About This Daily Classroom Special
The Music Quest
focuses on discovering the wonders of our musical universe. Visit it for a musical question—a description and hints about a mystery composer, musician, instrument or musical excerpt.
The Music Quest was written by former Teachers Network Web Mentor Kristi Thomas, a
teacher at William F. Halley Elementary School Fairfax Station, Virginia.
Answer 11
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis has been called the most accomplished and acclaimed
jazz musician and composer of his generation. One of the things
that is so remarkable about Marsalis is his unique ability to excel as both a jazz AND classical performer. He has
recorded over 30 albums in both genres, and appears on
countless more as a guest artist. He is an amazing musician.
Marsalis arrived on the music scene in 1982,
barely out of his teens. While studying trumpet at the
Juilliard School in New York City, Marsalis was chosen to
become a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and that
same year was signed by Columbia Records. This was an
astounding accomplishment for someone only 20 years old!
Marsalis comes from a very musical family. He was born in
New Orleans in 1961, the second of six sons of Dolores and
Ellis Marsalis. Marsalis started studying the trumpet
seriously when he was 12 years old. His father, Ellis, and
brothers, Branford and Delfeo, are also famous jazz musicians.
Marsalis is currently the artistic director for
the internationally recognized Jazz at Lincoln Center
Program. This year he became the first jazz artist ever to
win the coveted Pulitzer Prize for music. He was awarded the
Pulitzer for his epic jazz opera Blood on the Fields.
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