Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis quickly emerged as the leading figure in modern jazz, exerting substantial influence almost immediately upon his appearance. During the opening years of the 1980s, observers noted with surprise that an accomplished young African American performer had elected to pursue a career in unamplified jazz instead of pursuing fusion, funk, or contemporary R&B. His entrance ignited the so-called Young Lions phenomenon, prompting major record companies to begin recruiting and highlighting fresh talent. After a pronounced scarcity of emerging trumpeters following 1970, Marsalis’s rapid ascent spurred a fresh generation of brass instrumentalists. Although the mid-1960s Miles Davis Quintet had received comparatively limited attention in its own era, Marsalis formed a quintet devoted to perpetuating that ensemble’s achievements; before long, additional Young Lion groups adopted Davis’s later acoustic repertoire as their foundation. Particularly noteworthy has been Marsalis’s mentorship of younger players, many of whom encountered jazz through his guidance, with several—including Roy Hargrove—receiving direct assistance from him. He developed a distinctive approach by delving into earlier jazz traditions such as the style of Louis Armstrong, perfecting the wah-wah mute technique, and immersing himself in the music of Duke Ellington. Thereafter, even when interpreting a Miles Davis composition, Marsalis projected an unmistakably personal timbre and secured recognition among the foremost figures in jazz.

Born to pianist Ellis Marsalis and named after pianist Wynton Kelly, the trumpeter is the younger brother of Branford and the older brother of Delfeayo and Jason, making the Marsalis family collectively known as the First Family of Jazz. At age six he received his initial trumpet from Al Hirt, Ellis’s employer. He pursued training in both classical and jazz idioms while participating in local marching bands, funk ensembles, and classical orchestras. During high school Marsalis served as first trumpet in the New Orleans Civic Orchestra. At eighteen he enrolled at Juilliard; in 1980 he recorded for the first time with the Art Blakey Big Band and became a member of the Jazz Messengers.

By 1981 the young trumpeter had become the dominant topic throughout the jazz community. He toured alongside Herbie Hancock, an endeavor that yielded a double-LP, maintained his association with Blakey, secured a contract with Columbia, and issued his debut recording as a leader. In 1982 Marsalis established his own quintet—comprising brother Branford, Kenny Kirkland, Charnett Moffett, and Jeff “Tain” Watts—while also releasing his first classical album, instantly earning acclaim as one of the premier classical trumpeters. The quintet with Branford remained intact until late 1985, though a temporary rift arose when Branford departed to tour with Sting’s pop ensemble. By then Wynton had attained superstar stature, accumulating numerous awards and poll victories.

His subsequent ensemble included pianist Marcus Roberts, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Watts. Over successive years the group expanded into a four-horn septet that featured trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, altoist Wes Anderson, tenor saxophonist Todd Williams, bassist Reginald Veal, drummer Herlin Riley, and, by the early 1990s, pianist Eric Reed. During this period Marsalis significantly advanced his compositional skills under the influence of Duke Ellington, finding the septet an ideal vehicle for his arrangements. Although he disbanded the group by 1995, many of its members continued to participate in his special projects and in performances with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

In 1997 Marsalis’s extended work Blood on the Fields, issued as a three-CD set, became the first jazz composition to receive a Pulitzer Prize. Standard Time, Vol. 5: The Midnight Blues appeared the following year. As numerous jazz luminaries passed away, Marsalis’s stature—as trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and advocate—continued to increase. Standard Time, Vol. 4: Marsalis Plays Monk arrived in 1999, timed with a widely viewed PBS program. Later that same year Columbia and Marsalis issued the seven-disc collection Live at the Village Vanguard at an accessible price. Mid-2000 brought the releases Marciac Suite and Goin’ Down Home. Two years afterward Marsalis explored blues material on All Rise. His debut Blue Note album, The Magic Hour, consisting entirely of original compositions, appeared early in 2004. Later that year the label released Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, his soundtrack for Ken Burns’s documentary. Marsalis’s second studio recording for Blue Note, the politically and socially conscious From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, followed in 2007.

In 2008 Marsalis collaborated with country legend Willie Nelson on the live album Two Men with the Blues, documenting two nights at Lincoln Center. The next year he issued the concept album He and She, examining relationships between men and women. In 2011 he returned with the live recording Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles, again uniting him with Nelson and vocalist Norah Jones. That same year, following his earlier appearance on Eric Clapton’s 2010 album Clapton, Marsalis rejoined the rock and blues guitarist for the concert album Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center. Also in 2011 Marsalis composed the score for Burns’s documentary Prohibition.

Over the ensuing years Marsalis remained active as a performer while serving regularly as a cultural correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. He joined the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for Live in Cuba, a 2015 two-disc set capturing the ensemble’s inaugural performances on the island. In 2016 he released The Abyssinian Mass, a recording of his 2008 composition marking the 200th anniversary of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. This large-scale work, performed by the JLCO with Damien Sneed and Chorale le Chateau, highlighted links between secular and sacred music. Early in 2017 The Music of John Lewis, drawn from a 2013 Lincoln Center concert honoring the Modern Jazz Quartet founder and featuring collaborator Jon Batiste, appeared. The compilation United We Swing: Best of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas arrived in 2018, presenting Marsalis’s septet alongside guests including Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton. Big Band Holidays II and the soundtrack Bolden both emerged in 2019, the latter supplying music for the film depicting early jazz cornetist Buddy Bolden. In 2020 Marsalis issued the dark, satirical epic Ever Fonky Lowdown, featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, vocalists Camille Thurman and Doug Wamble, and narration by Wendell Pierce.