Ellis Marsalis : NPR

Ellis Marsalis, Patriarch Of New Orleans' Most Famous Musical Family, Has Died

Ellis Marsalis performs during the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Music Festival. Tyler Kaufman/FilmMagic/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Tyler Kaufman/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Ellis Marsalis, Patriarch Of New Orleans' Most Famous Musical Family, Has Died

April 2, 2020 • Jazz pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis has died at the age of 85, according to tweets from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Geri Allen watches as Taylor Eigsti, Jason Moran and Ellis Marsalis, from left, perform in a round robin at A Jazz Piano Christmas 2012. Brendan Hoffman for NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Brendan Hoffman for NPR

A Jazz Piano Christmas 2012

December 14, 2012 • NPR Music has an annual tradition: Invite some of the world's best jazz keyboard players to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, then set them loose on their favorite holiday tunes.

A Jazz Piano Christmas 2012

59:54

Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/167272583/167248972" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Detail from cover of Geri Allen, A Child Is Born. Motema Music hide caption

toggle caption

Motema Music

New Jazz In Time For Christmas

December 21, 2011 • For whatever reason, a number of fine jazz pianists have recorded Christmas albums for this holiday season. Here are five tracks from a few of the standout records released this year — with a bonus from a disc coming early next year.

The 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Concert

The 2011 NEA Jazz Masters. Top row (L-R, from second left): Delfeayo Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Jason Marsalis. Bottom row (L-R): Hubert Laws, Orrin Keepnews, Johnny Mandel, David Liebman. Also pictured are NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman (top row, left), NEA Director of Music and Opera Wayne Brown (top row, right), and Executive Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center Adrian Ellis (bottom row, right). Frank Stewart/Jazz at Lincoln Center/NEA hide caption

toggle caption

Frank Stewart/Jazz at Lincoln Center/NEA

Concerts

The 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Concert

WBGO

January 11, 2011 • In a ceremony held Tuesday at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, the National Endowment for the Arts presented the country's highest awards for jazz artistry and advocacy. Hear a recording of the entire event, featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Listen Now: The 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Ceremony And Concert

1:53:52

First Listen: The Marsalis Family, 'Music Redeems'

The Marsalis Family. Margot I. Schulman hide caption

toggle caption

Margot I. Schulman

First Listen

First Listen: The Marsalis Family, 'Music Redeems'

August 15, 2010 • In 2009, Wynton, Branford, Jason and Delfeayo made a rare joint appearance to honor their father, the great pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis. Now, the first family of jazz is releasing that recording and sending all proceeds to the New Orleans Musicians' Village. Hear Music Redeems in its entirety here until Aug. 24.

Holiday Music

A Jazz Piano Christmas 2008

December 12, 2008 • NPR presents an annual holiday tradition — with a Latin twist this year. Pianists Arturo O'Farrill, Eliane Elias, Rebeca Mauleon, Angel Echevarria and Ellis Marsalis visit the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for jazz improvisations on holiday classics.

Listen Now: A Jazz Piano Christmas, 2008

Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/98183538/98103577" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">