June 2008

John Ellis & Doublewide: Dance Like There's No Tomorrow
Hyena Records

Saxophonist John Ellis's Fourth record at the helm takes him from New York back to the site of his student years, New Orleans, in the company of crescent city musicians. Double-Wide's sound is regionally tinctured and laced with a healthy does of originality and flair. It has one foot in church, one in the circus, and one in the jazz conservatory. An appealing, sweeping, and self-effacing sense of humor underpins Ellis' sophisticated music. It's hip but relaxed, generous and appreciably not self-conscious.

The instrumentation is noteworthy. Any organ group that dares to augment a bassist with an organist invites inquiry why not hit the pedals? But check out Matt Perine's hilarious, delirious, and versatile sousaphone and the question vanishes. Gary Versace is majestic and beautiful, then weird and quirky. He maps some mysterious terrain between Hansson and Karlsson, ("Trash Bash") Baby Face Willette and Wayne Horvitz, but with so many tricks up his sleeve he must have a long arm. With drummer Jason Marsalis setting all the right stylistic stages, the proceedings are perfectly grounded. On "Zydeco, Clowns on the Lam," Marsalis nails slapstick stops, then switches back and forth between disparate times, all the while signifying New Orleans."

Ellis writes engaging compositions, allowing Perrine to don different hats, from straight pumping support on the title track to his raucous, melodically rich solo on "Three Legged Tango In Jackson Square." The saxophonist's playing is rich and personable, whether on his preferred tenor, which growls and sings, or playing bass clarinet, which he unveils on the sweet, low-key "Prom Song." A turn to soprano exhibits a less distinctive sound over the menacing groove of "Dream and Mosh." -John Corbett