Marsalis, Wynton

Marsalis, Wynton

(1961–  ) jazz musician; born in New Orleans. Raised in a musical family (including his brother Branford Marsalis), he became a trumpeter who mastered both jazz and classical music; in 1984 he won Grammy Awards for recordings in both fields. He joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1980, where he was first heralded for his commitment to pure acoustic jazz styles, and left in 1982 to form the first in a succession of small ensembles. In the following years he became one of the most visible American musicians, maintaining a constant touring schedule and conducting numerous clinics through which he sought to expose public school students to jazz and encourage their pursuit of it as a livelihood. The makeup of his own bands reflected his success in this area, as he brought an impressive number of young musicians to the fore throughout the 1980s. He also turned increasingly to composition, writing short and extended pieces that showed the influence of Duke Ellington and reflected his interest in early jazz styles.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.