Jason Marsalis

Jason is the son of pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis and his wife Dolores, and the youngest sibling of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. By age six, Jason was taking lessons from the legendary New Orleans drummer James Black. Jason was progressing so rapidly as a drummer that in 1984 his father started using him consistently on engagements.

In 1991, he auditioned and was accepted at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts High School (NOCCA). In 1995, Marsalis joined a new group lead by virtuoso pianist Marcus Roberts, while studying composition with notable classical composer Roger Dickerson. During this time Jason was playing with Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, CasaSamba, Neslort, Dr. Michael White, and in 1998 he co-founded the Latin-jazz group Los Hombres Calientes.

In 2009, the Marsalis Family received the NEA Jazz Masters Award and were honored at the White House and the Kennedy Center.

In 2010, he recorded with on Christian Fabian's "West Coast Session", and that collaboration inspired the formation of The Native Jazz Quartet, which toured as Jazz Ambassadors for the US State Department. In 2013, Marsalis produced In a World of Mallets as a leader on vibes. The album went to Number 1 on the CMJ radio charts.

Find out more about Jason at jasonmarsalis.com