Wynton Marsalis is an American trumpeter, composer, and bandleader from New Orleans, born in 1961, who has shaped modern jazz while also excelling as a classical soloist. He holds nine Grammy Awards and in 1997 became the first jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, for his oratorio Blood on the Fields. Since 1987 he has served as Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, and also directs jazz studies at The Juilliard School.
Blue Engine Records released 'The Wonderful Word of Louis Armstrong: Jazz Summit' on April 24, 2026, featuring Marsalis and Vince Giordano performing Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens catalog.
Blue Engine Records released 'Let Freedom Swing' in March 2026, the second in a series examining jazz's relationship to freedom and civic life.
Jazz at Lincoln Center announced that Marsalis will begin a phased leadership transition, remaining as artistic director through the 2026-27 season before moving to an advisory founder role.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra released a new recording of Marsalis's Blues Symphony, only the second recording of the seven-movement work.
