View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (25 ratings)
- Date Released: March 25, 2008
- Genre: Jazz
- Style: Traditional
- Label: Hyena Records / The Orchard
John Ellis and associates cook up madcap hijinks and disarming pathos
-
We Say...
The past associations of saxophonist John Ellis resonate on Dance Like There's No Tomorrow, which is imbued with the skewed humor and raucous energy of Charlie Hunter and the impeccable musicianship and Crescent City leanings of Ellis Marsalis. But Ellis himself deserves enormous credit for assembling the strikingly original instrumentation of Double Wide — from the oom-pah rumble-splat of Matt Perrine's sousaphone to the ballpark whirly of Gary Versace's organ — and then writing tunes with such evocative but apt titles as "Three-Legged Tango in Jackson Square" and "Zydeco Clowns on the Lam." Right from the opening strains of "All Up in the Aisles," with funky tambourine joining the Perrine's low notes and Versace's melodic glaze, you don't know whether you're at a sporting event, street fair or hip funeral, but smiles are nonetheless the only proper response. Likewise, "Three-Legged Tango" feels like a silent-movie soundtrack for Three's Company's John Ritter, and "Clowns," with Versace moving to accordion, is hell on wheels — probably unicycles.
The prevailing hijinks make the trio of slower, more balladic tunes – "I Miss You Molly," "Tattooed Teen Waltzes with Grandma" and "Prom Song" — akin to anti-comic relief. Versace steals the emotional show on a tribute to the feisty late newspaper columnist Molly Ivins "I Miss You Molly," while Ellis offers up the perfect horn phrases to capture the awkward sweetness of "Tattooed Teen Waltzes with Grandma." The other change-of-pace tune, "Prom Song," is a pretty number, plain and simple.
Finally, a special salute must go to the rhythm section. Ellis's use of Perrine as the de facto bassist goes beyond the New Orleans brass band tradition, and becomes more reminiscent of the way Henry Threadgill deployed the tubas in Very Very Circus. And Jason Marsalis (brother of Wynton, son of patriarch Ellis) not only delivers his patented march-time snare rolls, but simultaneously hastens and organizes the group gambols in masterful fashion, capped by a great, tom-tom-oriented solo on the closing title track. -
They Say...
John Ellis' Dance Like There's No Tomorrow is a great deal of fun. The unusual instrumentation of saxophone, accordion or organ and drums is propelled by the tireless sousaphone playing of Matt Perrine. Ellis' originals, which include such wacky songtitles as "Trash Bash," "Tattooed Teen Waltzes with Grandma" and "Three-Legged Tango in Jackson Square" often contain music as colorful as the titles. Favorites include the tango groove of "Three-Legged Tango" and the party music of "Zydeco Clowns on the Lam." While some of the pieces are more laid-back, the creativity of the musicians, with Ellis in superior form throughout on his three reeds, and the unusual tone colors (Gary Versace's organ can sound quite spooky), make this a particularly memorable effort. Certainly the music will always keep one guessing for this is a group with unlimited potential.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 9 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 9 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
All Up In The Aisles |
8:49 |
|
| 02. | |
Trash Bash |
6:39 |
|
| 03. | |
Dream & Mosh |
8:38 |
|
| 04. | |
I Miss You Molly |
7:25 |
|
| 05. | |
Three Legged Tango In Jackson Square |
6:15 |
|
| 06. | |
Tattoed Teen Waltez With Grandma |
8:51 |
|
| 07. | |
Zydeco Clowns On The Lam |
5:43 |
|
| 08. | |
Prom Song |
6:11 |
|
| 09. | |
Dance Like There's No Tomorrow |
6:46 |
|
09 Total Tracks, 65:17 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like John Ellis, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Jason Marsalis - Drums // Andy Taub - Engineer // Matt Perrine - Sousaphone // Gary Versace - Organ // Gary Versace - Accordion
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC