Wynton Marsalis
Date of birth: 1961-10-18
Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Known for: Sound
Also known as: Wynton L. Marsalis, Wynton Learson Marsalis
Biography
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awards, and his oratorio Blood on the Fields was the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Marsalis is the only musician to have won a Grammy Award in both jazz and classical categories in the same year. Marsalis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 18, 1961, and grew up in the suburb of Kenner. He is the second of six sons born to Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis Jr., a pianist and music teacher. He was named after jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. Branford Marsalis is his older brother and Jason Marsalis and Delfeayo Marsalis are younger. All three are jazz musicians. While sitting at a table with trumpeters Al Hirt, Miles Davis, and Clark Terry, his father jokingly suggested that he might as well get Wynton a trumpet, too. Hirt volunteered to give him one, so at the age of six Marsalis received his first trumpet. Although he owned a trumpet when he was six, he did not practice much until he was 12. He attended Benjamin Franklin High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He studied classical music at school and jazz at home with his father. He played in funk bands and a marching band led by Danny Barker. He performed on trumpet publicly as the only black musician in the New Orleans Civic Orchestra. After winning a music contest at fourteen, he performed Joseph Haydn's trumpet concerto with the New Orleans Philharmonic. Two years later he performed Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major by Bach. At seventeen, he was one of the youngest musicians admitted to Tanglewood Music Center. Marsalis applied to only two music colleges, the Juilliard School and Northwestern University. He was accepted to both schools and chose to attend the former. In 1979, he moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School for a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance, leaving in 1981 without earning a degree. He intended to pursue a career in classical music. In 1980, he toured Europe as a member of the Art Blakey band, becoming a member of The Jazz Messengers and remaining with Blakey until 1982. He changed his mind about his career and turned to jazz. He has said that years of playing with Blakey influenced his decision. He recorded for the first time with Blakey and one year later he went on tour with Herbie Hancock. After signing a contract with Columbia, he recorded his first solo album. In 1982, he established a quintet with his brother Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Charnett Moffett, and Jeff "Tain" Watts. When Branford and Kenny Kirkland left three years later to record and tour with Sting, Marsalis formed a quartet, this time with Marcus Roberts on piano, Robert Hurst on double bass, and Watts on drums. After a while, the band expanded to include Wessell Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Reed, Herlin Riley, Reginald Veal, and Todd Williams. ... Source: Article "Wynton Marsalis" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Movie Credits
Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play the Blues - Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center
2011-09-13
New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed tog
Sessions at West 54th Vol.1
1997-12-10
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon
2024-08-02
Chronicles the career of the titular Grammy Award-winning folk-pop singer-songwriter. The documentar
Wynton Marsallis and JALC Orchestra - Congo Square
2008-08-08
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis Play the Music of Ray Charles
2009-10-20
Recorded Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center s Frederick P. Rose Hall on February 10, 2009. Once in a wh
Tony Bennett's New York
1996-12-22
Once dubbed the 'king of cool', a look at the man behind the silky voice as Tony Bennett - civil rig
Hargrove
2022-06-12
Follows Grammy award-winning Roy Hargrove during the last year of his life and illuminates his impac
The Worlds of Harry Connick Jr.
1999-01-01
Narrated by Connick himself in a candid look at his own life and career, the program features interv
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
2022-09-08
Never-before-heard personal recordings and archival footage tell the story of Louis Armstrong's life
Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast
2005-09-02
A one-hour, commercial-free benefit concert television special that aired simulcast worldwide on Sep
Trumpet Kings
1999-03-30
TRUMPET KINGS, a compilation from the world's largest privately owned jazz film library, presents an
A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert
1991-12-11
A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert is an 89-minute television film starring the opera singers Kathlee
Wynton Marsalis - Blues & Swing
2002-02-19
In this full-length program, Wynton is featured in an intimate concert performance with his quartet,
Chasing Trane
2017-04-14
An account of the life of the brilliant jazz musician John Coltrane (1926-67), a gifted saxophonist,
Brownie Speaks
2014-08-26
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown made an outstanding and influential
Tony Bennett Celebrates 90
2016-12-20
19-time Grammy Award-winner Tony Bennett's 90th birthday is celebrated by a host of celebrities in t
Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?
2005-05-13
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang become involved in a supernatural mystery in Egypt.
VA - Jazz Intermezzo Vol.1
2013-12-18
Accent on the Offbeat
1995-05-17
Accent on the Offbeat is a cinema vérité film about the creation and premiere of the ballet Jazz (Si
Let Freedom Swing: Conversations on Jazz and Democracy
2009-01-19
Teachers College Press presents three lively and engaging video segments featuring Wynton Marsalis a
It's Black Entertainment
2002-02-08
A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Amer
Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie
1988-10-05
The stars come out on Sesame Street in this fun-filled video featuring the show's most memorable mom
A Classical Jazz Christmas with Wynton Marsalis
1989-12-22
Live from Lincoln Center: A Classical Jazz Christmas with Wynton Marsalis
The Marsalis Family: A Jazz Celebration
2003-01-01
The legendary Marsalis jazz family steps into the spotlight with this celebration of their collectiv
Wynton Marsalis Quintet: Jazz in Marciac
2018-07-31
Up From the Streets - New Orleans: The City of Music
2021-08-12
A film looking at the culture of New Orleans thru the lens of music. Hosted by Oscar nominee and 6-t
Live from Abbey Road: Best of Season 1
2006-11-25
Features highlights from the first season of the Channel 4 show LIVE FROM ABBEY ROAD, which saw vari
Find Your Groove
2020-03-24
In this uplifitng documentary, stars and musicians from across the industry speak to the power and i
On the Shoulders of Giants
2011-02-11
The story of the Harlem Rens: the greatest basketball team you never heard of.
Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
2008-04-01
The true story of the neighborhood that inspired David Simon's fictional HBO television series "Trem
The N Word
2006-01-16
An exploration of the history of the word throughout its inception to present day. Woven into the na
A World Without Beethoven?
2020-09-15
"What would the world be like without Beethoven?" That’s the provocative question posed by this musi
Song of Lahore
2015-11-13
Until the late 1970s, the Pakistani city of Lahore was world-renowned for its music. Following the I
Topowa! Never Give Up
2020-03-04
A journey of hope that celebrates the power of music to change lives. From the Katwe slums in Uganda
Tune in Tomorrow...
1990-10-26
Martin works at the local radio station, which just hired a new scriptwriter with a reputation for g
Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly!
1990-04-30
Big Bird and his pals are making musical mayhem as they sing the goofiest, nuttiest, silliest songs
Charles Mingus: Triumph of the Underdog
1997-01-01
Don McGlynn's uncompromising and soulful documentary look at the tumultuous life of musician and reb
Tootie's Last Suit
2009-01-01
The feature-length documentary, TOOTIE’S LAST SUIT explores the complex relationships, rituals, hist
Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong
1992-01-01
Satchmo. There are few people in this country - or around the world - who will not recognize that na
A Swingin' Sesame Street Celebration
2020-10-30
Big Bird, Elmo and other Sesame Street favorites sing the show's songs alongside the world-renowned
Jazz 100
2023-04-26
100 years of Russian jazz history in one groundbreaking documentary movie.
Charles Mingus: Epitaph
1990-01-01
Conductor Gunther Schuller leads 30 renowned musicians in this spectacular world-premiere performanc