March 23rd, 2008

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

"Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow,” the new record by the saxophonist John Ellis and his band Double-Wide, is a New York-New Orleans collection of jazz: something intrinsically promising and, in this case, worth a listen. Rhythmically it has that New Orleans duality of being full of funk and lighter than air. Jason Marsalis, a New Orleanian, plays tidy backbeats, with brilliantly arranged little solos; replacing the thump of the bass is the cool puffing of the sousaphone, from Matt Perrine, who’s become known around New Orleans in the band Bonerama. Gary Versace of New York plays Hammond organ and a little accordion. For his part Mr. Ellis is a hybrid. He grew up in North Carolina, now lives in New York, but he spent four years working in New Orleans. He wrote all the warm, sweet, humorous songs here and plays with an easy flow but careful control over his tone; the arrangements are tamped down around the edges, a severely edited kind of party music.