Long story short, got a text from my brother telling me to check out a senior artist by the name of Wynton Marsalis, who has been kicking around the jazz/classical genre for 30+ years! Of course, this came indirectly from my uncle who is responsible for introducing me to many great musicians and albums such as BB King, Zydeco and the entire Putamayo series. Needless to say, it was far beyond my usual blast beats and heavy distortion, but still made for a great Friday morning jam. After having a coffee and some breakfast, you just get that energy to start tapping your foot, bobbing your head, etc. Sure it might look weird at your office desk, but who cares. It's not like moshing is the most reputable form of public dancing either (haha)
Wynton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 18, 1961, to Ellis and Dolores Marsalis, the second of six sons. At an early age he exhibited a superior aptitude for music and a desire to participate in American culture. At age eight Wynton performed traditional New Orleans music in the Fairview Baptist Church band led by legendary banjoist Danny Barker, and at 14 he performed with the New Orleans Philharmonic. During high school Wynton performed with the New Orleans Symphony Brass Quintet, New Orleans Community Concert Band, New Orleans Youth Orchestra, New Orleans Symphony, various jazz bands and the popular local funk band, the Creators.
At age 17 Wynton became the youngest musician ever to be admitted to Tanglewood’s Berkshire Music Center. Despite his youth, he was awarded the school’s prestigious Harvey Shapiro Award for outstanding brass student. Wynton moved to New York City to attend Juilliard in 1979. When he began to pick up gigs around town, the grapevine began to buzz. In 1980 Wynton seized the opportunity to join the Jazz Messengers to study under master drummer and bandleader Art Blakey. It was from Blakey that Wynton acquired his concept for band leading and for bringing intensity to each and every performance. In the years to follow Wynton performed with Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Sweets Edison, Clark Terry, Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and countless other jazz legends.
Wynton assembled his own band in 1981 and hit the road, performing over 120 concerts every year for 15 consecutive years. With the power of his superior musicianship, the infectious sound of his swinging bands and an exhaustive series of performances and music workshops, Marsalis rekindled widespread interest in jazz throughout the world. Wynton embraced the jazz lineage to garner recognition for the older generation of overlooked jazz musicians and prompted the re-issue of jazz catalog by record companies worldwide. He also inspired a renaissance that attracted a new generation of fine young talent to jazz. A look at the more distinguished jazz musicians of today reveals numerous students of Marsalis’ workshops: James Carter, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Harry Connick Jr., Nicholas Payton, Eric Reed and Eric Lewis, to name a few.
As the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, United States, the man has got quite the credentials behind him. He is a trumpeter, composer, teacher and music educator all in one! He has also taken away NINE Grammy awards, as well as winning a Pulitzer Prize for Music. Read (below for the full listing of his credentials and contributuions to the music world:
Wynton Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awards® in grand style. In 1983 he became the only artist ever to win Grammy Awards® for both jazz and classical records; and he repeated the distinction by winning jazz and classical Grammy Awards® again in 1984. Marsalis went on to win Grammy Awards® for five consecutive years (1983-1987). Honorary degrees have been conferred upon Wynton by over 30 of America’s leading academic institutions including Columbia, Harvard, Howard, Princeton and Yale. Elsewhere Wynton was honored with the Louis Armstrong Memorial Medal and the Algur H. Meadows Award for Excellence in the Arts. He was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement and was dubbed an Honorary Dreamer by the “I Have a Dream Foundation.” The New York Urban League awarded Wynton with the Frederick Douglass Medallion for distinguished leadership and the American Arts Council presented him with the Arts Education Award. Time magazine selected Wynton as one of America’s most promising leaders under age 40 in 1995, and in 1996 Time celebrated Marsalis again as one of America’s 25 most influential people. In November 2005 Wynton Marsalis received The National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States Government. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan proclaimed Wynton Marsalis an international ambassador of goodwill for the Unites States by appointing him a UN Messenger of Peace (2001).
In 1997 Wynton Marsalis became the first jazz musician ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his epic oratorio Blood On The Fields. During the five preceding decades the Pulitzer Prize jury refused to recognize jazz musicians and their improvisational music, reserving this distinction for classical composers. In the years following Marsalis’ award, the Pulitzer Prize for Music has been awarded posthumously to Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. In a personal note to Wynton, Zarin Mehta wrote:
“I was not surprised at your winning the Pulitzer Prize for Blood On The Fields. It is a broad, beautifully painted canvas that impresses and inspires. It speaks to us all … I’m sure that, somewhere in the firmament, Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong and legions of others are smiling down on you.”
Wynton’s creativity has been celebrated throughout the world. He won the Netherlands’ Edison Award and the Grand Prix Du Disque of France. The Mayor of Vitoria, Spain, awarded Wynton with the city’s Gold Medal – its most coveted distinction. Britain’s senior conservatoire, the Royal Academy of Music, granted Mr. Marsalis Honorary Membership, the Academy’s highest decoration for a non-British citizen (1996). The city of Marciac, France, erected a bronze statue in his honor. The French Ministry of Culture appointed Wynton the rank of Knight in the Order of Arts and Literature and in the fall of 2009 Wynton received France’s highest distinction, the insignia Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, an honor that was first awarded by Napoleon Bonaparte. French Ambassador, His Excellency Pierre Vimont, captured the evening best with his introduction:
“We are gathered here tonight to express the French government’s recognition of one of the most influential figures in American music, an outstanding artist, in one word: a visionary…
I want to stress how important your work has been for both the American and the French. I want to put the emphasis on the main values and concerns that we all share: the importance of education and transmission of culture from one generation to the other, and a true commitment to the profoundly democratic idea that lies in jazz music.
I strongly believe that, for you, jazz is more than just a musical form. It is tradition, it is part of American history and culture and life. To you, jazz is the sound of democracy. And from this democratic nature of jazz derives openness, generosity, and universality.”
His discography is something out of this world, with countless amounts of work under his belt, it's best if we just have you visit his website's composition page.
Now being that I am also quite new to his work (even though the name has rung a bell for many years) I tend to lean towards some of the newer parts of his collection, including some notable collaborations such as "Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis: Two Men With The Blues" (2008), "From Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf: Live in Marciac" (2010), and "Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles" (2011). His 6 part "Standard Time" series is also another notable collection to pick up if interested.
Now at this point you either love him or hate him. He has been criticized by musicians in the genre as someone who is 'stuck in the past' (whatever that means when it comes to jazz composition). Now I'm no jazz prodigy by any chance, nor am I even a huge jazz musician to the extent of knowing ALL the famous musicians under the genre, but it seems that Marsalis has got his sound pretty spot on. He has been widely recognized by many people and I'm sure that a few sour grapes aren't going to taint his massive career. I guess you can say that they might be the trollers of the jazz world (haha).
Anyways, hope you got the chance to dig some of these videos, get to know the guy and check out his massive collection of works from 1980-present. I thoroughly enjoyed (specifically) the piece with legendary Eric Clapton, as it is a familiar face in the rock industry. Cheers and have a great weekend!
(On a special night in February 2009 at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater, country music legend Willie Nelson and JALC Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, along with special guest vocalist Norah Jones, explored the incomparable legacy of Ray Charles. See Norah with Wynton performing "Come Rain or Come Shine")
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