Jazz and Blues Lounge

The Marsalis Family

by balaspa on September 29th, 2007

If there is a modern family that could arguably be considered a kind of “Royal Family” of jazz, it would have to be the family known as Marsalis.  I know, there are those who are likey to argue, this, but there is no denying the fact that someone with the last name of Marsalis has been recording and playing jazz music for a very long time.  Since this is my blog, I will even go out on a limb and say they are some of the best modern jazz musicians around.

I am a fan of the horn players, particularly trumpet players.  I also love what many consider to be “classic” jazz.  I admit this.  When I go to my CD player or want to play a tune on my computer, I pull out my Miles Davis collection.  I also love Dizzy and Bird and Charlie Mingus.  I love listening to Thelonius playing the piano or perhaps Earl Hines.

Still, there are modern jazz musicians who play music in that classic tradition.  The Marsalis family would have to be considered among them.

The patriarch is Ellis Marsalis.  I have only ever heard one of his albums and it was one I had when I worked at the jazz radio station in college.  Ellis is a music teacher and he plays piano and he raised his family in the city of New Orleans where he was a major fixture on the New Orleans jazz scene.

His sons are a kind of who’s who in jazz.  There is Branford, who was famous as the guy who was the first band leader Jay Leno played around with when he took over the “Tonight Show.”  Branford plays the saxophone, and he is the one, I feel, ventures the furthest from traditional jazz and will experiment.

Then there is Delfeayo Marsalis.  He plays the trombone.  I am not as familiar with his work as I am Branford and Wynton, but I have heard very good things about him

There is also Jason Marsalis, who is a drummer.  Again, like Delfeayo, I am not as familiar with his work.

For me, my favorite, has always been Wynton.  When it comes to modern jazz trumpeters, for my taste, there is none better than Wynton Marsalis.  I ask you to get his album entitled “Citi Movement” which was released in 1992 for a good example.  It’s still one of my favorite jazz albums.

Wynton is not only a great musician, but he is the Musical Director of Jazz and the Lincoln Center.  He has won nine grammys and he has even won the Pullitzer Prize for Music.  That last award was the first time it had been awarded for jazz music.

Anyway, I suppose there are other modern jazz musician that people can point me to.  I have some of their albums, probably.  For me, though, when I download, or buy or play music from my collection of jazz, it’s the Marsalis family I go to, again and again.

POSTED IN: Bands, Chicago, jazz, records