Sinfonia Names 24th Man of Music

Born in 1934, Ellis Marsalis, Jr. has been active in the jazz world for nearly 70 years. Brother Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of what some call the quintessential jazz music family, which includes his sons Jason Marsalis on percussion, Delfayo Marsalis on trombone, Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, and Branford Marsalis, Mu Psi (Southern University) ’79, on saxophone.

Brother Ellis Marsalis is the embodiment of the concept of “Living the Object,” and has been a a constant example of the great ideals of Sinfonia and our Brotherhood in music. From his early days as a music student at Dillard University, through his service to his country in the United States Marine Corps, Brother Marsalis has influenced thousands of lives and careers in music. In the 1970s Ellis began studying music education at New Orleans’ Loyola University, and in 1974, his future began to take shape as the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts named him director of its newly formed jazz studies program. It is here where Brother Marsalis found his calling as an music advocate, seeking to inspire the hearts of youth. From his position with the CCA, through his 1989 appointment to a teaching position for Jazz Studies at the University of New Orleans, to his current involvement with the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music that provides a safe, positive environment where underserved children and youth can develop musically, academically, and socially, Ellis has made a very real impact in the lives of countless music lovers, including some of his more notable students such as pianist and vocalist Harry Connick, Jr., trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and of course, his four sons.

Brother Marsalis has worked to promote music tirelessly during his accomplished career, and his artistry is renowned the world over. He has personally helped generations of young musicians hone their skills by selflessly sharing his wisdom and experience, all while demanding the highest musical and personal standards. All throughout his efforts to win the world to Harmony, Brother Marsalis has shown the grace and humility that encourage us to remember that the music is more important than the accolades it may bring, and to conduct ourselves with the truest fraternal spirit at all times. At 80 years of age, Brother Marsalis continues to find the determination and will to bring the joy of music to his community by performing each week, lifting the spirits of those who sorely need the relief it provides.

Though he has recorded almost twenty of his own albums, and was featured on many discs with such jazz greats as David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie Harris, Marcus Roberts, and Courtney Pine, he shunned the spotlight to focus on teaching. Marsalis’s didactic approach, combined with an interest in philosophy, encourages his students to make discoveries in music on their own, through experiment and careful listening.

“I never thought of myself as a teacher. I used to always look at myself as being a coach. Not devoid of instruction, but I was never that organized in my approach to what I was doing. I always tried to key off of wherever the student was and just figure out what I needed to present to them to move from point A to B.”

— Ellis Marsalis