Herb Ellis • Ellis In Wonderland

Review by Ken Dryden

In the midst of his tenure with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Herb Ellis had the chance to turn the tables on his boss and employ him as a sideman, though the keyboard virtuoso strangely reigns in his chops and pretty much stays in the background. This pair of sessions was first issued on a Norgran LP and finally reissued as a Verve CD in early 2006. The first four tracks add Jimmy Giuffre (alternating between baritone sax, tenor sax, and clarinet) and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, along with fellow Peterson sideman Ray Brown and drummer Alvin Stoller. Ellis' originals include the easygoing "Sweetheart Blues" and the cooking bop vehicle "Pogo," where both the leader and Edison eclipse Giuffre's efforts on sax. "It Could Happen to You" focuses exclusively on Ellis, with Peterson and Edison sitting out and Giuffre adding some background color on clarinet. Alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano is added for the latter date. The well-known "Detour Ahead" (jointly credited to Ellis and his former Soft Winds bandmates Lou Carter and Johnny Frigo, though Frigo has long maintained that it was his composition alone) has a chamber-like setting, with the band primarily providing background for Ellis, though Ray Brown gets in a snappy solo toward the end. The session picks up with the bubbly "Ellis in Wonderland" and a snappy rendition of "Have You Met Miss Jones?" Giuffre's loping "A Simple Tune" reflects Ellis' Texas roots in a bluesy setting, with Peterson finally getting a chance to stretch out for a chorus. This early album by Herb Ellis is well worth acquiring.

///////

Reseña de Ken Dryden

En medio de su permanencia en el Oscar Peterson Trío, Herb Ellis tuvo la oportunidad de cambiar las tornas de su jefe y emplearlo como sideman, aunque el virtuoso del teclado reina extrañamente en sus chuletas y prácticamente se queda en un segundo plano. Este par de sesiones se publicó por primera vez en un LP de Norgran y finalmente se reeditó como un CD de Verve a principios de 2006. Los primeros cuatro temas añaden a Jimmy Giuffre (alternando entre saxo barítono, saxo tenor y clarinete) y el trompetista Harry "Sweets" Edison, junto con su compañero de Peterson Ray Brown y el baterista Alvin Stoller. Los originales de Ellis incluyen el tranquilo "Sweetheart Blues" y el vehículo de bop de cocina "Pogo", donde tanto el líder como Edison eclipsan los esfuerzos de Giuffre en el saxo. "It Could Happen to You" se centra exclusivamente en Ellis, con Peterson y Edison sentados y Giuffre añadiendo algún color de fondo en el clarinete. El saxofonista alto Charlie Mariano se añade para esta última fecha. El conocido "Detour Ahead" (acreditado conjuntamente por Ellis y sus antiguos compañeros de banda de Soft Winds, Lou Carter y Johnny Frigo, aunque Frigo ha mantenido por mucho tiempo que fue su composición en solitario) tiene un escenario similar a la cámara, con la banda proporcionando principalmente un fondo para Ellis, aunque Ray Brown se mete en un rápido solo hacia el final. La sesión continúa con el burbujeante "Ellis en el País de las Maravillas" y una ágil interpretación de "¿Has conocido a Miss Jones?". "A Simple Tune" de Giuffre refleja las raíces tejanas de Ellis en un ambiente de blues, con Peterson finalmente teniendo la oportunidad de estirarse para un coro. Vale la pena adquirir este primer álbum de Herb Ellis.

Tracklist:
1 - Sweetheart Blues - 4:44
2 - Somebody Loves Me - 4:52
3 - It Could Happen To You - 3:44
4 - Pogo - 4:43
5 - Detour Ahead - 4:00
6 - Ellis In Wonderland - 3:49
7 - Have You Met Miss Jones? - 6:18
8 - A Simple Tune - 4:10


Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano
Bass – Ray Brown
Drums – Alvin Stoller
Guitar – Herb Ellis
Piano – Oscar Peterson
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet – Jimmy Giuffre
Trumpet – Harry Edison


Label: Verve Records ‎– B0005930-02
Series: Verve Originals –
Released: 2006
Original Release: 1958
Genre: Jazz
Style:  Bop, Cool Jazz

 

 

MORE Herb Ellis ...

This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive or device after reading it.
thank for the original uploader