Wynton Marsalis Performs at TCNJ

Wynton Marsalis, famous trumpeter, composer and educator, played to a sold-out Kendall Hall audience on Tuesday, November 1. Frequent applause erupted from the crowd during the concert, and singer Jennifer Sanon also captivated the audience with her effortless voice when she sang "I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So," "Comes Love," and "Azalea," a Duke Ellington song.

Marsalis has been described as the most outstanding jazz musician and trumpeter of his generation, as one of the world's top classical trumpeters, as a big band leader in the tradition of Duke Ellington, a brilliant composer, a devoted advocate for the arts and a tireless and inspiring educator. He is the recipient of 29 honorary degrees, nine Grammy Awards, earning the distinction of being the only artist ever to win Grammy Awards for both jazz and classical records. In 1997, Marsalis became the first jazz musician ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his epic oratorio, "Blood on the Fields." Most recently, Marsalis has appeared on television, performing to raise awareness and money for the residents of his hurricane stricken hometown of New Orleans.

Backstage after the show, Marsalis discussed his pleasure in performing at TCNJ while playing chess with saxophonist Walter Blanding. "It feels good [to be here]," he said. "It is all important and good. It could be at Carnegie Hall in New York, an elementary school in West Virginia, or here. You can create intimacy anywhere."

Marsalis, 44, features two young people in his band—23-year-old pianist Dan Nimmer and 20-year-old vocalist Sanon. "If you can play, you can play. It doesn’t matter how old you are," the jazz great explained.

Saxophonist Blanding, now 34, began playing with Marsalis as a teen while taking time off from high school. "I learned more in those nine months than in all my years of schooling," he said while planning his next chess move.

In addition to the many awards, honors, and distinguished titles Marsalis has received throughout his career, he has also emphasized the importance of jazz education. Marsalis founded the annual High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival that reaches more than 2,000 bands in 50 states and Canada, a Band Director's Academy, and a popular concert series for kids called Jazz for Young People. In October 1995, PBS premiered Marsalis on Music, a series of educational television shows on jazz and classical music, written and hosted by Marsalis and enjoyed by millions of parents and children. In the same month, National Public Radio broadcasted the first of Marsalis' 26-week series, Making the Music, which was the first full exposition of jazz music in American broadcast history.

Marsalis’ career has revived jazz by broadening its audience. "Jazz is a conversation," Marsalis said. "It needs people involved."