Soulful DetroitArchives - July 2004 � Ellis MARSALIS passes away... Previous Next

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Wonder B (wonder_b)
6-Zenith
Username: wonder_b

Post Number: 713
Registered: 4-2004
Posted From: 193.253.226.241
Posted on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 10:11 pm: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ellis Marsalis Sr, patriarch of the family of jazz greats that includes his grandsons Wynton and Branford, died over the weekend at the age of 96, a New Orleans funeral home said on Wednesday.

Marsalis, who took an active role in the civil rights movement, died at an area hospital on Sunday.

Marsalis was a poultry farmer who converted a barn along the Mississippi River into a motel in 1943.

The 40 room motel catered to African-Americans, who were not allowed to stay in New Orleans hotels because of racial discrimination.

The motel attracted some of the best musicians in the United States, who helped foster a love of jazz among the members of the Marsalis family, including his son Ellis Marsalis Jr, another jazz great.

The Marsalis Motel quickly became famous for its well appointed rooms, fancy restaurant and shaded gardens.

Its clients included civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr, US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and US Republican Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

The motel saw its fortunes turn for the worse in the 1960s when civil rights legislation allowed African-Americans to stay at New Orleans hotels that formerly catered only to whites.

In 1986 the facility closed and was later demolished.

A funeral is scheduled for Thursday in New Orleans
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Soul Sister (soul_sister)
6-Zenith
Username: soul_sister

Post Number: 1765
Registered: 4-2004
Posted From: 65.43.145.122
Posted on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 10:38 pm: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey Blaise;
Thanks for the story on Elis, Sr.

May he rest in peace, a pioneer on the Jazz scene.
Condolences to the family.
Jimmy & Jeanie Scott
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Morgan (leeway)
3-Pundit
Username: leeway

Post Number: 66
Registered: 4-2004
Posted From: 68.41.236.206
Posted on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 10:43 pm: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That's a shame about that hotel...I guess (maybe) the money (or name recognition) wasn't in the family at the time to try and save it before it was demolished??

You always hear about how sooo many black businesses closed their doors after segregation ended..that was when our "Unity" really up and left, in our effort to be accepted by the white mainstream, we abandoned our own..

He lived to a ripe old age didn't he? I'll bet that will be some funeral!!
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Vonnie (vonnie)
5-Doyen
Username: vonnie

Post Number: 304
Registered: 3-2004
Posted From: 152.163.100.74
Posted on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 10:56 pm: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Wow, sorry to hear this sad news. What a legacy he has left behind; his son the pianist Ellis Sr., his grandsons, Wynton the trumpeter, Branford the saxaphonist, Delfeayo the trombonist and Jason the drummer. He can certainly rest in peace, the name Marsalis will always be a part of musical history.
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SisDetroit (sis)
6-Zenith
Username: sis

Post Number: 632
Registered: 4-2004
Posted From: 68.43.206.95
Posted on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 11:04 pm: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

RIP Mr.Marsalis. My condolences to the family.
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Destruction (destruction)
6-Zenith
Username: destruction

Post Number: 417
Registered: 4-2004
Posted From: 199.173.224.25
Posted on Friday, September 24, 2004 - 4:39 am: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My condolences to the family and an amen to Vonnie's comments.
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marilyn (marilyn)
3-Pundit
Username: marilyn

Post Number: 47
Registered: 8-2004
Posted From: 147.174.1.163
Posted on Friday, September 24, 2004 - 1:35 pm: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

R.I.P. Mr. Marsalis, a true great
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Kevin Goins - KevGo (kevgo)
5-Doyen
Username: kevgo

Post Number: 192
Registered: 4-2004
Posted From: 64.33.205.135
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 10:56 am: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

A great legend and patriarch. New Orleans will not the same without him.

My condolences to Ellis Jr., Wynton, Branford, Delfayo and the remaining Marsalis clan.

Kevin Goins - KevGo
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Dinelle (dinelle_watson)
5-Doyen
Username: dinelle_watson

Post Number: 325
Registered: 3-2004
Posted From: 65.6.75.249
Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 1:08 pm: ��Edit PostDelete Post���Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I agree with Marilyn. Thank you, Elis Sr. for giving New Orleans four great jazz artists.

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