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Wynton Marsalis : A Musician, Educator and Innovator Every artist faces the challenge of finding their voice. For some it takes many years, and often they do not recieve the recognition they deserve until long after their death. Wynton Marsalis was a still a young man living in the birthplace of jazz when he discovered that his voice came from a trumpet, and what a voice it was. Wynton Learson Marsalis was born on October 18th, 1961 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The middle of four children, Wynton was exposed to music very early on. His father, Ellis was a pianist. His brothers, also musical, played a variety of instruments including, saxophone, trombone and drums. Although it was his father that passed along his musical genes it was his mother who gave him the most inspiration, ‘‘She took us to music camps, taught us the importance of culture, gave us books to read. She had a powerful influence.’’ (Awmiller 8) Marsalis became an accomplished trumpeteer at a young age. By the time he graduated highschool at 17 he had won several important local competitions. By his brother’s standards and many others he was considered to be, ‘‘The best trumpet player in the south.’’(Gourse 14) Marsalis had high hopes