ellis marsalis

From D.C.'s Kennedy Center to East Of Angel Town: Conversations with Branford Marsalis

Publication: The Huffington Post
Author: Mike Ragogna
Date: October 18, 2010

Legendary jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis has been accumulating a series of honors with the upcoming NEA’s Jazz Masters Award being one of the most prestigious yet. He and his brood of familial, musical superstars recently played D.C.’s Kennedy Center, and that recording has been released as the album Music Redeems that unites The Marsalis Family with guests such as honorary offspring, Harry Connick, Jr.

The project’s profits will fund The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, a New Orleans-based organization dedicated to keeping the arts lively for young people. Read more »

Branford Marsalis talks "Music Redeems" and Party Songs

Publication: Artist Direct
Interviewer: Rick Florino
Date: October 5, 2010

There’s no better gift to dad than bringing the whole family together.

Jazz stalwarts, the Marsalis family, assembled at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. last year to honor dear old dad, Ellis Marsalis. Ellis is a recipient of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and he’s been integral to the genre since he first picked up an instrument. The Marsalis family sold out the Kennedy Center for the event, and all proceeds were donated to the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. In addition, team Marsalis recorded the show and released it as Music Redeems.
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The Marsalis Family: Music Redeems

Publication: Off-Beat
Author: John Swenson
Date: September 1, 2010

The family band has been a cornerstone of the American entertainment industry since the 19th Century, when singing families became the first domestic music stars. There’s something magic about the way blood relatives interact with each other spiritually and instinctively rather than technically. This is even more important in the African-American music tradition, in which musicians have learned from their relatives for generations. That special relationship is much in evidence on Music Redeems. Liberated from the critical necessity to make a Big Statement or define some new trend, the Marsalis family’s only agenda here is to enjoy playing together.
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Submitted by Ben on August 31st, 2010 — 04:21pm

Connick Jr., Marsalis Attend Event In Musicians' Village

WDSU.com
General Release
August 26, 2010

Musicians’ Village in the Upper 9th Ward was conceived post-Hurricane Katrina to give several generations of musicians and other families a community in which to live and prosper.

On Thursday, nearing the five-year mark since the storm, the milestone was celebrated in an area of the city that’s coming into its own.

The McDonogh 35 Choir helped mark the big moment, along with Harry Connick jr.

An oversized fleur de lis was raised to the top of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, which is halfway finished.
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Submitted by Ben on August 27th, 2010 — 01:59pm

Harry Connick, Jr., Ellis Marsalis, attend ceremony for 'Center for Music'

Publication: NOLA.com
Author: Times Picayune Staff
Date: August 27, 2010

Musicians Ellis Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. joined Mayor Mitch Landrieu on Thursday for a topping-off ceremony for the new Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in the Musicians Village.

Completion of the center is expected next year. It will serve as a center for the education and development of musicians.

The 17,800-square-foot Ellis Marsalis Center for Music will have three sections: a performance hall, offices, and a community room.

All 72 single-family homes and five duplexes in Musicians Village were constructed by New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers. The village stands on the site of Kohn Junior High School, which was torn down in the 1990s.

Marsalis Family Q&A

Marsalis Music
02.04.2003

ELLIS MARSALIS

• During your formative years, how did radio serve as an influence?

 I learned a lot about listening as a result of the radio.  From the popular standard fare such as Tommy Dorsey, Helen O’Connell and Glenn Miller to the mystery shows such as Lights Out, The Shadow, Superman and the Lone Ranger, whose theme song came from Rossini.  Later, I heard a modern show that was programming the music of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker and I said Wow! What is THAT?  That experience caused me to move into the direction that I would ultimately pursue.
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