John Ellis is gearing up for a busy 2010. On February 23, ObliqSound will release Puppet Mischief, the Brooklyn saxophonist’s second album with his New Orleans-based band Double-Wide, which in addition to Ellis features Brian Coogan on organ, Matt Perrine on sousaphone and Jason Marsalis on drums, plus special guest Gregoire Maret on harmonica and Alan Ferber on trombone. The recording continues the former New Orleanian’s love affair with the Big Easy, drawing inspiration from the rich vein of music the city has given the world, while also taking cues, in Ellis’ own words, from “carnivals, state fairs, children laughing, clowns and dancing.”
Ellis, now 35 has never been an artist who stays in one artistic place very long. Born in North Carolina, he took piano lessons as a child, soon switched to clarinet, and first became seriously drawn to music when he heard the music of legendary ragtime composer Scott Joplin. After moving to New Orleans, Ellis’ jazz chops improved radically as he gigged with the likes of Ellis Marsalis and Walter Payton. After three years in the Big Easy, he went north to New York City, graduating from the New School and settling into the city’s thriving jazz scene. Along the way, Ellis spent six years as a member of jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter’s group, cutting four albums with them while also developing his own sound. He cut his debut as a leader, The Language of Love, in 1996, then didn’t record under his own name again until 2002, when he released the critically acclaimed Roots, Branches and Leaves. That was followed by One Foot in the Swamp (2005), By a Thread (2006), and 2008’s Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow, his first with Double-Wide.
Puppet Mischief’s highlights begin from its very first funky moments. The leadoff track, “Okra & Tomatoes,” takes its title from a phrase that represents life’s perfect pairings. That’s followed by “Fauxfessor,” a tightly synced, off-kilter New Orleans romp full of surprising twists. Among the album’s other standouts are the wild, teasing title track, featuring a stunning harmonica solo by Maret, and the back-to-back “Carousel” and “Dubinland Carnival.” The former, which Ellis calls a “wistful circus tune,” takes on a bluesy patina and incorporates several dramatic transitions, while its companion piece, which Ellis likens to the feel of a Fellini film, features an epic sax-trombone conversation and some of Marsalis’ most fired-up drumming of the set.
The release of Puppet Mischief follows up one of the busiest years in Ellis’ career, one that saw him accompanying a diverse array of musicians ranging from Sting to Mos Def to the Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa, touring Europe with the John Patitucci Trio and other artists and, most significantly, the debut of The Ice Siren, Ellis’ hour-long through-composed narrative composition for string quartet, tuba, percussion, guitar, vibes, winds and two singers. The piece, a collaborative effort with playwright Andy Bragen, debuted at the Jazz Gallery in New York in May 2009.
March 6 | Jazz Gallery | New York, NY
For full artist biography, photos, audio clips from Puppet Mischief and more, check out these handy websites: www.obliqsound.com
Click below to read the full review and hear the track - Weak can’t be heard anyplace else in full until the album’s release on August 25th, so enjoy and spread the word! Read, listen, and pre-order now on Amazon.com.
Surely, you already have Massimo Biolcati’s album Persona on your iPod, but did you know you could easily have his handiwork on your iPhone, too? In addition to being a masterful bassist and composer as a soloist on Persona, and as a member of Gilfema, he’s also the developer of the iRealBook for iPhone.
A professional tool for touring jazz musicians or jazz students, the iRealBook:
is a collection of chord sheets of jazz standards, jazz classics, brazilian classics and more. With the iPhone’s back lit display, sheets can be easily read in a dark jazz club. How many times have you been at a jam session or a gig where someone calls a tune and you don’t know the chord changes? Well, sweat no more, with iReal Book you’ll have the chord changes to all the songs you need in your pocket.
Be an early adopter - check out the iPhone app and Persona - and tell your friends.
ObliqSound artist Gretchen Parlato is featured in Documentary Channel’s new 4-part series “Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense”. The series premieres Monday April 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Watch Gretchen in Mon, April 27th’s episode, at 9pm - “Icons Among Us - 12 Notes In Real Time”
Telecasts are Mondays at 9pm, on April 20 & 27, May 4 & 11.
Other familiar faces in the series include ObliqSound’s Gilfema leader and Blue Note recording artist Lionel Loueke, and recent ObliqSound guest artists Aaron Parks (on Parlato’s upcoming In A Dream), Anat Cohen (on Gilfema + 2), Jeff Ballard (on Persona), and Herbie Hancock (Lionel Loueke’s Virgin Forest).
Missed it? The full series will repeat and re-run many times. Check telecast times at IconsAmongUs.com
Documentary Channel is on Dish Network channel 197 & NYC TV channel 25. More info on the series at The Documentary Channel
Good news sounds so much better in French…Music critic Jacques Denis of France’s Vibrations Magazine has featured John Shannon’s American Mystic among his Best Albums of 2008.
