Ellis Marsalis At Pinecrest Gardens Feb 17 at South Motors Jazz Series @ Pinecrest Gardens at Pinecrest Gardens Banyan Bowl

Save the date! Feb 17 at 8: the South Motors Jazz Series at Pinecrest Gardens presents NEA Jazz Master Ellis Marsalis, with Jason Stewart (bass) and Herlin Riley (drums). "Marsalis is a one-of-the-kind gem, a living legend." (John Soltes, hollywoodsoapbox.com). Tickets $30-35 at pinecrestgardens.org. Music courtesy of KCC Productions.

From his first professional performance with "The Groovy Boys" over fifty years ago, Ellis Marsalis has been a major influence in jazz. At that time, Marsalis was one of the few New Orleans musicians who did not specialize in Dixieland or rhythm and blues. He played with fellow modernists including Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, and Al Hirt, becoming one of the most respected pianists in jazz. Though he has recorded almost twenty of his own albums, and was featured on many discs with such musicians as David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie Harris, Marcus Roberts, and Courtney Pine, he shunned the spotlight to focus on teaching....

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Save the date! Feb 17 at 8: the South Motors Jazz Series at Pinecrest Gardens presents NEA Jazz Master Ellis Marsalis, with Jason Stewart (bass) and Herlin Riley (drums). "Marsalis is a one-of-the-kind gem, a living legend." (John Soltes, hollywoodsoapbox.com). Tickets $30-35 at pinecrestgardens.org. Music courtesy of KCC Productions.

From his first professional performance with "The Groovy Boys" over fifty years ago, Ellis Marsalis has been a major influence in jazz. At that time, Marsalis was one of the few New Orleans musicians who did not specialize in Dixieland or rhythm and blues. He played with fellow modernists including Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, and Al Hirt, becoming one of the most respected pianists in jazz. Though he has recorded almost twenty of his own albums, and was featured on many discs with such musicians as David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie Harris, Marcus Roberts, and Courtney Pine, he shunned the spotlight to focus on teaching.

As a leading educator at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the University of New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana, Ellis has influenced the careers of countless musicians, including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., and Nicholas Payton; as well as his four musician sons: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason. In May, 2007, Marsalis received an honorary doctorate from Tulane University for his contributions to jazz and musical education.

On December 7, 2008, Ellis Marsalis was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Through the generosity of South Motors and the National Endowment for the Arts we are proud to announce that four of the artists will participate in a special educational initiative we call South Motors Gen-Next Jam. Nestor Torres, Brian Lynch, Ellis Marsalis and Spyro Gyra will mentor gifted students from the New World School of the Arts High School under the direction of Jim Gasior. Check the calendar for locations and times of these special free workshops.

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