Jazz legend Ellis Marsalis Jr. dies of coronavirus

[RandySF]

azz pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr. died on Wednesday after complications from the coronavirus, his family said in a statement.

The legendary musician's death was confirmed on Twitter by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D), who called the 85-year-old the "prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz."

"The love and the prayers of all of our people go out to his family, and to all of those whose lives he touched," she added. "Ellis Marsalis was an icon — and words aren’t sufficient to describe the art, the joy & the wonder he showed the world.

"May we wrap his family in our love & our gratitude, & may we honor his memory by coming together in spirit— even as the outbreak keeps us apart, for a time," Cantrell said.



https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/490779-longtime-jazz-legend-ellis-marsalis-jr-dies-of-coronavirus?__twitter_impression=true

[Hotler]

1. RIP......

[malaise]

2. He's the family patriarch - how sad

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/01/us/ellis-marsalis-pianist-dies-coronavirus/index.html
<snip>
"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."

Four of Marsalis' six sons followed in his musical footsteps, and established their own lasting careers in the industry. His son Wynton is managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and winner of multiple awards. His son Branford is a jazz saxophonist who has recorded albums with Sting, among others.
In addition to his own storied career as a jazz pianist and composer, Ellis Marsalis was also the first jazz instructor at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, and the first chair of the jazz studies program at the University of New Orleans, according to Cantrell's statement.