Jazz Pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr. Die From Coronavirus Complications
On Wednesday, complications from COVID-19 claimed the life of pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis Jr.
His son Branford Marsalis told the New York Times.
“Ellis Marsalis was a legend. He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement Wednesday night.
“He was a teacher, a father, and an icon — and words aren’t sufficient to describe the art, the joy and the wonder he showed the world.”
A musical dynasty:
His son Branford is a jazz saxophonist who has recorded albums with Sting, among others.
Marsalis, who was 85 years old, contributed to a late-20th-century resurgence in jazz and influenced four musician sons on to prominent careers, including jazz artists Wynton and Branford.