Wynton Marsalis

The most acclaimed jazz musician and composer of his generation and a distinguished classical performer, Wynton Marsalis has by force of personality, intelligence, and achievement brought jazz back to center stage in American culture.

Born October 18, 1961 in New Orleans, the second of six sons of Dolores and Ellis Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis began studying trumpet seriously at age 12. During high school, he performed in local marching bands, jazz bands, funk bands, and classical orchestras, and at age 18 he moved to New York to attend the Julliard School. In the summer of 1980 he became a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and that same year signed with Columbia Records. Since his self-titled debut was released in 1982, Marsalis has recorded over 30 jazz and classical albums for Columbia and for Sony Classical, and has made guest appearances on countless others. He has taken his jazz groups to thirty countries on six continents, performing more than 120 concerts per year for each of the past fifteen years. Marsalis disbanded his septet at the end of 1994, and over the next few years plans to concentrate on writing music, studying composition, and further honing his skills on trumpet.