What Ellis Marsalis did for Memphis jazz
John Bass
John Bass is the director of the Mike Curb Institute for Music at Rhodes College. He researches and teaches about Memphis music, and performs as a guitarist.
By taking a chance on playing a concert at Rhodes College, Marsalis gave the Curb Institute credibility and paved the way for appearances by George Coleman, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Harold Mabern and Charles Lloyd.
Related stories
The Essential Memphis Library: Al Green’s ‘Call Me’
With three hit singles, two turf-grabbing country covers, definitive secular and religious anthems and some of the most tender pop music ever recorded, 1973's "Call Me" is Al Green's finest moment.
The Essential Memphis Library: Peter Taylor’s ‘A Summons to Memphis’
The only Pulitzer Prize-winner with “Memphis” in the title, Peter Taylor's 1986 novel explores the fine social distinctions between Memphis and Nashville at mid-century.
The Essential Memphis Library: Otis Spann’s ‘Hotel Lorraine’
At a Chicago church, on the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Mississippi-bred bluesman Otis Spann delivered what arguably remains the most profound musical response to the tragedy.