Wynton
Marsalis has been described as the most outstanding jazz
musician and trumpeter of his generation, as one of the world's
top classical trumpeters, as a big band leader in the tradition
of Duke Ellington, a brilliant composer, a devoted advocate
of the arts and a tireless and inspiring educator.
Wynton and MuST Music Therapist Deb Bradway |
The sound of Wynton Marsalis' band is inspired by the basic
principals of democracy. What you hear in a great jazz band,
according to Marsalis, is the sound of democracy. "The jazz
band, like our democracy, works best when participation is
shaped by intelligent communication." Through jazz music,
Wynton represents the United States all over the world. In
just about every continent -- from Asia to the Americas, from
Africa to Europe, you will find Wynton sharing his vision
of the union of jazz and democracy.
|
Wynton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 18, 1961 to Ellis
(a jazz pianist and music educator) and Dolores Marsalis. He is the
second of six sons, including fellow musicians Branford, Jason and
Delfeayo. At an early age, Wynton exhibited serious study, a talent
for music and a desire to contribute to American culture. At age 14,
he was invited to perform with the New Orleans Philharmonic. During
high school, Wynton was a member of the New Orleans Brass Quintet,
New Orleans Community Concert Band, New Orleans Youth Orchestra, New
Orleans Symphony, and on weekends, he performed in a jazz band. At
age 17, he became the youngest musician ever to be admitted to Tanglewood's
Berkshire Music Center, an affiliate of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
After touring extensively with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Wynton
assembled his own band and hit the road, performing over 120 concerts
every year for ten consecutive years. His objective was to learn
how to play, knowing that performance is the key to a jazz musician's
development. During these years, Wynton's strong belief in jazz
and his vision for the music began to revitalize the art form. Through
an endless series of performances, lectures and music workshops,
Wynton has rekindled widespread interest in jazz music, a hallmark
of American culture.
Wynton's love of the compositions of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and
others drove him to pursue a career in classical music as well.
He recorded the Haydn, Hummel and Leopold Mozart trumpet concertos
at the age of twenty. His debut recording received glorious reviews
and won the Grammy Award for "Best Classical Soloist with an Orchestra."
Marsalis went on to record ten additional classical records, all
to critical acclaim.
In 1987, Wynton started Jazz at Lincoln Center, which has developed
into an international agenda with up to 400 events annually, in
15 countries. Educational activities include an annual High
School Jazz Band Competition and Festival that involves over
2000 bands in the 50 states and Canada, the multimedia Jazz
for Young People Curriculum, as well as an extremely popular
concert
series for kids.
In the fall of 1995, PBS premiered a series of educational television
shows on jazz and classical music, called "Marsalis
on Music." The series was written and hosted by Marsalis, and
was enjoyed by millions of parents and children. That same year,
Time magazine selected him as one of America's most promising leaders
under age 40, and the following year, Time magazine named Wynton
as one of America's 25 Most Influential People. The following year,
1997, Wynton became the first jazz musician ever to win the Pulitzer
Prize for Music, which he won for his epic Blood on the Fields.
In 2001, he was awarded the United Nations honor of "Messenger of
Peace."
Wynton has won nine Grammy Awards, and is the only artist ever
to win Grammy Awards for both jazz and classical records, and the
only artist ever to have won Grammy Awards five years in a row.
|
|
