“My father’s so much hipper than me and knows so much more,” Wynton Marsalis once said, marveling at the wisdom of his most important musical mentor. His father, pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, was one of the jazz world’s most noted patriarchs: head of a musical family that not only included Wynton, but also Branford, Delfeayo and Jason, among others.
Their story is singular, but the nature of his influence says something universal. “The more I get away from him, man, the more I know how much I learned from him just by looking and watching,” Wynton reflected. “I grew up with one of the greatest examples.”
Throughout the weekend, WRTI will celebrate the legacies of Ellis Marsalis and other musical fathers. We’ll play songs about dads, feature father-and-child pairings, and draw other connections that honor the spirit of Father’s Day. Here are some highlights.
On The Bridge, Friday from 10pm-2 a.m. (Saturday morning), J. Michael Harrison will feature a trio of songs about fatherhood by the late Gil Scott-Heron along with music for the holiday by Leon Thomas, Vinx and Common.
On The Get Down, Saturday from 6-9 p.m., Julian Booker will be featuring three generations of the first family of Afrobeat with classics by Fela and Femi Kuti as well as Femi’s son, Made, who collaborated with his father on 2021’s Legacy+.
Julian will also be playing holiday-centric cuts by James Brown and Roy Ayers, and will delve into some free funk with music from Ornette Coleman’s 1982 album Of Human Feelings, featuring Ornette’s son, Denardo, on drums.
On Spirit Soul Music, Sunday from 6-9 a.m., Bobbi Booker shines a light on the spiritual, musical and ancestral bond between fathers and their children. Across pews, stages and studios, she’ll celebrate families whose legacies of faith and music echo across generations. Bobbi will feature music from the Rev. C.L. and Aretha Franklin, Robert and Bobby McFerrin, and Pop Winans and The Winans Family. The program will also feature the Rev. Clay Evans — Founding Pastor of the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church of Chicago, and a spiritual father to many, including Kirk Franklin, Ricky Dillard and others.
She will also pay tribute to gospel mentors like James Cleveland, Thomas Dorsey, and Edwin Hawkins, who helped nurture generations of voices and ministries.
On the Sunday Jazz Brunch, Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bob Craig will feature music in the spirit of the day as well as a number of father-and-son combos — including Ellis Marsalis and his sons Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo, and Philly’s own Hammond B-3 patriarch “Papa” John DeFrancesco with his son Joey.
And on The Standard, Sunday from 9 p.m. to Midnight, Maurice Browne will feature songs with his own personal connections to the holiday and highlight inspirational thoughts about fatherhood throughout the program.
Listen to WRTI 90.1 FM, and at wrti.org, for Father's Day highlights all weekend.
