Ellis Marsalis

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For more than three decades, Friday night was Ellis Marsalis night at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro in New Orleans.

Tonight, in a way, it still is.

In December, 2019, the 85 year old jazz patriarch announced he was stepping away from his weekly commitment, calling it “exhausting.” But Marsalis still planned to appear at the club a couple times a month as a “special guest.”

Ellis Marsalis died on April 1st, 2020 and now Snug Harbor is honoring his memory with a virtual Friday night concert series, starting tonight at 8:00 pm, CDT.

The players include saxophonist Derek Douget, bassist Jason Stewart and trumpeter Ashlin Parker, along with percussionist Jason Marsalis. They’ll all be performing from their respective homes, streaming on the Snug Harbor Facebook page.

Here’s the band to explain:

If, like some of us, you missed the opportunity to hear Ellis Marsalis at Snug … now’s your chance to make up for it by helping some local musicians honor his memory. And don’t forget the virtual tip jar.

New Orleans Jazz Patriarch Ellis Marsalis 1934-2020

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Ellis Marsalis“Ellis Marsalis” by gamelaner is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Ellis Marsalis, Jr. has died at the age of 85. His legacy as a performer, teacher and patriarch of one of the great musical families in jazz is immeasurable. Marsalis was a mentor to a Who’s Who of jazz luminaries: Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison Jr., Harry Connick Jr., Nicholas Payton, Kent Jordan, Marlon Jordan, Victor Goines, and Jon Batiste. Four of his sons have become jazz notables in their own right: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis.

We have an interview with Marsalis and it’s ready for broadcast and streaming right now. Navigate to the Listen menu and scroll to find Ellis Marsalis Jr.

MIO host Gwen Thompkins talked about Ellis Marsalis with NPR’s Rachel Martin for Morning Edition:

Though mentored many famous names in jazz,, Marsalis saw himself more as a facilitator than an educator:

EM: “…if you can facilitate the student through the material that you use to teach and recommend – ’cause a lot of stuff you recommend are things that you may not have on the spot if we are talking about music. You can tell a student, “Look, what you need to do, you need to go listen to standards.” Now, here is somebody who has been spending all their time trying to play like John Coltrane, so you say, “Hey man, that is okay, but you need to go and check out Sonny Rollins.” Become more like a facilitator.”