Jason Marsalis (born March 4, 1977) is an American jazz drummer,
vibraphone
The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist, ...
player, composer, producer, band leader, and member of the Marsalis family of musicians. He is the youngest son of Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis and the late
Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. (November 14, 1934 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and educator. Active since the late 1940s, Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of the musical Marsalis family, wh ...
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...
, Ellis Marsalis III (1964), Delfeayo Marsalis, and Mboya Kenyatta (1971). Branford, Wynton, and Delfeayo are also jazz musicians.
At age 6, Marsalis took lessons from legendary New Orleans drummer James Black. As a teenager, he made his recording debut on Delfeayo Marsalis's 1992 release, ''Pontius Pilate’s Decision''.
Marsalis graduated from the
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is the regional, pre-professional arts training center for high school students in Louisiana. NOCCA opened in 1973 as a professional arts training center for secondary school-age children. Locat ...
(NOCCA) and studied percussion at
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans ( , ,funk, and
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and key ...
groups (Neslort and
Snarky Puppy
Snarky Puppy is an American instrumental band led by bassist Michael League. Founded in 2004, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk and has won four Grammy Awards. Although the band has worked with vocalis ...
); a Brazilian percussion ensemble (Casa Samba); and played
Celtic music
Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considera ...
Bill Summers Bill Summers may refer to:
*Bill Summers (car builder) (1935–2011), American car builder and longtime speed record holder
*Bill Summers (musician) (born 1948), American jazz percussionist
* Bill Summers (umpire) (1895–1966), American umpire
*'' ...
to trumpeter
Irvin Mayfield
Irvin Mayfield Jr. (born December 23, 1977) is an American trumpeter, composer, bandleader and educator. On November 3, 2021, Mayfield was sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding the New Orleans public library system from over one mill ...
, and they founded
Los Hombres Calientes Los Hombres Calientes was a New Orleans–based jazz group. They are most associated with Latin jazz, especially Afro-Cuban jazz, and contemporary jazz. Their 1998 self-titled debut was praised by the '' New Orleans Times-Picayune''. Bill Summers ...
. Marsalis has also played with
John Ellis John Ellis may refer to:
Academics
*John Ellis (scrivener) (1698–1791), English political writer
*John Ellis (naturalist) (1710–1776), English botanical illustrator
*John Ellis (physicist, born 1946), British theoretical physicist at CERN
* Jo ...
,
Dr. Michael White
Michael White (born November 29, 1954 in New Orleans) is a jazz clarinetist, bandleader, composer, jazz historian and musical educator. Jazz critic Scott Yanow said in a review that White "displays the feel and spirit of the best New Orleans cl ...
, and the Marsalis family. Marsalis regularly performs at the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...
as leader and sideman.
Marsalis has had a long professional career and collaboration with pianist
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
. In 1994 at the age of 17 he toured as a member of the Marcus Roberts Trio performing selections from Roberts' ''Gershwin for Lovers''. In 2022 he continues performing with
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
as a member of the trio and Robert's Modern Jazz Generation. In a program of
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was ba ...
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
, bassist Rodney Jordan, vocalist Catherine Russell, and the American Symphony Orchestra, critic Seth Colter Walls writes "The drumming by Marsalis was likewise individual in character, particularly during "Three Black Kings." (At one point, he made a simple-sounding pattern progressively complex in its syncopations, until he stirred the crowd to applause.)"
At the age of 21, Marsalis released his first record as leader, ''The Year of the Drummer''. "On this impressive debut, his quintet puts together a highly coordinated spin on blues motifs and Caribbean figures. The music is vivacious as it makes its move; all sorts of fresh ideas concerning tempo fill the air."
Los Angeles Times’ writer Don Heckman reviewed Marsalis’s second record, the 2000 release, ''Music in Motion'', and described it as "impressive," "the opportunity to display his technique in everything from brushwork and hard-driving jazz to offbeat meters and Brazilian rhythms...with ease," and "purposeful, intelligent drumming." The record's cover photograph is of Jason standing on the tracks of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad along Leake Avenue in New Orleans.
