, bandleader
, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center
. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences. Marsalis has been awarded nine Grammys in both genres, and a jazz recording of his was the first of its kind to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music
.
Marsalis is the son of jazz musician Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
(pianist), grandson to Ellis Marsalis, Sr.
, and brother to Branford
(saxophonist), Delfeayo
(trombonist), Mboya, and Jason
(drummer).
Wynton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 18, 1961, to Dolores and Ellis Marsalis, Jr., the second of six sons.
I had a trumpet, but I didn't want to be a trumpet player. I wanted to be some type of athlete or in some type of scholarly activity, be a chemist or something—I had my little chemistry set, and I like playing with it.
Flexibility is an essential part of Jazz. It's what gives Jazz music the ability to combine with all other types of music and not lose its identity.
I think that virtuosity is the first sign of morality in a musician. It means you're serious enough to practice.
The reason why the music is important is because it's an art form—an ancient art form—that takes in the mythology of our people.