Pee Wee Ellis - The Storyteller (Live) '2024

Tracks list

Description
In 1994 the Pee Wee Ellis Trio toured in Europe. Here is the complete concert
from March 21st 1994 captured in pristine audiophile sound.
'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.

Tracklist:
1 Stablemates (Live)
2 Groovin' High (Live)
3 Tag Alone (Live)
4 Sophisticated Lady (Live)
5 Do Dee Dum Diddy (Live)
6 Like Sonny (Live)
7 In a Mellow Tone (Live)
8 Doxy (Live)
9 Yellin Blue (Live)
10 Lazy Bird (Live)
11 Mañana (Live)

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