Ellis Marsalis Jr has passed away at 85.
Ellis Marsalis Jr died last night from complications due to coronavirus. He was 85. The New Orleans pianist was a prolific musician, a towering figure in the modern jazz world and the father to Branford, Wynton, Jason and Delfeayo Marsalis, all celebrated jazz musicians in their own right. Wynton Marsalis currently serves as the creative and artistic director of Lincoln Centre.
“My dad was a giant of a musician and teacher, but an even greater father. He poured everything he had into making us the best of what we could be. And to quote my friend and Harvard Law professor David Wilkins, who just sent me the following text, ‘We can all marvel at the sheer audacity of a man who believed he could teach his black boys to be excellent in a world that denied that very possibility, and then watch them go on to redefine what excellence means for all time,’” Branford Marsalis said in a statement following the announcement of Ellis’ death.
Ellis Marsalis counted the likes of Cannonball Adderly among his mentors growing up and played alongside Ornette Coleman. He was, according to the mayor of New Orleans LaToya Cantrell, “the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz.”
