Biography
Wynton Learson Marsalis is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awards, and his Blood on the Fields was the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He is the only musician to win a Grammy Award in both jazz and classical during the same year.
Known For
Complete Filmography

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon
2024
as Self
Chronicles the career of the titular Grammy Award-winning folk-pop singer-songwriter. The documentary also follows Simon’s journey creating his new al...

Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
2022
as Self
An intimate and revealing look at the world-changing musician, presented through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and...

Hargrove
2022
as Self
Jazz trumpet legend Roy Hargrove, deemed by his peers as a musical prophet, up close and personal like you have never seen him before. The film follow...

Up From the Streets - New Orleans: The City of Music
2021
as Self - musician
A film looking at the culture of New Orleans thru the lens of music. Hosted by Oscar nominee and 6-time Grammy Winner Terence Blanchard, the film tell...

In a Different Key
2021
Original Music Composer
A mother tracks down the first person ever diagnosed with autism, now an elderly man in rural Mississippi, to learn if his life story holds promise f...

A World Without Beethoven?
2020
as Self
"What would the world be like without Beethoven?" That’s the provocative question posed by this music documentary from Deutsche Welle. To answer it, t...

Find Your Groove
2020
as Self
In this uplifitng documentary, stars and musicians from across the industry speak to the power and importance of music in society. Here we examine how...

Topowa! Never Give Up
2020
as Self
A journey of hope that celebrates the power of music to change lives. From the Katwe slums in Uganda to the streets of London and the fields of Chelte...

Motherless Brooklyn
2019
Musician
New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed ...

Bolden
2019
Executive Producer, Original Music Composer
A mythical account of the life of Buddy Bolden, the first Cornet King of New Orleans.
Wynton Marsalis Quintet: Jazz in Marciac
2018
as trumpet

Chasing Trane
2017
as Self - Musician
An account of the life of the brilliant jazz musician John Coltrane (1926-67), a gifted saxophonist, an extraordinarily talented thinker whose origina...

Tony Bennett Celebrates 90
2016
as Self
19-time Grammy Award-winner Tony Bennett's 90th birthday is celebrated by a host of celebrities in this two-hour music special held at Radio City Musi...

Song of Lahore
2015
as Himself
Until the late 1970s, the Pakistani city of Lahore was world-renowned for its music. Following the Islamization of Pakistan, many artists struggled to...

Brownie Speaks
2014
as Self
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown made an outstanding and influential contribution to music. In an era when many musicia...

VA - Jazz Intermezzo Vol.1
2013

Man in the Glass: The Dale Brown Story
2012
Music
Born on Halloween, 1935, Dale Brown's fight for justice began the day his father walked out - two days before he was born. About how an overachiever f...

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play the Blues - Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center
2011
as Self
New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, h...

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play the Blues - Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center
2011
Producer
New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, h...

On the Shoulders of Giants
2011
The story of the Harlem Rens: the greatest basketball team you never heard of.

Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis Play the Music of Ray Charles
2009
as Himself - Trumpet and Vocals
Recorded Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center s Frederick P. Rose Hall on February 10, 2009. Once in a while the stars align and something magical happens....

Tootie's Last Suit
2009
as Himself
The feature-length documentary, TOOTIE’S LAST SUIT explores the complex relationships, rituals, history, and music of New Orleans’ vibrant Mardi Gras ...

Wynton Marsallis and JALC Orchestra - Congo Square
2008
as Themselves

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
2008
The true story of the neighborhood that inspired David Simon's fictional HBO television series "Tremé", from slave revolts and underground free black ...

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans
2008
Executive Producer
The true story of the neighborhood that inspired David Simon's fictional HBO television series "Tremé", from slave revolts and underground free black ...

Live from Abbey Road: Best of Season 1
2006
as Self
Features highlights from the first season of the Channel 4 show LIVE FROM ABBEY ROAD, which saw various musical artists perform live at the legendary ...

The N Word
2006
as Self
An exploration of the history of the word throughout its inception to present day. Woven into the narrative are poetry, music, and commentary from cel...

Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast
2005
as Self
A one-hour, commercial-free benefit concert television special that aired simulcast worldwide on September 9, 2005, at 8 pm ET/CT live.

Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?
2005
as Campbell (voice)
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang become involved in a supernatural mystery in Egypt.

Charles Mingus: Triumph of the Underdog
2004
as Himself
Don McGlynn's uncompromising and soulful documentary look at the tumultuous life of musician and rebel Charles Mingus is fascinating stuff. Mingus sai...

The Marsalis Family: A Jazz Celebration
2003
as Self - trumpet
Family - The legendary Marsalis jazz family steps into the spotlight with this celebration of their collective careers. Ellis, Branford, Delfeayo, Jas...

Wynton Marsalis - Blues & Swing
2002
In this full-length program, Wynton is featured in an intimate concert performance with his quartet, recorded at the Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles...

It's Black Entertainment
2002
as Self
A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Willi...
Trumpet Kings
1999
as Himself
TRUMPET KINGS, a compilation from the world's largest privately owned jazz film library, presents an overview of this century's greatest jazz trumpete...

The Worlds of Harry Connick Jr.
1999
as Self
Narrated by Connick himself in a candid look at his own life and career, the program features interviews with jazz greats Branford and Wynton Marsalis...

Sugar Ray Robinson: The Bright Lights and Dark Shadows of a Champion
1998
Original Music Composer
This sports documentary tells the remarkable story of the man voted the greatest boxer in history. Spanning his career from the early Depression-era d...
Sessions at West 54th Vol.1
1997

Tony Bennett's New York
1996
as Self
Once dubbed the 'king of cool', a look at the man behind the silky voice as Tony Bennett - civil rights activist, jazz enthusiast, painter and New Yor...

Accent on the Offbeat
1995
Accent on the Offbeat is a cinema vérité film about the creation and premiere of the ballet Jazz (Six Syncopated Movements), composed by trumpet virtu...

Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong
1992
as Self
Satchmo. There are few people in this country - or around the world - who will not recognize that name. Louis Armstrong embodied 20th-century American...

A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert
1991
as Himself
A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert is an 89-minute television film starring the opera singers Kathleen Battle and Frederica von Stade, the jazz trumpet...

Tune in Tomorrow...
1990
as The Wynton Marsalis Band
Martin works at the local radio station, which just hired a new scriptwriter with a reputation for great drama, Pedro Carmichael. Martin’s aunt Julia,...

Tune in Tomorrow...
1990
Original Music Composer
Martin works at the local radio station, which just hired a new scriptwriter with a reputation for great drama, Pedro Carmichael. Martin’s aunt Julia,...

Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly!
1990
Big Bird and his pals are making musical mayhem as they sing the goofiest, nuttiest, silliest songs ever. Join in with Sesame Street favorites Oscar, ...

A Classical Jazz Christmas with Wynton Marsalis
1989
as Self
Live from Lincoln Center: A Classical Jazz Christmas with Wynton Marsalis

Shannon's Deal
1989
Music
A washed-up lawyer refuses to take a bribe and instead goes after the South American drug cartel that's trying to push those in its way. Pilot for the...

Sesame Street | Put Down the Duckie: An All-Star Musical Special
1988
as Self
The stars come out on Sesame Street in this fun-filled video featuring the show's most memorable moments. Sing-along in this star-studded celebration!

Let Freedom Swing: Conversations on Jazz and Democracy
N/A
as Self
Teachers College Press presents three lively and engaging video segments featuring Wynton Marsalis and Sandra Day O'connor for middle and high school ...