ENMU Professor Releases Album Featuring Ellis Marsalis

By Desiree Cooper

Grammy Award® considered saxophonist and songwriter Dr. Richard Andrew Schwartz, an associate professor of music at ENMU, recently released his new album Song for My Mother. The album features two of the last recordings – made on the campus of Louisiana State University – with jazz legend Ellis Marsalis, the patriarch of the Marsalis family who died on April 1 from the coronavirus. As a fan of Mr. Marsalis, Dr. Schwartz felt that getting the opportunity to record two original compositions, “AlphaCat” and “7-11 Blues,” with Ellis for the album was a dream come true.

“Ellis was not only an extremely talented musician and a major inspiration in my life, but a class act human being. We had a great time hanging out while working on the recordings,” says Dr. Schwartz. “I was excited about releasing these two songs knowing that Ellis enjoyed playing my compositions and devastated when I heard how Ellis lost his battle with the coronavirus. It’s a tragic blow for not only the jazz community, but for the music industry as a whole. Ellis loved recording these tunes, and I wish he was here to help me cross the finish line.”

Dr. Richard Andrew Schwartz (with saxophone) plays with Ellis Marsalis at the piano during a recording session at Louisiana State University.

Dr. Schwartz dedicated the album to his mother, who recently had a stroke and still suffers from its side effects. “My mother has always been my number one supporter through my musical journey,” he shares. “She made sure each of her children received piano lessons.”

You can hear Song for My Mother on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, iTunes, YouTube, Tidal and other digital music outlets.