Did you know that jazz was born in the United States? Did you know that the drum set was invented by jazz musicians? Did you know that the word "cool" and "hip" were originally jazz terms?

Born October 18, 1961, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Wynton Marsalis began studying trumpet when he was twelve years old. Today he is one of the most famous jazz musicians alive. He has made over 40 music recordings both in jazz and in classical music and he has won nine Grammy awards! Today he is the Artistic Director for Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, the world's largest arts organization devoted to jazz. One of the best parts of his job is to teach about jazz. This is one reason why he wrote a jazz curriculum for students and teachers called Jazz for Young People. Wynton Marsalis hopes that you can learn more about the history and the theory behind jazz so you can enjoy it more in the future.

You can read the live, online interview with Wynton Marsalis, in which Mrs. Finkle's & Mr. Etie's Highland Park 4th graders (& now, jazz fans) participated (along with more than 60 other classes from around the country!) Three of our class questions were chosen (noted by red text color) by the moderator & answered by Mr. Marsalis.