Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. (November 14, 1934 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and educator. Active since the late 1940s, Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of the musical Marsalis family, when sons Branford and Wynton became popular jazz musicians.

Early life

Born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

, Marsalis was the son of Florence Marie (née Robertson) and

Ellis Marsalis Sr. Ellis Louis Marsalis Sr. (April 16, 1908 – September 19, 2004) was an American businessman from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a former poultry farmer turned hotelier, Esso franchise owner and civil rights activist. Family Marsalis was born ...

, a businessman and social activist. Marsalis and his wife Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis had six sons: Branford, Wynton, Ellis III, Delfeayo, Mboya, and

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

. Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason also became jazz musicians. Ellis III is a poet and photographer. Marsalis played saxophone during high school but switched to piano while studying classical music at

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of ...

, graduating in 1955. He later attended graduate school at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , , In the 1950s and 1960s he worked with

Ed Blackwell Edward Joseph Blackwell (October 10, 1929 – October 7, 1992) was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive, influential work with Ornette Coleman. Biography Blackwell's early career began in New Orleans ...

, Cannonball Adderley,

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition ...

, and

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...

. During the 1970s, he taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. His students have included

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed ...

Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...

Donald Harrison Donald Harrison Jr. (born June 23, 1960) is an African-American jazz saxophonist and the Big Chief of The Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Berklee Coll ...

, Kent Jordan,

Marlon Jordan Marlon Jordan (born August 21, 1970) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. Early life Born Marlon Jordan, one of six performers of a family of New Orleans musicians. He is the son of saxophonist Edward "Kidd" Jordan and cl ...

, and Nicholas Payton.

Musical career

Marsalis recorded nearly twenty of his own albums and was featured on many discs with such musicians as

David "Fathead" Newman David "Fathead" Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and Rhythm and blues, rhythm-and-blues saxophonist, who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on ...

Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...

Marcus Roberts Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher. Early life Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...

, and Courtney Pine. As a teacher, he encouraged his students to learn from history while also making discoveries in music on their own. "We don't teach jazz, we teach students," he once said about his ability to teach jazz improvisation. As a leading educator at the

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is the regional, pre-professional arts training center for high school students in Louisiana. NOCCA opened in 1973 as a professional arts training center for secondary school-age children. Locat ...

, the

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High resea ...

, and

Xavier University of Louisiana Xavier University of Louisiana (also known as XULA) is a private, historically black, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU and, upon the canonization of Katharine Drexel in 2000, became the first Catholic ...

, Marsalis influenced the careers of countless musicians, as well as his four musician sons: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and

. Marsalis retired from UNO in 2001. In May 2007, Marsalis received an honorary doctorate from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...

for his contributions to jazz and musical education.

Awards

Marsalis was inducted into the

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) is a non-profit hall of fame based in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, that seeks to honor and preserve the state's music culture and heritage and to promote education about the stat ...

in 2018. The ''

Ellis Marsalis Center for Music Musicians' Village is a neighborhood located in the Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana. Musicians Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis teamed up with Habitat for Humanity International and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to create ...

'' at

Musicians' Village Musicians' Village is a neighborhood located in the Upper Ninth Ward in New Orleans, Louisiana. Musicians Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis teamed up with Habitat for Humanity International and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to create ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, as part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. All proceeds from the sale of the album go directly to the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. Marsalis was a fraternity brother of

Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as char ...

and

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

. In 2015, Marsalis was named Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia's 24th ''Man of Music'', their highest honor given to a member, for advancing the cause of music in America through performance, composition or any other musical activity. In 2018, Marsalis was awarded an honorary doctorate of music from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

during its 50th annual High School Jazz Festival.

Death

On April 1, 2020, Marsalis died at the age of 85 from pneumonia brought on by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. Municipal pandemic safety measures precluded a traditional

jazz funeral A jazz funeral is a funeral procession accompanied by a brass band, in the tradition of New Orleans, Louisiana. History The term "jazz funeral" was long in use by observers from elsewhere, but was generally disdained as inappropriate by most Ne ...

procession. The short documentary film titled ''Death Is Our Business'' by Frontline briefly covered the situation when investigating the pandemic's effects on the New Orleans funeral industry.

Personal life

Marsalis and his wife were Catholic and raised all their children in the faith. The youngest of his sons is Mboya Kenyatta Marsalis, who is diagnosed with autism and is cared for by Delfeayo, since their father's death. Their mother, Dolores, died in 2017. Marsalis and his sons were group recipients of the 2011

NEA Jazz Masters Award The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the self-proclaimed highest honors that the United States bestows upon ...

Discography

As leader

* 1985 ''Syndrome'' * 1985 ''Homecoming'' with Eddie Harris (Spindletop) * 1986 ''Piano in E'' * 1989 ''A Night at Snug Harbor, New Orleans'' (Somethin' Else) * 1990 ''Ellis Marsalis Trio'' (Blue Note) * 1991 ''Jazzy Wonderland'' (Columbia) * 1991 ''Heart of Gold'' (Columbia) * 1993 ''Whistle Stop'' (Columbia) * 1994 ''Joe Cool's Blues'' with Wynton Marsalis (Columbia) * 1996 '' Loved Ones'' with Branford Marsalis (Columbia) * 1998 ''Twelve's It'' (Sony) * 1999 ''Duke in Blue'' (Sony) * 2000 ''Afternoon Session'' (Music in the Vines/Sonoma Jazz) * 2005 ''Ruminations in New York'' * 2008 ''An Open Letter to Thelonious'' (Elm) * 2011 ''A New Orleans Christmas Carol'' (Elm) * 2012 ''Pure Pleasure for the Piano'' with Makoto Ozone (ECM) * 2013 ''On the First Occasion'' (Elm) * 2017 ''Live at Jazzfest 2017'' * 2018 ''The Ellis Marsalis Quintet Plays the Music of Ellis Marsalis''

As sideman or guest

With American Jazz Quintet * 1987 ''From Bad to Badder'' * 1996 ''In the Beginning'' With

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ense ...

