Ellis Marsalis Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellis Marsalis Jr.
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Marsalis in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. |
| Born | November 14, 1934 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | April 1, 2020 (aged 85) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, educator |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1949–2020 |
| Labels | Elm, Blue Note, Columbia, Sony |
| Associated acts | Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis |
Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. (born November 14, 1934 – died April 1, 2020) was a famous American jazz pianist and a wonderful teacher. He started playing music in the late 1940s. Many people learned about him in the 1980s and 1990s. This was when his sons, Branford and Wynton, became very popular jazz musicians. Their family is known as the musical Marsalis family.
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Growing Up and Starting Music
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Ellis Marsalis Jr. came from a family with six sons. Four of his sons, Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason, also became amazing jazz musicians. His son Ellis III is a poet and photographer.
When he was in high school, Ellis Marsalis Jr. played the saxophone. Later, he switched to the piano. He studied classical music at Dillard University and finished in 1955. He also went to graduate school at Loyola University New Orleans.
In the 1950s and 1960s, he worked with other musicians like Ed Blackwell and Al Hirt. During the 1970s, he taught music at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Some of his famous students include Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., and Nicholas Payton.
His Musical Journey
Ellis Marsalis Jr. made almost twenty of his own music albums. He also played on many albums with other musicians. Some of these artists were David "Fathead" Newman, Eddie Harris, and Marcus Roberts.
As a teacher, he always told his students to learn from music history. But he also wanted them to find new things in music on their own. He once said, "We don't teach jazz, we teach students." This showed how he helped students learn jazz improvisation.
He was a very important teacher at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He also taught at the University of New Orleans and Xavier University of Louisiana. He helped many musicians start their careers, including his four sons who became musicians. Ellis Marsalis Jr. retired from the University of New Orleans in 2001.
In 2007, Tulane University gave him a special award. It was an honorary doctorate for all his great work in jazz and music education.
Awards and Honors
In 2018, Ellis Marsalis was added to the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. A special music center in New Orleans is named after him. It is called the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
In 2010, the Marsalis family released a live album called Music Redeems. This album was recorded at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. All the money from selling this album went to the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
Ellis Marsalis was part of two special groups for musicians: Phi Beta Sigma and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. In 2015, he received the highest honor from Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He was named their 24th Man of Music for helping music in America. In 2018, he received another honorary music degree. This one was from Berklee College of Music.
His Later Years
On April 1, 2020, Ellis Marsalis Jr. passed away at age 85. He died from pneumonia caused by COVID-19. Because of safety rules during the pandemic, his family could not have a traditional jazz funeral procession. A short film called Death Is Our Business showed how the pandemic affected funeral homes in New Orleans.
Ellis Marsalis and his wife, Dolores, were Catholic. They raised all their children in their faith. Dolores passed away in 2017. His youngest son, Mboya, has autism. After Ellis Marsalis's death, his son Delfeayo helps care for Mboya.
In 2011, Ellis Marsalis and his sons received the NEA Jazz Masters Award together. This is a very important award for jazz musicians.
Images for kids
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Learn more about Ellis Marsalis in Spanish!
