Marsalis family

▪ American musicians

      American family, considered the “first family of jazz,” who (particularly brothers Wynton and Branford) had a major impact on jazz in the late 20th century. The family includes Ellis (b. November 13, 1934, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.) and his sons Branford (b. August 26, 1960, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana), Wynton (b. October 18, 1961, New Orleans), Delfeayo (b. July 28, 1965, New Orleans), and Jason (b. March 4, 1977, New Orleans).

      Ellis Marsalis began as a tenor saxophonist but switched to piano while in high school. After earning a music degree from Dillard University and serving in the U.S. Marines, he worked for the AFO (All-for-One) record label in the late 1950s, recorded with brothers Nat (Adderley, Nat) and Julian (“Cannonball”) Adderley (Adderley, Cannonball) in 1962, and was trumpeter Al Hirt's pianist during 1967–70. It was as a jazz educator, however, that he made his greatest mark. In 1974 he began teaching at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, where his pupils included Harry Connick, Jr., Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Nicholas Payton, and Kent and Marlon Jordan, as well as his own six sons, four of whom became celebrated musicians. The success of his sons resulted in Ellis's attaining stardom in the 1980s, and he has recorded steadily ever since.

      Wynton Marsalis was the first family member to achieve national fame. He was given his first trumpet by Hirt and studied both classical music and jazz. Although he played with Danny Barker's Fairview Baptist Church Band and was featured with the New Orleans Philharmonic at age 14, his early musical jobs were mostly in rhythm-and-blues (R&B) and funk bands. He became devoted to jazz while studying at the Berkshire Music Center, and he later attended the Juilliard School (1979–81), where he was recognized as among the most gifted musicians at the prestigious institution. At age 19 Wynton joined Art Blakey (Blakey, Art)'s Jazz Messengers, in which he displayed the influence of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. He soon began emulating the sound of Miles Davis (Davis, Miles) and toured with former Davis sideman Herbie Hancock (Hancock, Herbie) in 1982–83 before rejoining Blakey for a brief stint. By age 20 Wynton was the talk of the jazz world. His brilliant technique, his dedication to acoustic jazz (rather than fusion or R&B), and his ability to excel in both jazz and classical music (winning Grammy Awards in both categories in 1984) generated headlines, and he became the unofficial leader of the “Young Lions”—new players who updated the hard bop tradition.

      Wynton led a quintet that included his brother Branford during 1982–85. Pianist Marcus Roberts was a featured player in a later combo that eventually grew to be a septet (and proved to be the best vehicle for Wynton's playing and composing). In 1987 Wynton cofounded the ongoing Jazz at Lincoln Center program and undertook the leadership of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In this capacity he became a lightning rod of controversy because of his championing of traditional jazz styles and his dismissal of most musical developments after 1965. Since he developed his own distinctive style in the late 1980s, however, he has consistently ranked among jazz's all-time great trumpeters, playing everything from New Orleans jazz and swing to hard bop. In the 1990s he wrote many extended works (such as Blood on the Fields, which won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1997), toured the world extensively, and became a prominent spokesman for jazz and music education.

      Branford Marsalis started out playing soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone (although he rarely played alto after the late 1980s) and studied under his father at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts; he continued his studies at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 1980 he played with the Art Blakey Big Band, as well as with such jazz luminaries as Lionel Hampton (Hampton, Lionel) and Clark Terry, before joining brother Wynton as a member of Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1981–82. Branford was a key member of Wynton's quintet from 1982 to 1985, during which time he also recorded with Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie (Gillespie, Dizzy) and toured with Herbie Hancock. He had a falling-out with Wynton in 1985 when he joined pop singer Sting's band, but the brothers later reconciled.

      A talented saxophonist who has shown the ability to emulate a variety of his predecessors (including John Coltrane (Coltrane, John), Sonny Rollins (Rollins, Sonny), and Jan Garbarek), Branford has primarily led his own groups since 1986, including a quartet with pianist Kenny Kirkland and a mid-1990s hip-hop ensemble called Buckshot LeFonque. He has also recorded soundtracks, acted in films, been the musical director of The Tonight Show (1992–95), made guest appearances on many recordings, worked as a talent scout and record producer for the Sony label, and been featured regularly as a radio host on National Public Radio. More flexible than Wynton in his willingness to explore contemporary music, Branford is nevertheless a highly skilled player in the traditional styles.

      Although overshadowed by Wynton and Branford, Delfeayo Marsalis has gradually carved out a significant career for himself as a J.J. Johnson (Johnson, J.J.)-inspired trombonist. He studied music, producing, and engineering at Berklee College of Music and made his initial reputation as a record producer starting in 1985. As a trombonist, he worked with Ray Charles (Charles, Ray), Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibrahim, and, most notably, Elvin Jones (Jones, Elvin). He made his recording debut as a leader in 1992.

      The youngest member of the Marsalis family, Jason, made a strong impression at age 14 as a drummer on Delfeayo's recordings. Influenced by New Orleans rhythms and the drum work of Tony Williams, Jason was a coleader of the band Los Hombres Calientes in the late 1990s and has also recorded with Marcus Roberts, Marcus Printup, and his father.

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