The Master Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis has been a key pioneer in bringing the world of jazz to young musicians. CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen spoke with the trumpet legend recently about his commitment to children, his most profound inspirations, and his integrity, which has served as a road map for many young musicians.
Like all celebrated musicians, Marsalis was inspired by a variety of artists. He credits jazz legends like Art Blakey and Marcus Roberts, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie. Their influence helped make him the only jazz musician ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. Very often, that encouragement came at the expense of constructive criticism that he didnÂ't want to hear.
"Marcus Roberts played with me and said, 'you got to just shut up sometimes. Let somebody else be wrong even if you know the answer to it,'" Marsalis says. "Dizzy would just tell me all kinds of stuffÂ…about playing in time and rhythm. He said, 'man, you gotta wait for it!'"
Beyond his personal experiences however, Marsalis is very philosophical about the impact of his mentors on his music and the music world.
About Duke Ellington: "He would touch a piano and put you in a bedroom all over the world. In a bedroom you want to be in. A brilliant musician," Marsalis said.
About Louis Armstrong: "The deepest soul that's ever existed on earth. A deep, deep, deep human being, and a natural. Just one of the most natural people to have ever lived. On the trumpet, unparalleled. Just unbelievably virtuous."
About Miles Davis: "Great genius, but tragic. Got confused somewhere along the way in the concept of the idea and who he was. A great lesson. A tremendous spiritual gift in terms of the sound, but too much vanity."
About Ella Fitzgerald: "Just purity. Unbelievable diction, and very, very deep soul. Showed us that the convention of soul is not guttural or it's not a rasp. A purity of execution can also be deeply soulful, and clarity of tone."
Marsalis has been the recipient of both Grammys and Emmys. Now he has raised the bar even higher. HeÂ's been busy working on eight albums, which he intends to release this year.
"IÂ'm just trying to be creative and just develop," Marsalis says. "I donÂ't care how old I am, 70, 80. I think about old Matisse, blind, bedridden, and heÂ's painting something up on the ceiling."
While Marsalis is known for playing the trumpet, he says he primarily composes his music at the piano. And, if he weren't a performer, he says he'd want to be an elementary school teacher.