Thursday night, Snug Harbor will be pulsing with the inventive music of New York-based saxophonist John Ellis and his NYC-meets-NOLA band featuring drummer Jason Marsalis, sousaphonist Matt Perrine, keyboardist Gary Versace, and trombonist Alan Ferber. Shows are at 8 and 10 PM.
The album, Charm, has been charming critics and listeners alike with Ellis’ colorful expression of his split metropolitan musical personality. The saxophonist spent his formative musical years in New Orleans and now calls New York home.
Called a, “chainsaw-juggling balance of bayou brass, raucous gospel, and devil-may-care modern jazz,” the music of Double-Wide is as unique as the distinct resumes of the band members.
Billboard magazine wrote Charm is, “…jazz steeped in the who-dat nation through a hip Brooklyn lens.” Downbeat magazine weighed in with this gem, “…regionally tinctured and laced with a healthy dose of originality and flair.”
Live, the band members play off each other with equal parts affection and improvisation. Perrine’s bubbling sousaphone creates a danceable groove along with Marsalis’ superb drum work. Versace’s keys lay underneath pulsing with an old-time carnival organist’s flair. The rhythm section works to leave plenty of space for the trombone of Ferber and the saxophone of Ellis while keeping the spirit of the music and Ellis’ compelling compositions alive.
“I love the idea of being a conduit between these two cities that I love,” Ellis said. “The band is in pursuit of humorous fun, but there’s also more weighty, sinister stuff in there.”