In 2009, Marsalis released his first album as a leader on
vibraphone
The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist, ...
, entitled ''Music Update''. The album received 4.5 out of 5 stars in ''
DownBeat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
'' magazine. Writing in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', critic Ben Ratliff said that Marsalis was "an excellent musician trying out something risky without embarrassment."
Marsalis and his brothers Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and their father
Ellis
Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis.
Surname
A
*Abe Ellis (Stargate), a fictional character in the TV series '' ...
were named
NEA Jazz Masters
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the self-proclaimed highest honors that the United States bestows upon ...
in 2011.
In 2013, Marsalis released his second vibraphone record, ''In a World of Mallets'', as the Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet. The quartet consisted of Austin Johnson (piano), Will Goble (bass), and Dave Potter (drums), and each contributed one song to the record and most of the other songs were composed by Marsalis. Marsalis plays marimba, glockenspiel, tubular bells, vibraphone, and xylophone. The record peaked at #1 in JazzWeek's chart. In a review by Britt Robson in
JazzTimes
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of grow ...
-- "''In a World of Mallets'' highlights the growth of Jason Marsalis as a full-fledged vibraphonist" and "..captures the guileless mischief and playful impulsiveness of Marsalis’ personality, and inspires him into a spirited yet still multifaceted performance." In the liner notes Marsalis writes "a debt of gratitude is owed to the original members of the percussion ensemble M'Boom". He dedicates one of his songs, ''Blues Can Be Abstract, Too'', to "all musicians and music students who believe that blues is a primitive old form in which no modern music can be explored."
Drummers Marsalis, Herlin Riley, and Shannon Powell play together as The New Orleans Groovemasters. During a 2020 performance at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in New Orleans, Marsalis's father Ellis Louis Marsalis, Jr. sat in on three songs with the Groovemasters. Herlin Riley commented about the performance in ''International Musician'', "Ellis Marsalis passed away on April 1st
020
020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...
from the coronavirus. In hindsight, that March 3
020
020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...
performance was a special moment at the close of his life and career. He played with his longtime friend (
Germaine Bazzle
Germaine Bazzle (born March 28, 1932) is a jazz vocalist from New Orleans.
Background
Bazzle was born in New Orleans in 1932 and is from the Seventh Ward. She grew up in a musical family and began playing the piano by ear at a young age. Her ...
), his youngest son, and in the venue that bears his name and was built in his honor."
The Jason Marsalis Signature Series Vibe Mallets are the first mallets Marimba One designed specifically for the vibraphone. Marsalis is a Marimba One artist and plays the One Vibe.
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
History
The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...
with the
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
Trio at the Waldbühne in Berlin. They performed the music of
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
and one piece each by
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
and
Paul Lincke
Carl Emil Paul Lincke (7 November 1866 – 3 September 1946) was a German composer and theater conductor. He is considered the "father" of the Berlin operetta. His well-known compositions include "" ("Berlin Air"), the unofficial anthem of Berlin, ...
. EuroArts released the concert on Blu-Ray and DVD in 2021 as ''Ozawa: A Gershwin Night - Waldbühne Berlin''. The video includes a 19-minute documentary, ''They got Rhythm'', about the origin of the performance and includes footage of rehearsals and interviews of Marsalis, Seiji Ozawa,
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
, and bassist Roland Guerin.
Marsalis is one of the artists featured in '' Tradition is a Temple: The Modern Masters of New Orleans'', a 2013 documentary film about New Orleans.
In 2022 ''Music Pictures: New Orleans'' had its world premiere at the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...
, and after the premiere Marsalis performed for the attendees. The documentary is about elder and master musicians of New Orleans, and Marsalis's father,
Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. (November 14, 1934 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and educator. Active since the late 1940s, Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of the musical Marsalis family, wh ...
is featured. The documentary includes footage of Marsalis and his father recording and footage of one of his father's last live performances at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro where Marsalis was headlining.
