Ellis Louis Marsalis, Jr. (born November 14, 1934) is an American jazz pianist.Active since the late 1940s, Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and '90s as the patriarch of a musical family, with sons Branford Marsalis and Wynton Marsalis rising to international acclaim.He can usually be seen performing on Fridays at Snug Harbor jazz bistro in New Orleans.