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| Ellis Marsalis, pianist and patriarch of jazz dynasty, dies of coronavirus at 85 | Ellis Marsalis, pianist and patriarch of jazz dynasty, dies of coronavirus at 85 |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Ellis Marsalis, a pianist who launched a jazz dynasty as a teacher in his native New Orleans and as the father of four sons who became acclaimed musicians, including superstars Branford and Wynton Marsalis, died April 1 at a hospital in New Orleans. He was 85. | |
| His death was announced in a statement by Branford Marsalis. He had pneumonia, brought on by complications from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. | His death was announced in a statement by Branford Marsalis. He had pneumonia, brought on by complications from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. |
| Mr. Marsalis had been a leading jazz pianist in New Orleans for decades, but he did not gain widespread renown until his sons reached prominence during a jazz revival in the 1980s. | Mr. Marsalis had been a leading jazz pianist in New Orleans for decades, but he did not gain widespread renown until his sons reached prominence during a jazz revival in the 1980s. |
| Wynton, a trumpeter who became an outspoken advocate for a return to the early traditions of jazz, has won nine Grammy Awards and is the founding director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Branford toured with Sting, led the Tonight Show band and is one of the leading saxophonists of his generation. | Wynton, a trumpeter who became an outspoken advocate for a return to the early traditions of jazz, has won nine Grammy Awards and is the founding director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Branford toured with Sting, led the Tonight Show band and is one of the leading saxophonists of his generation. |
| Two of Mr. Marsalis’s other sons, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason Marsalis, also became musicians, and jazz fans flocked to hear the family on the rare occasions when they performed together, whether in New Orleans or on nationwide tours. | Two of Mr. Marsalis’s other sons, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason Marsalis, also became musicians, and jazz fans flocked to hear the family on the rare occasions when they performed together, whether in New Orleans or on nationwide tours. |
| Except for a period in the 1980s, when he taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, Mr. Marsalis spent virtually all his life in New Orleans. He was in the band of popular trumpeter Al Hirt, but he did not compromise his musical standards, even when he was barely scraping by, raising six sons while pursuing his art in obscurity. | Except for a period in the 1980s, when he taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, Mr. Marsalis spent virtually all his life in New Orleans. He was in the band of popular trumpeter Al Hirt, but he did not compromise his musical standards, even when he was barely scraping by, raising six sons while pursuing his art in obscurity. |
| He found a measure of stability in his 40s, when he taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, a high school whose students included trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Nicholas Payton and singer-pianist Harry Connick Jr. | He found a measure of stability in his 40s, when he taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, a high school whose students included trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Nicholas Payton and singer-pianist Harry Connick Jr. |
| Mr. Marsalis taught at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in the 1980s before returning to his hometown to lead the jazz studies program studies program at the University of New Orleans. His sons said he never pushed them into music, but his dedication to his art, and his deep-seated knowledge of New Orleans’s musical traditions, had an inescapble influence on their lives. | Mr. Marsalis taught at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in the 1980s before returning to his hometown to lead the jazz studies program studies program at the University of New Orleans. His sons said he never pushed them into music, but his dedication to his art, and his deep-seated knowledge of New Orleans’s musical traditions, had an inescapble influence on their lives. |
| “My father’s contribution to my career is of no importance,” Branford Marsalis told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2001. “My father’s contribution to my life is that he taught me by example to question the accepted norms of society. He taught me to embrace new adventures rather than shy away from them. He taught me the vast difference between knowing what you like and liking what you know. These things have led me to be the person that I am, which subsequently makes me the musician I am.” | “My father’s contribution to my career is of no importance,” Branford Marsalis told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2001. “My father’s contribution to my life is that he taught me by example to question the accepted norms of society. He taught me to embrace new adventures rather than shy away from them. He taught me the vast difference between knowing what you like and liking what you know. These things have led me to be the person that I am, which subsequently makes me the musician I am.” |
| Mr. Marsalis and his four sons were named National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters in 2011, and he continued to perform regularly at the Snug Harbor jazz club in New Orleans until this year. | Mr. Marsalis and his four sons were named National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters in 2011, and he continued to perform regularly at the Snug Harbor jazz club in New Orleans until this year. |
| His wife of 59 years, the former Dolores Ferdinand, died in 2017. | His wife of 59 years, the former Dolores Ferdinand, died in 2017. |
| This is a developing story. A complete obituary will follow. | This is a developing story. A complete obituary will follow. |
| Read more Washington Post obituaries | Read more Washington Post obituaries |
| McCoy Tyner, titan of jazz piano who helped propel Coltrane quartet, dies at 81 | McCoy Tyner, titan of jazz piano who helped propel Coltrane quartet, dies at 81 |
| Jimmy Heath, NEA Jazz Master and link to bebop era of 1940s, dies at 93 | Jimmy Heath, NEA Jazz Master and link to bebop era of 1940s, dies at 93 |
| Ernest J. Gaines, author of ‘Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,’ dies at 86 | Ernest J. Gaines, author of ‘Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,’ dies at 86 |