Los Hombres Calientes Los Hombres Calientes was a New Orleans–based jazz group. They are most associated with Latin jazz, especially Afro-Cuban jazz, and contemporary jazz. Their 1998 self-titled debut was praised by the '' New Orleans Times-Picayune''. Bill Summers ...
Los Hombres Calientes Los Hombres Calientes was a New Orleans–based jazz group. They are most associated with Latin jazz, especially Afro-Cuban jazz, and contemporary jazz. Their 1998 self-titled debut was praised by the '' New Orleans Times-Picayune''. Bill Summers ...
John Ellis John Ellis may refer to:
Academics
*John Ellis (scrivener) (1698–1791), English political writer
*John Ellis (naturalist) (1710–1776), English botanical illustrator
*John Ellis (physicist, born 1946), British theoretical physicist at CERN
* Jo ...
- ''All Things Bright'' (2020)
*
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charle ...
Norbert Susemihl
Norbert Susemihl (born August 26, 1956) is a German trumpeter, drummer, singer, and bandleader. He is a promoter of New Orleans Jazz and New Orleans Music.
Early years
Susemihl grew up in Hamburg, Germany. He started playing music at the age of ...
Jon Batiste
Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music (Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, ...
- Christmas with Jon Batiste (Naht Jona, 2016), drummer on track 4 Fredrik Kronkvist - ''Monk Vibes'' (Connective Records, 2015)
* Ellis Marsalis Trio - ''On the Second Occasion'' (ELM Records, 2014)
* The Native Jazz Quartet - ''Stories'' (self-released, 2013)
* Bela Fleck and the
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
Trio - ''Across the Imaginary Divide'' ( Rounder, 2012)
*
Norbert Susemihl
Norbert Susemihl (born August 26, 1956) is a German trumpeter, drummer, singer, and bandleader. He is a promoter of New Orleans Jazz and New Orleans Music.
Early years
Susemihl grew up in Hamburg, Germany. He started playing music at the age of ...
– ''Night on Frenchmen Street'' (Sumi Records, 2012)
* Ellis Marsalis - ''A New Orleans Christmas Carol'' (ELM Records, 2011)
* John Ellis & Double-Wide - ''Puppet Mischief'' (2010)
* The Marsalis Family – Music Redeems ' (
Marsalis Music
Marsalis Music is a jazz record label founded by Branford Marsalis in 2002.
After 20 years with Columbia, saxophonist Branford Marsalis left to start his own label. Early musicians to the label included Miguel Zenón, a Puerto Rican saxophonist ...
Norbert Susemihl
Norbert Susemihl (born August 26, 1956) is a German trumpeter, drummer, singer, and bandleader. He is a promoter of New Orleans Jazz and New Orleans Music.
Early years
Susemihl grew up in Hamburg, Germany. He started playing music at the age of ...
's New Orleans All Stars – ''Live at Maribo Jazzfestival-Denmark'' (Sumi Records, 2008)
* Neal Caine – ''Backstabber's Ball'' (Smalls Records, 2006)
* Jonathan Batiste - ''Times in New Orleans'' (self-released, 2005)
* Branford Marsalis - Romare Bearden Revealed (
Marsalis Music
Marsalis Music is a jazz record label founded by Branford Marsalis in 2002.
After 20 years with Columbia, saxophonist Branford Marsalis left to start his own label. Early musicians to the label included Miguel Zenón, a Puerto Rican saxophonist ...
Fresh Sound
Fresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a jazz record label established in Barcelona, Spain, by Jordi Pujol. The label was initially founded as a reissue label.
The catalog includes work by musicians both major and minor that was recorded be ...
, 2002)
* Roland Guerin – ''You Don't Have to See It to Believe It'' ( Half Note, 2000)
* David Morgan Trio – ''Live at the Blue Note'' ( Half Note, 1999)
*
Marcus Roberts
Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.
Early life
Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
Trio – ''In Honor of Duke'' (
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...