Pee Wee Ellis

„The Storyteller“

Rhythm ’n‘ Flow Records RNF 8002

Pee Wee Ellis gilt als „The Architect of the James Brown Sound“ (James McBride). Er hat nicht nur  Funk Klassiker wie Cold Sweat, Say It Loud! I am Black and Proud und The Chicken komponiert und Meisterwerke von Van Morrison und Maceo Parker wesentlich mitgestaltet, er war bereits als Teenager von Sonny Rollins protegiert worden. Von 1994 stammt das sensationelle Live Konzert, analog aufgenommen im legendären Kölner „Schmuckkästchen“. Die klangtechnisch phantastische Doppel-CD bietet neben tollen Originals Klassiker von Ellington, Gillespie, Benny Golson, Coltrane und Sonny Rollins. In jeder Hinsicht eine Referenz in der Königsdisziplin des Jazz, dem Tenorsax Trio

English:

„The Storyteller“ is a highlight in the history of the classic jazz line-up of tenor, bass and drums and features compositions of Ellington, Rollins, Coltrane and Ellis himself. In his book „Kill ‚Em and Leave“ James McBride sums up the importance of Pee Wee Ellis „the principle architect of James Brown’s sound“. The ironic thing about Pee Wee’s entry into the Brown cosmos was his original motivation: he wanted to earn money to be able to devote himself more to his true love, jazz. In 1957 he met Sonny Rollins outside a saxophone repair shop. From then on Pee Wee flew down to New York once a week to have one-to-one lessons. This led to a lifelong friendship. After ending his work with James Brown Pee Wee helped to develop the sound of the legendary CTI label. After touring with Maceo Parker on the 10th May 1993 the Pee Wee Ellis Trio with Dwayne Dolphin on upright bass and Bruce Cox on drums took to the big stage at the Hofheim Jazz Festival. A few days later, they recorded Pee Wee’s first ever jazz album in Cologne’s „Schmuckkästchen“ club. The New York Times voted the resulting CD „Twelve & More Blues“, one of the best in 1993. 1994 the trio came back to Cologne and two evenings were recorded. A selection of tracks was released on CD as „Yellin Blue“. Here is the complete first evening from March 21st 1994 captured in pristine audiophile sound. Why the title „The Storyteller“? After Pee Wee´s death, a musician wrote in a letter to the editor in response to the obituary in the New York Times: he had played in a support band for Van Morrison in the 70s and heard the stories in Pee Wee’s solos night after night during the US tour and found them to be the greatest lesson and joy of his life. You can experience this now: No memorised licks, no precisely calculated, ecstatic antics or technical showoffs just to win the audience’s applause – here someone tells his stories, which continue from note to note until everything is told.