pianist

Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. ‑ an American jazz pianist and educator – died from Covid-19 complications on April 1, 2020. Active since the late 1940s, Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of a musical family, with sons Branford and Wynton also becoming notable musicians. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Marsalis was the son of Florence Marie (née Robertson) and Ellis Marsalis Sr., a businessman and social activist. Marsalis and his wife Delores Ferdinand had six sons: Branford, Wynton, Ellis III, Delfeayo, Mboya, and Jason. Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason also became jazz musicians. Ellis III is a poet and photographer. Marsalis played saxophone during high school but switched to piano while st...

Michael Josef Longo ‑ an American jazz pianist, composer, and author ‑ died in Manhattan on March 23, 2020, three days after his 83rd birthday, from complications of COVID-19. Longo was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to parents who had a musical background. His father played bass, his mother played organ at church, and his music training began at a young age. Mike recalled seeing Sugar Chile Robinson playing boogie woogie piano: "The first time I saw him, man, he knocked me out. I must have been three or four years old. He played after the Count Basie show, so I went home and started picking out boogie woogie bass lines." His parents took him for formal lessons at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music at four. He moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida soon after. At the ag...

Tag: pianist

Ellis Marsalis Jr, jazz pianist

Mike Longo, jazz pianist, composer & author