* 1986 ''Royal Garden Blues'' * 2003 '' Romare Bearden Revealed'' With Delfeayo Marsalis * 1997 ''Musashi'' * 2014 ''The Last Southern Gentlemen'' With

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) 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 Awar ...

* 1981

* 1982 ''Fathers and Sons'' * 1986 '' J Mood'' * 1990 '' Standard Time, Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance'' With Marsalis family *2002 ''Marsalis Family: A Jazz Celebration'' * 2010 ''Music Redeems'' With

Irvin Mayfield Irvin Mayfield Jr. (born December 23, 1977) is an American trumpeter, composer, bandleader and educator. On November 3, 2021, Mayfield was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding the New Orleans public library system from over one mill ...

* 1998 ''

'' * 2001 ''

How Passion Falls How Passion Falls is an album by jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield that was released in 2001. Track listing #The Illusion 8:33 #Adam and Eve 6:49 #The Obsession 6:46 #Othello and Desdemona 6:18 #The Denial 8:29 #Romeo and Juliet 2:57 # ...

'' * 2008 ''Love Songs, Ballads, and Standards'' * 2011 ''A Love Letter to New Orleans'' With

Kermit Ruffins Kermit Ruffins (born December 19, 1964) is an American jazz trumpeter, singer, composer, and actor from New Orleans. He has been influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan and says that the highest note he can hit on trumpet is a high C. He ...

* 1992 ''World on a String'' * 1996 ''Hold on Tight'' With Dave Young * 1995 ''Two by Two'' * 1996 ''Two by Two Vol. 2'' * 1996 ''Side by Side Vol. 3'' With others * 1958 ''Boogie Live ...1958'',

* 1962 '' In the Bag'',

* 1984 ''Friends'',

Steve Masakowski Steve Masakowski (born September 2, 1954) is jazz guitarist, educator, and inventor. He invented the guitar-based keytar and the switch pick, and has designed three custom-built seven-string guitars. He developed an approach to playing the guit ...

* 1987 ''King Midas & the Golden Touch'',

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

* 1989 ''Have You Heard?'',

Rich Matteson Rich A. Matteson, (born Richmond Albert Matteson, January 12, 1929, Forest Lake, Minnesota – June 24, 1993, Jacksonville, Florida) was an American jazz artist, collegiate music educator, international jazz clinician, big band leader, and jazz com ...

* 1990 ''

Return to the Wide Open Spaces ''Return to the Wide Open Spaces'' is a live album saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr., Ellis Marsalis and guitarist Cornell Dupree, recorded at the Caravan of Dreams in 1990 and released on the Amazing label.

'',

with Cornell Dupree * 1990 ''Solos (1940)'',

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

* 1991 ''As Serenity Approaches'',

* 1992 '' 25'',

* 1996 ''In the Sweet Bye and Bye'', Preservation Hall Jazz Band * 1996 ''Next Generation'', Harold Battiste * 1996 ''Suite Memories'',

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. In addition to being a ...

* 1996 ''Ways of Warmdaddy'',

Wessell Anderson Wessell "Warmdaddy" Anderson (born 1966) is an American jazz alto and sopranino saxophonist. Anderson grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, and played jazz early on at the urging of his father, who was a drummer. He played in loca ...

* 2006 '' Marsalis Music Honors Series: Jimmy Cobb'',

Jimmy Cobb Wilbur James "Jimmy" Cobb (January 20, 1929May 24, 2020) was an American jazz drummer. He was part of Miles Davis's First Great Sextet. At the time of his death, he had been the band's last surviving member for nearly thirty years. He was a ...

* 2006 ''The Sonet Blues Story: 1977'',

Snooks Eaglin Fird Eaglin Jr. (January 21, 1936 or 1937 – February 18, 2009), known as Snooks Eaglin, was an American guitarist and singer based in New Orleans. In his early years he was sometimes credited under other names, including Blind Snooks Eaglin, ...

* 2008 ''Jazz for Peanuts'',

David Benoit David Bryan Benoit (born August 18, 1953) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer, based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Benoit has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He is a ...

* 2008 ''Simply Grand'',

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

* 2009 ''Say It Plain'', Scotty Barnhart * 2015 ''

A Very Swingin' Basie Christmas! ''A Very Swingin' Basie Christmas!'' is a 2015 Christmas album by the Count Basie Orchestra, directed by Scotty Barnhart, and released by Concord Records. The album was recorded between August 2014 and July 2015. Track listing # "Jingle Bells" (Pi ...

'',

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 195 ...

References

External links

*
NPR's Jazz Profiles: Ellis Marsalis
*
NAMM Oral History Interview
March 21, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsalis, Ellis 1934 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American pianists African-American jazz musicians American jazz pianists American male pianists Blue Note Records artists Columbia Records artists Jazz musicians from New Orleans 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana Dillard University alumni Loyola University New Orleans alumni University of New Orleans faculty Xavier University of Louisiana faculty Marsalis family African-American Catholics African-American pianists 21st-century African-American musicians