The day after his death, a local music store put out a sign that read, “Thank you Ellis Marsalis for keeping NOLA music alive!”
“The idea resonated with me and I realized that, yes, that’s exactly what my father did in his own way, and that’s the perfect name,” Marsalis said.
KNOMA’s mission has grown in importance during the pandemic because of what music represents to the city. “Happiness, joy, and celebration — ideals that are very much needed today,” Marsalis said.
“Even when things are totally jive, the folks in New Orleans are cool with each other” when music brings them together, he said.
“Many great musicians must hone their skills on the street corners or in bars. It’s a tough business and now even tougher with all social activities on lockdown,” he says.
“African immigrants who were brought here in chains, they were brought here to make certain people financial wealthy. But they ended up making the world rich in ways that hadn’t been imagined. New Orleans music and culture are prime examples of this richness,” he says.
Even though KNOMA was founded to alleviate the pandemic’s hardships, Marsalis expects to stay and help the music scene “for years to come.”
“We’re just biding our time and waiting for the chance to make folks happy again,” he says.
