New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Died April 1, 2020
Age 85
Ellis Marsalis Jr. was a well-known New Orleans jazz pianist who was the patriarch of a musical family including sons Branford and Wynton Marsalis.
Obituary
He began teaching jazz at Xavier University, then took a position at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, a training center for artistically inclined high school students. Marsalis also joined the faculty at the University of New Orleans, where he helped establish the university’s Jazz Studies program. At the two institutions, Marsalis taught future greats including Terence Blanchard and Harry Connick Jr.
Published on Legacy.com
“Never in a foul mood or demeanor just a true jazzy New Orleans gem of a man . Know he is jamming wherever he is and whoever can hear it is in ecstasy.”
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