Ellis Marsalis Jr.


Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. 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 a musical family, with sons Branford and Wynton also becoming notable musicians.

Early life

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Marsalis was the son of Florence Marie and Ellis Marsalis Sr., a businessman and social activist. Marsalis and his wife Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis had six sons: Branford, Wynton, Ellis III, Delfeayo, Mboya, and Jason. 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, graduating in 1955. He later attended graduate school at Loyola University New Orleans. In the 1950s and 1960s he worked with Ed Blackwell, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, and Al Hirt. During the 1970s, he taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. His students have included Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., Donald Harrison, Kent Jordan, Marlon Jordan, 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, Eddie Harris, Marcus Roberts, 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, the University of New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana, Marsalis influenced the careers of countless musicians, as well as his four musician sons: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason. Marsalis retired from UNO in 2001. In May 2007, Marsalis received an honorary doctorate from Tulane University for his contributions to jazz and musical education.

Awards

Marsalis was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2018. The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music at Musicians' Village in New Orleans is named in his honor. In 2010, The Marsalis family released a live album titled Music Redeems, which was recorded at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, 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 and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. 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 during its 50th annual High School Jazz Festival.

Personal life

Family

Marsalis and his sons were group recipients of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award.

Death

On April 1, 2020, Marsalis died at the age of 85 from pneumonia brought on by COVID-19.

Discography

As leader

With American Jazz Quintet
With Branford Marsalis
With Delfeayo Marsalis
With Wynton Marsalis
With Marsalis family
  • 2002 Marsalis Family: A Jazz Celebration
  • 2010 Music Redeems
With Irvin Mayfield
  • 1998 Irvin Mayfield
  • 2001 How Passion Falls
  • 2008 Love Songs, Ballads, and Standards
  • 2011 A Love Letter to New Orleans
With Kermit Ruffins
  • 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