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John Ellis: One Foot in the Swamp
ByA key member of guitar whiz Charlie Hunter's group, Ellis is a fluid, expressive tenor player with chops to spare. And he's lined up a first-rate band to support him, including Aaron Goldberg on electric keyboards and the Crescent City rhythm section of Jason Marsalis on drums and Roland Guerin on bass; plus special guests John Scofield on guitar, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, and harmonica virtuouso Gregoire Maret. The album opens in a funk vein, with the loping groove of the aptly titled "Happy, but then turns in a more challenging post bop direction with such fine original compositions as "Work in Progress, "Bonus Round and "Seeing Mice. Scofield turns in some especially nasty licks on "One for the Kelpers, another funk number set to a New Orleans shuffle. The album's most memorable tune is the closer, "Sippin' Cider, an irresistible foot-tapping reworking of a folk tune with an insistent Big Easy beat laid down by Marsalis and Guerin.
Throughout, Ellis seamlessly mixes his down-home roots with NYC sophistication, making this entertaining and provocative album one of the early year's big successes.
Track Listing
Happy; Work in Progress; Country Girls; Bonus Round; Seeing Mice; One for the Kelpers; Ostinato; Michael Finnegan; Chalmette Shawarma; Sippin
Personnel
John Ellis
saxophone, tenorJohn Ellis, tenor and soprano sax; bass clarinet; ocarina; Nicholas Payton, trumpet; Gregoir Maret, chromatic harmonica; John Scofield, guitar; Aaron Goldberg, keyboards; Jason Marsalis, drums; Roland Guerin, bass.
Album information
Title: One Foot in the Swamp | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Hyena Records
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About John Ellis
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
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