Home » Jazz Articles » John Ellis
Jazz Articles about John Ellis
Jon Gordon: 7th Ave South
by Jack Bowers
Some of life's moments, even when buried in the past, remain almost as fresh and memorable as today's. Such is alto saxophonist Jon Gordon's memory of his first visit to New York City's then-jazz center, Greenwich Village's 7th Avenue South, which was “the first place [he] ever heard live jazz in New York." That was in 1983--nearly four decades ago--but that memory and those that followed were enough to inspire Gordon's latest album, appropriately titled 7th Ave South.
Continue ReadingEtienne Charles: Creole Orchestra Featuring René Marie
by Angelo Leonardi
A 18 anni di distanza dal debutto discografico in Culture Shock il trombettista originario di Trinidad & Tobago, si cimenta come bandleader di un ampio organico, in una lussureggiante sintesi di ritmi caraibici e orchestrazioni che vanno dalla tradizione Swing all'hip hop. L'orchestra è un ampliamento della sua storica Creole Soul Band e ospita la cantante René Marie in quattro brani. Etienne ha iniziato a scrivere per ampi organici a partire dalla collaborazione con la stessa cantante ...
Continue ReadingRudy Royston: DAY
by Vic Albani
Rudy Royston, batterista di prima classe (Bill Frisell, Dave Douglas, JD Allen, Ben Allison, Rudresh Mahanthappa e molti altri), approda con Day alla sua quinta uscita per l'etichetta del signor Dave Douglas, Greenleaf. Day è la seconda uscita dei Flatbed Buggy, vale a dire dell'avventuroso combo creato dal batterista con l'aiuto delle bass lines di Joe Martin, dei clarinetti di John Ellis, del violoncello di Hank Roberts e della fisarmonica di Gary Versace. L'idea base del lavoro omaggia la giovinezza ...
Continue ReadingAlex Kautz: Where We Begin
by Katchie Cartwright
Born and raised in S?o Paulo, drummer Alex Kautz moved to Mexico City with his parents in 1996. His sound world growing up included his parents' MPB (música popular brasileira), bossa nova and samba, along with North American rock and a bit of classical music. Jack DeJohnette's New Directions (ECM, 1978)--with Lester Bowie, Eddie Gomez and John Abercrombie--turned his head toward jazz in a big way. Chick Corea's Return to Forever (Light as a Feather, Polydor, 1973) caught his ear ...
Continue ReadingEtienne Charles: Creole Orchestra Featuring René Marie
by Chris May
Trinidad-born Etienne Charles has been fortunate in his associates during his development as a jazz musician. One of the first friends he made on arrival in the U.S.A. in the early 2000s to study at Florida State University was faculty member Marcus Roberts. Among much else, the pianist taught Charles the importance of keeping in touch with his roots. “He always said make sure you put where you're from in your music," says Charles in the press materials accompanying his ...
Continue ReadingJon Gordon: 7th Ave South
by Pierre Giroux
Jon Gordon, an alto and soprano saxophonist, steps into the limelight with his latest release 7th Ave South, a melodic memoir of a transformative place for jazz history in the early 1980s. This journey is a testament to the fascination of discovery and the allure of artistic camaraderie four decades later. In this ten-track outing of primarily original compositions (with two exceptions), Gordon, a music professor at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, is accompanied by fellow faculty members or ...
Continue ReadingAlan Ferber: Up High, Down Low
by Angelo Leonardi
Nel nono disco da bandleader, il trombonista Alan Ferber ritorna col suo abituale nonet, con cui ha già inciso quattro album. L'organico ha subìto qualche cambiamento con le presenze del chitarrista Nir Felder, di Chris Cheek al sax baritono e qualche altro (ma restano i fidi sassofonisti Jon Gordon, Charles Pillow e John Ellis, il trombettista Scott Wendholt) confermando l'estetica di fondo: un modern mainstream caratterizzato da groove ritmico, chiarezza melodica e arrangiamenti leggibili che s'ispirano anche al soul ...
Continue Reading
Buy Now