Look out Boston, here comes Gilfema! On January 14, Gilfema will unveil their newest disc Gilfema + 2 at their USA album debut at Boston’s legendary venue The Regatta Bar. Lionel Loueke, Ferenc Nemeth and Massimo Biolcati will be joined by guest clarinetists John Ellis and Joris Roelofs to present the music of this “melodious, rich album (eMusic),” with “vital, inventive music that recalls both Africa and a summer day in Central Park (Rhapsody).
The live concert isn’t until January, but last night, Jeff Turton of Boston’s WFNX sounded the alarm that “Gilfema is coming!” on the station’s popular Jazz Brunch podcast. (Sorry, it’s Boston, we really wanted to yell “The British are coming!” like Paul Revere. Sue us!) Go to WFNX.com today and download the in-depth podcast interview with Lionel Loueke and hear some of the album’s top tunes. Stay tuned for more area appearances with the trio and guests - including a live in-studio session at Worcester, MA’s WICN Public Radio.
Listeners around the nation got a chance to hear from Lionel Loueke last week on NPR’s News & Notes, when he was invited to appear on the December 23rd show. He talked with host Farai Chideya about his unique fusion of jazz and African sounds, the new album, and even fit in the time to perform a track from Gilfema + 2 normally done in a quintet formation…Listen now on NPR and tell all your friends - preferably “plus two” at a time.
After an 8 city tour in the US opening for Maceo Parker at legendary venues including the Fillmore in San Francisco and the Roxy in West Hollywood, Grand Pianoramax has just finished a European tour with Mike Ladd, including shows in Paris, Berlin, London, Edinburgh, Zürich, Lisbon and the Cully Jazz Festival. After Europe, Grand Pianoramax played three memorable nights to full capacity crowds at the Blue Frog in Mumbai, India - which you can see for yourself in the Grand Pianoramax photo gallery on iLike.
This intense touring activity and new album The Biggest Piano In Town in stores now have received rave press reviews and profiles in many top US and Europe publications including BPM, Edinburgh Evening News and Metro London. Watch videos from recent in-studio sessions and concerts, plus read excerpts from the critics’ comments right here and read Downbeat Magazine’s June issue feature about Grand Pianoramax leader Leo Tardin below.
(click image to read the full article)
Do you think the new disc is really the biggest in town? Leave a comment and let us know…
Attention, citizens of France. John Shannon has landed.
On Wednesday, the French vloggers of La Blogotheque debuted two “Concerts a Emporter” or “Take Away Shows” on their blog, featuring ObliqSound vocalist and guitarist John Shannon. The videographers of Blogotheque followed him through the streets of Venice this spring while he performed from his album American Mystic and captured “Somewhere” and “Falling Into All” on film. You can watch the videos here or by clicking the image above.
The next day, French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles also published a full page feature about John and his music. Pick up a copy if you’re in town, but you can see the online version here.
John is performing this weekend in Paris, Berlin and then coming back to his hometown of Pittsburgh in two weeks for a hometown release show on May 28. Come join us - venue and tourdates are here.
Expounding on two recent jazz albums that take on classic pop tunes, including Cyrus Chestnut’s Elvis homage and our friendly quartet’s (made up of Pietro Tonolo, Gil Goldstein, Steve Swallow and Paul Motian take on Elton John, the feature places our album in a very good light.
QUOTE:
“I prefer the quartet’s versions in at least a few cases — the melody of “The One” sounds better without the cheesy ocean effects and the disco drum machinery on the 1992 original. The most memorable tune is no surprise: The ballad “Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word” is the rare Elton John song that was already performed by Jimmy Scott, Ray Charles, and even Sinatra, and is played here slightly faster and punchier than I expected. The Pietro Quartet confirms that it’s a song worthy of being in the jazz repertoire.
In an online promotional video for “Your Song,” Mr. Tonolo relates that when he informed Mr. Swallow of the idea behind this project, the bassist (whose fender playing in the higher register often sounds like a guitar) responded, “Oh, I actually like some of Elton John’s songs — but don’t tell anybody!” As “Cyrus Plays Elvis” and “Your Songs” prove, fans of this music don’t have to keep it a secret: The best tunes by rock-era songwriters are worthy of sitting at the big table with the grown-ups.”
ObliqSound and JazzThing Magazine are pleased to present a selection featuring staples from the ObliqSound catalogue like Lionel Loueke and Grand Pianoramax, as well as the rising stars from the label’s upcoming releases. Andy Milne & Gregoire Maret, as well as Pietro Tonolo, Gil Goldstein, Steve Swallow, and Paul Motian’s upcoming Your Songs – The Music of Elton John are just a few of the ObliqSound releases sure to make waves in 2007.
Details on JazzThing….or details on ObliqSound…Read it in every language and it still sounds great!
Available at German retailers starting April, 2007
