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‘Excellence is a form of protest’: Wynton Marsalis
When Wynton Marsalis helped found the jazz wing of the storied Lincoln Center in New York City, he became the most powerful man in jazz. And like all powerful men, he has his detractors. Keep reading »
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Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis remembers Singapore for ‘religious freedom’ and cleanliness
Certainly the jazz superstar seems to be more tolerant of publicity demands these days, as The Straits Times discovers. Compared to previous chats with the newspaper, where the mercurial musician went from chatty and ebullient to bored and disinterested in a flash, Marsalis is positively zen in this latest conversation over the telephone from his office in New York’s Jazz At Lincoln Center. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis: Jazz king of the jungle
In 1979, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis arrived in New York from his home town New Orleans to study at the Juilliard School. Since then his career achievements are legion: prolific recordings, several Grammys, successful international tours, a major influence as an educator and a reputation as one of the finest living jazz musicians. Keep reading »
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A Lost Thing Finding Itself. Jazz at Lincoln Center
Origin stories may not always represent a complete truth, but they do give people something to hold on to. What defines the origin of Jazz at Lincoln Center, which has just started its 31st season, is the need to prove itself. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis isn’t afraid of the past, or holiday music
Plenty of virtuosos and historians have spent time and energy learning a form, but the trumpeter grew up in one, with a family that was musical, even compared to musical families. Which may explain why it feels like Marsalis is a lot older than 57. Keep reading »
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Where Does Creativity Come From: Wynton Marsalis’ interview on Freakonomics (Ep. 355)
To learn more, we examine the early years of Ai Weiwei, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Maira Kalman, Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Egan, and others. (Ep. 2 of the “How to Be Creative” series.) Keep reading »
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After-Party with Wynton Marsalis Is Fun Opening Night
On September 29, UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) donors celebrated the start of its 60th season at a party in the Granada Theatre’s McCune Founders Room following a performance by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Producers Circle members were joined by Marsalis, band members, and dance stars Charles Lil Buck Riley, Jared Grimes, and Myles Yachts. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis on his animal ballet, teen funk band days, kazoos and JALC’s 31 years
Before Wynton Marsalis mastered all that jazz — and more than 40 years before he debuted “Spaces,” his 2016 Jazz at Lincoln Center “animal ballet” now headed to San Diego — he cut his teeth playing in several New Orleans funk bands in the 1970s. Keep reading »
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An Interview with Wynton Marsalis
Everything old is new again. From the 1920s through the 1940s, the art of jazz revolved around the music of the great big bands. Led by men like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Earl Hines, Fletcher Henderson, and Benny Goodman, these large ensembles typically divided 10 or more musicians into four sections: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and rhythm. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis and JLCO to interpret the music of Duke Ellington at Barclay
For someone with sterling credentials — a Pulitzer Prize, nine Grammy Awards, two Emmy nominations, a National Medal of Arts, National Humanities Medal, Down Beat Hall of Fame, 7 million albums sold worldwide, a reputation for working tirelessly with young musicians in countless workshops and master classes — it is rather surprising that Wynton Marsalis only wanted to talk about one thing. Keep reading »