The Music Man
Acclaimed composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on the harmonious influences of music on life.
By Alyson Black

To take in the musical stylings of Wynton Marsalis is akin to listening in on a foreign language and wanting not only to understand the words but to be able to contribute to the dialogue. The composer and trumpeter, an alumnus of New York City's Juilliard School of Music, conveys every note in a fashion that is at once exciting and moving. He is one of the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era, as well as an accomplished classical-music instrumentalist. Marsalis brings to his music edgy sophistication and a unique hipness, and he has been rewarded for his talents with a virtuoso's cadre of awards, including nine Grammys. In 1997 he made history by becoming the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

He regards music as a democracy, encouraging lively exchanges of participation and explaining that a jazz band works best “when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.” For the 46-year-old Marsalis, that communication with music and melody took hold early on in his native New Orleans, where he picked up his first trumpet at age six and performed in his church's band at age eight; by 14, he was invited to perform with the New Orleans Philharmonic. He has made a career as a passionate soloist and also as one of the boys in the band, performing with some of the world's leading orchestras.

Having found great solace in music and much personal success in the field, Marsalis aims to spread the benefits of music as far and wide as possible and enrich the lives of others. He is a cofounder of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a cultural cornucopia of performances, dances, television and radio broadcasts, and educational activities. In Marsalis's universe, music is a constant companion, it is a great unifier, it has the potential to touch so very many aspects of a life worth living—and he's always eager to talk about it.

Like so many people today, you have such a busy schedule. How do you stay healthy on the road as you tour from city to city?

We travel the world, and everywhere we go, we feel that very down-home feeling from our fans. People are always bringing us great food and pies, so it's hard to maintain a healthy diet
on the road. But some of the guys in the band will make it a point to run in the mornings or when we arrive in a city, and if there's time before sound check. If we have free days on the road, we'll organize a football game. That football goes everywhere with us and has been all around the world.

How does your health affect your ability to perform or to tour?

I'm very blessed, because I have no chronic health issues. I used to play basketball on the road and at home, but I have problems with my elbow so these days I do more talking about my game! Last weekend we played the music of the great Benny Carter, who played saxophone until he was 93 years old. When we play his music, all of us in the band look at each other because it is unbelievable that someone could write and play such incredible music at that age. I just hope to be 93 and be able to open my lips!

Clearly music has enriched your life in infinite measures. How can music benefit others?

I think for kids and also for adults, you never stop learning. You continue to develop your understanding of the world. When you interface with great music, it influences the world. All things that are invisible—thoughts, feelings, psychological things, spiritual things, things that we don't even have names for—music is in that realm.

To have the ability to listen to some new music or to experience a new thing or follow some music you couldn't follow before—it just adds a whole other area of enrichment to your life. Music is something you can discover with your kids or with your parents. It's not generation-specific. Music stays around. A great Beethoven symphony is still great; Bach's great masterpieces, they still merit hearing. The music of Duke Ellington still can move you and touch you. The old American way of interpreting music, which is [evident] in jazz and swing—those swing dancers are people of different generations
dancing together—it's something we need in our culture now. Then things live on and they live in us. It's important for us to invigorate them, and that's how we will create a renaissance in our culture.

I love to teach. We at Jazz at Lincoln Center have 22 educational programs, and, believe me, we infuse those programs with as much love and experience and dedication as possible. Everyone who works with us has that type of feeling and enthusiasm about enriching our way of life through music.

Kids are always going to gravitate toward the music of the schoolyard. What advice do you offer parents for instilling an appreciation of music that's on a plane with what we're
talking about?

As parents, we want to elevate our kids' horizon of aspiration. That's why we read to them, that's why we take them to cultural things that we ourselves might not like. I always tell parents jokingly, “My mother did not want to sit in symphony concerts, but she did that for my brothers because she felt that if she exposed them to it, they would be better citizens … better people.”

We do things for our kids, and in the process of doing it we learn things ourselves. So I just tell parents, “Participate in your kids' development”—especially because many times, music is tied to kids' sexuality. Don't allow one of the most important aspects of your kids' internal life to go without you having any idea of what's going on. If you just leave them out there for record companies or for any kind of semi-pornographic idea that comes along under the guise of kids' music, you're going to be cheating yourself out of one of the greatest experiences you can have with your kids. Tell them, “Look at this, this is this, now check this out….” Bring them along until they reach adulthood. [Parenting is] a lifelong thing and it's a beautiful thing, and it doesn't always have to be filled with “thou shall nots.” It's a lot about revelation.

There is no question that pop music influences our children. Unfortunately, so much of it takes a negative bent on such issues as sexuality, race, gender…. What can be done?

The question is, how are we going to express how we feel about one another? It's something that civilizations always work on. We're going to continue to work on that and develop and grow. It's not a right and a wrong—it's a continuous process of evolution. Sometimes you make choices that are not that good, and then it takes the next generation to come along and say, “Hey, they made this choice; I'm going to make this choice.” Then another generation comes along….

We live on the globe and in this time, and we have the opportunity to influence people. That's why we have chosen at Jazz at Lincoln Center to enrich the lives of people. We say we bring people together and we create the feeling of community.

So raise the horizon line. Look up. Just raise it.