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Jazz Articles about John Ellis
Ben Sidran: Don't Cry for No Hipster
by Luca Muchetti
'Stile' è il primo sostantivo che viene facile utilizzare per descrivere la musica di Ben Sidran. Nome notissimo nella scena americana, cantante, pianista, compositore e fine conoscitore della musica in toto (evitiamo di utilizzare l'etichetta 'jazz' memori anche del non troppo lontano album in tributo a Bob Dylan), con Don't Cry for no Hipster Sidran torna alle atmosfere fumose a lui più care: quattordici canzoni, tante, trovano spazio in un'opera che guarda alla tradizione, intimismi da jazz club e puntate ...
Continue ReadingJohn Ellis & Double Wide: Puppet Mischief
by Doug Collette
Saxophonist John Ellis is slowly but surely distinguishing himself as a notably singular figure in contemporary jazz. Establishing a firm foundation for himself as a tenured accompanist to 7-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, the North Carolina native and current resident of Brooklyn embarked on his solo career in authoritative style with One Foot in the Swamp (Hyena, 2005), and then conceived the ingenious Double Wide ensemble, the unusual lineup of which may not have wholly defined itself on its debut, but ...
Continue ReadingJohn Ellis & Double-Wide: Puppet Mischief
by Russ Musto
This second outing by John Ellis & Double Wide, the versatile saxophonist/bass clarinetist's extraordinary New Orleans-based band, one ups the “serious fun" mentality by inviting a pair of guests--harmonica master Gregoire Maret and multifaceted trombonist Alan Ferber--to augment the unusual quartet of sousaphonist Matt Perrine, drummer Jason Marsalis and newcomer Brian Coogan (replacing Gary Versace) on organ. The result is an even more flavorful gumbo that spices up the homegrown roots of the Crescent City with the savory sounds of ...
Continue ReadingJohn Ellis & Double-Wide: Puppet Mischief
by Chris May
Brooklyn-based saxophonist John Ellis is a player who, whenever he puts his horn in his mouth, makes it seem like retro-modern is the only show in town. His style is part classic soul and funk, part modern jam band groove and part freewheeling improvisation. He has a particular affinity with New Orleans roots music and also references non-American folk and popular styles. He has a hipster sense of humor and an itch to experiment. It's a spellbinding combination and is ...
Continue ReadingLeonardo E. M. Cioglia: Contos
by AAJ Italy Staff
Con i musicisti che il contrabbassista brasiliano Leonardo Cioglia ha scelto per questo progetto è possibile fare di tutto. Ci si può lasciare andare ad un tipo di jazz modale in cui si bada per lo più alla velocità esecutiva oppure tirarne fuori le doti musicali, che sicuramente sono presenti con arrangiamenti e composizioni adatte allo scopo. Fortunatamente Cioglia sceglie questa seconda via e così è possibile ascoltare un disco di buon livello, in cui gli assoli misurati, nostante la ...
Continue ReadingJohn Ellis: Wide Angle
by Jason Crane
Saxophonist John Ellis is a hybrid of New Orleans funk, New York modernity, Presbyterian sanctification and good ol' performing skills. He blends all those things together on his new record, Dance Like There's No Tomorrow (Hyena, 2008), which features saxophone, sousaphone, organ and drums. Ellis celebrated the release of his new album with a two-night stand at the Jazz Standard in New York on May 13 and 14, 2008, participating in the following interview on May 14 just ...
Continue ReadingJohn Ellis and Double-Wide: Dance Like There's No Tomorrow
by Joel Roberts
That's the low roar of a sousaphone--courtesy of New Orleans' Matt Perrine--you hear on the opening notes of “All Up in the Aisles," the first tune on Brooklyn-based saxophonist John Ellis' soulful Dance Like There's No Tomorrow. A North Carolina preacher's son who spent his formative musical years in the Crescent City before moving up north, Ellis remains a devotee of the New Orleans sound, although he and his band Double-Wide put a decidedly New York twist on it here. ...
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