WHO WE ARE
Marsalis Mansion Artists recognize that the heart & soul of music is amplified through the power of community. Our vision is simple; we work to elevate the music experience you envision bringing to your audience. Through Marsalis Mansion Artist’s collective talent of musicians and innovative Executive team, we align our vision with your purpose, transforming passion into an authentic experience.
We work with presenters to bring them a distinct selection of musical groups and talented artists for concerts and theatres worldwide. Our staff has over thirty years of experience presenting concerts to audiences worldwide. Making waves of impact by creating empowering relationships with our presenter colleagues, artists, and audiences is what we value most.
What Presenters are Saying
The musicianship is unparalleled, of course, but the varied repertoire and the way the artists engaged with the audience made it joyful and elevating. The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass DELIVERS. Thanks to you, Morgan and Rodney, for pulling off this late-notice pivot and making it feel effortless and an absolute delight.
- K R I S T E N U N D E R W O O D
Director of Campus Programming, Luther College
HOW IT ALL STARTEd
In 1943, family patriarch Ellis Marsalis converted a barn on the shore of the Mississippi River into the Marsalis Motel. It catered to African Americans and others who were not allowed to stay at "whites only" New Orleans establishments under Jim Crow. The hotel quickly became famous, attracting prominent musicians such as Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Ruth Brown, Etta James, Dinah Washington, and others, as well as some of the most influential civil rights leaders of the day, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and Thurgood Marshall.
In the 1950s, the hotel was home to the famous nightclub Music Haven. The hotel's lasting musical legacy reverberates beyond the nightclub's walls. Motel owner Ellis Marsalis Sr., who died in 2004, was an influential business leader and a strong political voice and became the patriarch of a family now known worldwide for their contributions to jazz and classical music.
Marsalis Mansion Artists, LLC began as Crescent City Brass Quintet in New Orleans in 1987 over thirty five years ago.
In 2017, in a park in Philadelphia, before going on stage to play a concert, Branford Marsalis was consulting his cousin, Rodney Marsalis. Branford’s passion and experience inherently gauged how to make more of an impact in the performing arts community with artists who represent the potential of the strength of the diversity of American culture. A few months later, Marsalis Mansion Artists was born, an artist management agency that caters to a vision of excellence and creative impact.
From the streets of New Orleans to countless venues worldwide, we have connected with audiences through passion and love for music. At Marsalis Mansion Artists, our artists transform what was once considered the dreams of utopia into visions of an empowering reality.
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