John Ellis – Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow (Hyena, 2008)
While this is ostensibly an organ trio, regardless of the inclusion of the sousaphone, the glaring lack of low end detracts even from some of the strongest moments on this disc. Other groups, like Soulive for example, are able to pull off bass-less ensembles with a bit more panache and perhaps that can be credited to Neal Evans. Not to detract from the skill and passionate performance turned in from Gary Versace on keys, but a more prevalent bass figure in most of the compositions here, especially the lead off “All Up in the Aisles”, would have propelled this album past standard soul-jazz fare.
What Ellis and his group do is use NOLA concepts within a danceable, more cosmopolitan voicing. There’s a hint of lounge, but the eerie organ pulls that back a bit. You really do know what this album is headed for immediately. It’s re-stated every six or seven minutes and not too difficult to determine. That being said, what makes this album a good soul-jazz disc is the fact that Ellis was raised in the church. The soul and elegance that he brings to his quartet is indicative of playing sacred music at one point. By no means is the Holy Spirit invoked – this is mostly a party album, but there is a sadness as evidenced during Ellis’ fondly recalling a friend on “I Miss You Molly”. Attempting a bit of adventure, the group synthesis varied styles, but on “Three-Legged Tango in Jackson Square”, “Tattooed Teen Waltzes with Grandma” and “Zydeco Clowns on the Lamb” occasionally awkward tempo shifts explain why that isn’t always a successful endeavor.
If one owns a handful of MMW, Galactic or Soulive discs, this may be a bit disposable, but it shouldn’t be written off – there is certainly a great deal of enthusiastic, if not innovative playing on here. The sheer audacity of the instrumentation points to the inventive thought exerted in summoning these compositions.
