The award will be presented to the 48-year-old jazz musician in a ceremony at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York City on Nov. 6. A performance by the Wynton Marsalis Quintet will follow.
Marsalis performs annually in France.
The renowned trumpeter and jazz composer won the Pulitzer Prize in music in 1997. He is also the winner of nine Grammy Awards.
Other Americans who have been honored with a Legion of Honor include Renee Fleming and Barbra Streisand.