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. |
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| Instruments | Trumpet |
| Years active | 1980–present |
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| Associated acts | Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra |
Wynton Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music teacher. He is known for playing both classical and jazz music. Marsalis is the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a famous music organization.
He has won nine Grammy Awards for his music. His special musical story, Blood on the Fields, was the first jazz piece to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. This is a very important award for music. Marsalis is also the only musician to win a Grammy in both jazz and classical music in the same year.
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Early Life and Learning Music
Wynton Marsalis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 18, 1961. He grew up in a town called Kenner. His father, Ellis Marsalis Jr., was a pianist and music teacher. Wynton was named after a jazz pianist named Wynton Kelly.
Wynton has five brothers. Three of them, Branford Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, and Delfeayo Marsalis, are also jazz musicians. When Wynton was six, a famous trumpeter named Al Hirt gave him his first trumpet.
Even though he had a trumpet, Wynton did not practice much until he was 12. He went to Benjamin Franklin High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He learned classical music at school and jazz at home from his father. He played in different bands, including a marching band.
When he was 14, Wynton won a music contest. He then played a trumpet concerto by Joseph Haydn with the New Orleans Philharmonic orchestra. Two years later, he played a difficult piece by Bach. At 17, he was one of the youngest musicians accepted into the Tanglewood Music Center. He later chose to study at the Juilliard School in New York City.
Starting His Music Career
In 1979, Marsalis moved to New York City to study trumpet at the Juilliard School. He left in 1981 to focus on his music career. He first wanted to play classical music.
In 1980, he toured Europe with the famous jazz band The Jazz Messengers, led by Art Blakey. He stayed with Blakey's band until 1982. Playing with them made him decide to focus on jazz music instead.
Marsalis recorded his first music with Art Blakey. A year later, he toured with another jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. He then signed with Columbia Records and released his first solo album.
In 1982, he started his own jazz group with his brother Branford Marsalis. Later, he formed another group with musicians like Marcus Roberts and Jeff "Tain" Watts. This group grew to include more talented players.
Marsalis has been influenced by many great musicians. These include Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Clark Terry, and Charlie Parker. He is known for being a great speaker and a "musical ambassador."
Leading Jazz at Lincoln Center
In 1987, Wynton Marsalis helped start a summer concert series called Classical Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. This series was very popular. Because of its success, Jazz at Lincoln Center became its own organization in 1996. It is now a major place for jazz music.
Marsalis became the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He also leads its main band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. This orchestra performs at its home, Rose Hall, and travels on tours. They also visit schools, appear on TV and radio, and release albums.
In 2011, Marsalis performed with rock guitarist Eric Clapton at a Jazz at Lincoln Center concert. They recorded the show, and it was released as an album called Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Other Projects and Work
In 1995, Marsalis hosted a TV show called Marsalis on Music. He also had a radio series called Making the Music. Both shows taught people about music and won important awards.
In 2005, Marsalis played at an Apple event where new products were shown. He also appeared in an iPod TV ad in 2006.
Marsalis has also worked as a cultural reporter for CBS This Morning. He helps lead the Juilliard Jazz Studies program. In 2015, Cornell University named him a special professor.
He helped write and perform music for the 2019 film Bolden. Marsalis has also composed modern classical music. The Philadelphia Orchestra performed his Violin Concerto in 2015 and his Tuba Concerto in 2021. In 2023, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced they would record his Blues Symphony.
Discussions About Jazz Music
Wynton Marsalis is known for supporting "straight-ahead jazz." This style uses the original jazz instruments and avoids electronic sounds. He believes that jazz should include blues, swing beats, and strong melodies.
Some people have different ideas about what jazz should be. For example, pianist Keith Jarrett once said that Marsalis's music sounded like a high school player. Bassist Stanley Clarke also had some criticisms. However, Clarke also said that Marsalis has brought a lot of respect back to jazz music.
Marsalis has had disagreements with other musicians, including Miles Davis. Marsalis felt that Davis's choice to mix jazz with rock music was not good for jazz. Marsalis has also shared his strong opinions about hip hop music. He believes that it can sometimes promote negative behaviors.
Marsalis has said that when you share your opinions, you should expect some criticism. He believes that being able to criticize is important for freedom.
Family Life
Wynton Marsalis comes from a very musical family. His father, Ellis Marsalis Jr., was a famous jazz pianist. His brothers, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, and Jason Marsalis, are also well-known jazz musicians. Wynton's son, Jasper Armstrong Marsalis, is a music producer known as Slauson Malone 1.
Marsalis was raised in the Catholic faith.
Awards and Special Honors
In 1983, when he was only 22, Wynton Marsalis made history. He became the only musician to win Grammy Awards in both jazz and classical music in the same year. He won again in both categories the next year.
After his first album came out in 1982, he won many awards from DownBeat magazine. This included Musician of the Year and Best Trumpeter. In 2017, he was added to the DownBeat Hall of Fame.
In 1997, he was the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his work Blood on the Fields. This was a huge honor for jazz music.
Wynton Marsalis has received many other important awards. These include the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal. He was also named an NEA Jazz Master. In 2001, he became a UN Messenger of Peace.
His recordings have sold about seven million copies around the world. He has performed in 30 countries on every continent except Antarctica.
He has received many other honors, like the Louis Armstrong Memorial Medal. He was also made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in Britain. The city of Marciac, France, even built a bronze statue of him. The French Ministry of Culture has given him two high honors: Knight in the Order of Arts and Literature, and Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. In 2023, he won the Praemium Imperiale.
Marsalis has also received honorary degrees from many universities. These include Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Michigan.
Grammy Awards
Wynton Marsalis has won several Grammy Awards for his amazing music:
- 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)
- For Haydn, Hummel, L. Mozart: Trumpet Concertos (1983)
- For Wynton Marsalis, Edita Gruberova: Handel, Purcell, Torelli, Fasch, Molter (1984)
- Best Spoken Word Album for Children
- Listen to the Storytellers (2000)
Books by Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis has also written several books:
- Sweet Swing Blues on the Road (1994)
- Marsalis on Music (1995)
- Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life (2002)
- To a Young Jazz Musician: Letters from the Road (2004)
- Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits (2007)
- Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life (2008)
- Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!: A Sonic Adventure (2012)
See also
In Spanish: Wynton Marsalis para niños
