Pee Wee Ellis - The Cologne Concerts - Twelve and More Blues (Audiophile Edition) '2015

Tracks list

Tracklist:

Disc 1 

01. There Is No Greater Love
02. Like Sonny
03. My Neighbourhood
04. My Wife, My Friend
05. Sepia Tonality
06. In the Middle
07. Chicken
08. Doxy
09. Confirmation
10. My Wife, My Friend (Alternate Take)

Disc 2

01. Twelve and More Blues
02. Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
03. Pistachio
04. In a Sentimental Mood
05. Bye Bye Blackbird / I Love You
06. Stella by Starlight
07. Pistachio (Alternate Take)
08. Twelve and More (Alternate Take)
09. Sepia Tonality (Alternate Take)

Personnel:

Saxophone – Pee Wee Ellis
Bass – Dwayne Dolphin
Drums – Bruce Cox


 Read Full BiographyAssigned alto sax and organ duties, Ellis quickly proved
himself an invaluable contributor to arrangements and horn charts as well, and
when Nat Jones quit the lineup in early 1967, Brown named Ellis his new musical
director, resulting in significant refinements to the Godfather of Soul's sound.
Ellis channeled the lessons of his jazz background to strip Brown's music to its
bare essentials, showcasing bold, precise horns and repetitive rhythms with a
minimum of melodic embellishment -- hits like "Cold Sweat," "Licking
Stick-Licking Stick," and "Funky Drummer" redefined the sound and scope of soul,
pointing the way for its transformation to funk.

Ellis went on to co-write and arrange a series of James Brown smashes, including
"Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" and "Mother Popcorn," as well as issuing
a handful of solo singles on Brown's label King, among them "Little Green
Apples" and "In the Middle." He resigned from Brown's band in the autumn of
1969, and after settling in New York City he signed to the Nashville-based Sound
Stage 7 label and issued the rare groove classic "Moonwalk." Ellis also emerged
as a sought-after session player, contributing to dates headlined by everyone
from soul-jazz great Brother Jack McDuff to a latter-day blues-rock incarnation
of the Blues Magoos. He then served as musical director and arranger for the CTI
label's influential fusion imprint Kudu, overseeing sessions for Esther
Phillips, George Benson, and Hank Crawford.

Ellis next teamed with the studio group Gotham to record the LP Pass the Butter
for Motown's Natural Resources subsidiary before resuming his solo career with
his first-ever full-length effort, the 1976 Savoy release Home in the Country.
After relocating to San Francisco, Ellis formed a short-lived fusion quintet
with soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman, also playing on and producing Liebman's
1977 A&M release Light'n Up Please! With 1979's Into the Music, he was named
arranger for blue-eyed soul mystic Van Morrison, a collaboration that spanned
until 1986 and included a series of well-regarded albums including Common One
and Inarticulate Speech of the Heart.

Ellis spent much of the late '80s touring behind longtime Brown backing vocalist
Bobby Byrd in tandem with fellow J.B.'s alums Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker as
the JB Horns, debuting on disc with the 1990 release Pee Wee, Fred and Maceo.
Subsequent efforts include I Like It Like That and Funky Good Time/Live. After
the JB Horns went on hiatus in 1992, Ellis reunited with another Brown alum,
drummer Clyde Stubblefield, for the album Blues Mission. He then returned to his
jazz roots with 1993's acclaimed Twelve and More Blues, a live set cut in
Köln, Germany, with bassist Dwayne Dolphin and drummer Bruce Cox. That
summer, Ellis also headlined a week of sold-out dates at Ronnie Scott's in
London, an experience that shaped both his movement into acid jazz with 1994's
Sepia Tonality and subsequent relocation to western England.

With the move overseas, Ellis also resumed his partnership with Van Morrison on
the latter's 1995 effort Days Like This, serving as musical director of
Morrison's studio and stage crew for years to follow; Ellis also formed his own
band, the Pee Wee Ellis Assembly, for 1996's A New Shift. The group remained
active in concert and on record for years to follow, confining most of its
activities to Europe and pursuing a direction Ellis dubbed "smunk" -- i.e.,
smooth funk. In 2001, he released the gospel-infused Riding Mighty High. The
following year, Live and Funky found him in concert with Fred Wesley and Fred
Ross. He also showcased his instrumental prowess on the 2011 double-album
Tenoration. Along with a 2012 tour with former Cream drummer Ginger Baker, Ellis
remained visible in his later years, and was bestowed with an honorary doctorate
by Bath Spa University in 2014. In 2018, he released the Duke Ellington tribute
album In My Ellingtonian Mood. Pee Wee Ellis died at the age of 80 on September
23, 2021 due to heart problems. ~ Jason Ankeny

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