Mr. Marsalis was always hungry for knowledge and saw himself as an eternal student. At the university, he said, “I want to take a course on physics to get a good understanding of the physical aspects of the universe. There are literature courses I would like to take. I could one day. I don’t buy the idea that colleges are only for young people. “
John S. Wilson of the New York Times featured a performance by Mr. Marsalis at Carnegie Tavern in New York in 1979, shortly before his family entered the national stage, and introduced it to its readers. “In contrast to the widely accepted image of jazz musicians from New Orleans, Marsalis is not a traditionalist,” ; wrote Wilson, describing him as “a versatile performer with a light and graceful touch” and an “explorative attitude”.
Four years later, Mr. Marsalis performed again in New York, next door with a similar name: Carnegie Hall. There he gave a solo concert that oscillated between original compositions and cover versions of jazz standards.
“Mister. The interpretations of Marsalis were impressive in terms of their economy and consistency,” wrote Times critic Stephen Holden. “The pianist mainly adhered to the middle register of the keyboard and offered richly harmonized arrangements in which unusual keyboard works were performed were kept to a minimum and hard-working melodic inventions, instead of pronounced bass patterns, determined the structures and the tempo. “
Before Wynton and then Branford found recognition, Mr. Marsalis had only taken in sporadically. But when they all became nationally known, that changed. In the 1990s, after the Young Lions boom, which had helped major labels reinvest in straight-ahead jazz, Marsalis released a number of albums for Blue Grade and then for Columbia.
In 2008, Mr. Marsalis was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
He had performed weekly at Snug Harbor, one of New Orleans’ premier jazz clubs, for decades before giving up in December.