Perhaps one of the most well known families in jazz today is the Marsalis family. Branford, Wynton, Jason, Delfeayo, and Ellis Marsalis III are the sons of Ellis Marsalis Jr. Ellis Jr., an accomplished jazz pianist and music professor himself, passed on the candle to his four sons. All four sons have successful careers all their own, independent of each other. However, the four brothers have played together on occasion and continue to carry on their father’s legacy. Wynton, a trumpeter, has become a leading figure in jazz academia and performance. He is currently the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and a very accomplished performer. Branford is most noted for his work as a jazz saxophonist and for starting the record label aptly named Marsalis Music. Delfeayo has a successful career as a jazz trombonist while Jason, the youngest of the four, is an accomplished drummer. The four brothers do not usually tour together but have at times collaborated on selected projects. Most recently they recorded Music Redeems, a live engagement at the
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Stepping back a few more years, the Adderley brothers appear on the scene. Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and his brother Nathaniel became figures in the jazz scene as early as 1955. As the previously discussed brother groups have also done, Cannonball and Nat led separate careers as well as careers together. Cannonball started his first quintet in the early 1950s with his brother. However, it was not until after Cannonball’s stint with Miles Davis that Cannonball gained the acclaim that allowed his second attempt at a quintet with his brother to flourish. Cannonball Adderley died at the young age of 47 of a stroke. After his brother’s death in 1975, Nat continued his career performing and recording with many notable figures in jazz. Like his brother, Nat also suffered from a long battle with diabetes. On January 2, 2000, he passed due to complications from the disease.
The name Jones is a highly
celebrated name in jazz. Elvin, Hank,
and Thad Jones are most often celebrated as musicians for their solo
careers. Elvin, a drummer, is remembered
for his work with figures like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus,
McCoy Tyner, and Wayne Shorter. Hank’s
piano work with Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Lester Young, and Wes
Montgomery earned him the reputation as one of the most celebrated musicians in
jazz. Thad Jones was probably most known
for his work as a composer, arranger, and band leader. His first major step in
his career was as a trumpeter and composer/arranger for the Count Basie
Orchestra. He went on to form his own
group, the Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra.
Hank and Elvin played together on albums with other noted artists, but
the three brothers did not record all together until 1958. Nevertheless, they recorded quite often in
other bands as sidemen on the same albums.
Elvin Jones died on May 18, 2004 of heart failure in New Jersey Copenhagen , Denmark Manhattan
One of the most influential brother
groups in jazz was comprised of the Heath brothers. Jimmy (tenor saxophone,) Albert “Tootie”
(drums,) and Percy (bass) formed the Heath Brothers band in 1975. It lasted for roughly three years until
Tootie left in 1978. Percy and Jimmy
continued the group with Akira Tana as Tootie’s replacement. In 1982, Tootie returned to the group. Jimmy and Tootie continue the group today,
hiring sidemen on an as needed basis.
Percy Heath, an early member of the Modern Jazz Quartet, passed away of
bone cancer on April 28, 2005, two days short of his 82nd
birthday. One of the last times the
three brothers were recorded together was on a DVD Brotherly Jazz: The Heath Brothers in 2004. While Jimmy and Tootie continue playing
together, they also perform separately.
Both brothers also lead their own careers as educators. Tootie Heath is currently the producer and
leader of The Whole Drum Truth, a jazz drum ensemble. Jimmy has his own big band that he continues
to tour with, performing his compositions and tunes that span the history of
jazz.
