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The best known and arguably most important jazz musician of the modern era, Wynton Marsalis has made his reputation with a combination of technical skill, charm and a focus on the roots of jazz combined, with an interest in classical music. As of 2004, he has released 16 classical and more than 30 jazz recordings, and has been awarded eight Grammys, in both genres.

Marsalis was born in New Orleans, the second of six sons of pianist Ellis Marsalis and his wife Dolores. His older brother is Branford Marsalis. He began studying trumpet seriously at age 12, and at 18 moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School of Music. In 1980, he became a member of Art BlakeyArthur (Art) Blakey also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina ( October 11, 1919 October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach he was one of the inventors of the modern, bebop style of drumming. He was known's Jazz MessengersJazz ensembles The Jazz Messengers were a jazz ensemble founded by Art Blakey and Horace Silver in 1955. Blakey had already used the name for an album he recorded with Silver, Kenny Dorham, Doug Watkins, and Hank Mobley Dorham and Mobley were the other tw and signed a contract with Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. 1925 Columbia was originally the local company distributing and selling Edison phonographs and phonograph cylinders in Washington, D. Maryland and Delaware., releasing a self-titled debut in 1982.

In 1987, he helped found the Jazz at Lincoln Center program, and is still its artistic director. In 1997, he became the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a United States literary award given out each April. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in the United States. The prize was in music, for his jazz oratorio Blood on the Fields, on the subject of slaverySlavery is involuntary servitude, enforced by violence or other, clear forms of coercion. It is sometimes regarded as an expectation associated with other relationships, such as marriage and/or other family relations, military service, or debt relationshi.

Marsalis also helped shape the 2000 television documentary Jazz by Ken BurnsBurns (born July 29, 1953) is an American documentary filmmaker. Burns is particularly well known for his style in documentary material, making use of original prints and photographs, and has produced several acclaimed historical and biographical document, contributing to its segments on pre- World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough acoustic jazz.

He has been awarded the Grand Prix du Disque of FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. and the Edison Award of the Netherlands, and was elected an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in Britain. Marsalis has toured 30 countries on six continents, and boasts nearly five million recordings sold worldwide.