something amazing: he won Grammy Awards for both jazz AND classical music in the very same year! He's the only musician ever to do that. He even did it again the next year!
- He has won a total of nine Grammy Awards.
Pulitzer Prize Winner
In 1997, Wynton Marsalis became the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He won it for his powerful musical piece Blood on the Fields. This was a huge moment for jazz music. A friend, Zarin Mehta, told him he wasn't surprised, saying the music "speaks to us all" and that jazz legends like Buddy Bolden and Louis Armstrong would be proud.
Top Honors from the U.S. Government
Wynton has received some of the highest awards an artist can get in the United States:
- The National Medal of Arts
- The National Humanities Medal
- He was also named an NEA Jazz Master, which is a top honor for jazz musicians.
A Global Ambassador for Music
- In 2001, the United Nations named him a UN Messenger of Peace, recognizing his work in bringing people together through music.
- He has sold about seven million albums all over the world and has performed in 30 countries and on every continent except Antarctica.
- Countries like France have given him high honors, including making him a Knight in the Order of Arts and Literature and giving him the Legion of Honour, France's top award, in 2008.
- A city in Spain, Vitoria, even gave him its gold medal, and a town in France, Marciac, put up a bronze statue of him for his help with their jazz festival.
- In 2023, he won the Praemium Imperiale, a global arts prize from Japan.
More Special Awards
- DownBeat magazine, a famous jazz publication, named him Musician of the Year, Best Trumpeter, and his album as Album of the Year right after his first record came out in 1982. In 2017, he was added to the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
- He has received many honorary degrees (special diplomas) from famous universities like Harvard, Princeton, New York University, and the University of Michigan. This shows how much universities respect his knowledge and contributions to music.
- He has also won awards like the Dutch Edison Award and the French Grand Prix du Disque. Britain's Royal Academy of Music made him an honorary member.
Grammy Awards List
Wynton Marsalis has won Grammy Awards for: Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
- Think of One (1983)
- Hot House Flowers (1984)
- Black Codes (From the Underground) (1985)
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
- Black Codes (From the Underground) (1985)
- J Mood (1986)
- Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. I (1987)
Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra)
- Raymond Leppard (conductor), Wynton Marsalis and the National Philharmonic Orchestra for Haydn, Hummel, L. Mozart: Trumpet Concertos (1983)
- Raymond Leppard (conductor), Wynton Marsalis and the English Chamber Orchestra for Wynton Marsalis, Edita Gruberova: Handel, Purcell, Torelli, Fasch, Molter (1984)
Best Spoken Word Album for Children
- Listen to the Storytellers (2000) – He won this for a recording where he helped tell stories.
Discography
Books by Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis has also written several books:
- Sweet Swing Blues on the Road with Frank Stewart (1994)
- Marsalis on Music (1995) – Based on his TV series.
- Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life with Carl Vigeland (2002)
- To a Young Jazz Musician: Letters from the Road with Selwyn Seyfu Hinds (2004) – Advice for young musicians.
- Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits with Paul Rogers (2007) – A fun book about jazz.
- Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life with Geoffrey Ward (2008)
- Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!: A Sonic Adventure with Paul Rogers (2012) – A children's book about sounds.
See also
In Spanish: Wynton Marsalis para niños
