Catching an early Thursday afternoon Jazz Fest set can be difficult for some
people and often impossible for many hard working, nine-to-fivers. But folks
who missed saxophonist John Ellis’ performance, one of the best 45 minutes
in the Jazz Tent, get another shot. The North Carolina native, one-time New Orleanian,
and now Brooklynite digs in at Snug Harbor on July 9 with the same band that
killed at this year’s Fest.

Simply put, Ellis gave a stand-up-and-blow-like-crazy performance hitting on
some of the material from his fine new album One Foot in the Swamp. With full-throttle
the aim, drummer Jason Marsalis prevailed providing some astounding rhythmic
feats. These guys—Ellis, Marsalis, bassist Roland Guerin, guitarist Steve
Masakowski and pianist Robert Glasper—appreciated each other’s accomplishments,
smiling at each new twist to a tune. Towards the end, Ellis pulled out a melodica
(a wind instrument with a small keyboard). While the switch was at first puzzling—hey,
he had the crowd in the palm of his hand blowing some great sax—he won
the audience over to his point of view.

“I just bought it impulsively,” explains Ellis. “I discovered
it because
the record that I made had harmonica on it and I can’t often have a harmonica
player on my gigs. But there’s also a certain sound that I really like.
Actually I play it a lot with Charlie [hybrid bass/guitarist Charlie
Hunter,
whose trio Ellis has been with for five years]. All of those sounds are sounds
I’ve been interested in—kind of reedy sounds that you get from an
accordion, a pump organ and harmonica. I think about music as far as sound and
the best way to orchestrate the sound. As a listener too, I enjoy hearing color
changes.”

Ellis, 31, has had close personal and musical ties with these musicians for many
years. The saxophonist met Masakowski in 1993 when he arrived at the University
of New Orleans where the guitarist taught in the school’s jazz department.
Through the years, Ellis and Guerin shared many stages on the local jazz scene
and the saxist first teamed with drummer Marsalis while the drummer was still
in high school. As heard at the Fest, with these two energized musicians at the
controls, the saxophone and drums feed off each other with power driving power.

“Creating an environment where Jason can be free to delve in wherever he
wants
to go then you really get the full impact of what he has to offer,” Ellis
explains. “He has the type of talent that knows no boundaries as far as
genre or agenda because he hears music in a very detailed way. I really love
Jason when you see his real eclectic side when he’s not relegated to role-playing,
which he also does very well. I think the Jason I identity more with is kinda
all over the map.”

A treat at the Fest set was the presence of Robert Glasper, a pianist also endowed
with a wide-open musical attitude who returns for the Snug gig. Folks might recognize
Glasper from his work with New Orleans trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Terence
Blanchard (he’s on Blanchard’s 2003 release Bounce) as well as with
saxophonist Kenny Garrett and bassist Christian McBride. Notably, the Texas native
boasts being the first young artist signed by the prestigious Blue Note label
in five years.

“It wasn’t a responsible thing to do based on the budget,” a
laughing Ellis says of the added expense bringing in an out-of-town player for
the gigs.
The audience definitely appreciated it at the Fest and undoubtedly will again.
Ellis finds a wonderful symmetry in living in New York and making regular pilgrimages
to New Orleans. “The music in New Orleans has a real rooted, family feel,” he
suggests. “New York is about people leaving where they come from and coming
here to improve their individual voices. I wouldn’t be the musician that
I am were it not for New Orleans. It gave me my first real experience playing
jazz. I got a lot of confidence, I got a lot of inspiration and I got my ass
kicked a bunch. I think the two cities together are great counterweights. The
balance of them is amazing.”

SATCHMO CAMP
It is a privilege just to watch the light bulb turn on in a young musician’s
head as he or she gets and then articulates on a lesson taught by a veteran player.
That happens every day at the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Jazz Camp,
July 11 through July 29, which now celebrates its 11th year. Director Kidd
Jordanmight make a simple suggestion on posture and suddenly a clarinet player finds
they have more blowing power. One year, when trumpeter Wynton Marsalis was the
camp’s artist-in-residence, he illustrated the instrument’s potential
and propensity for humor by having a whole class of trumpeters naying like horses
and roaring like lions.

This year, the kids, ages 10-20, will undoubtedly learn a lot while having fun
with legendary trumpeter and flugelhorn player Clark Terry. As visiting artist,
he’ll join the outstanding staff of superior musicians/educators such as
Clyde Kerr, Germaine Bazzle, and Alvin
Batiste and Alvin Fielder. Terry, 85,
who in his 60-year career has played with the Who’s Who of jazz including
as leader and a stint with Duke Ellington, is renowned almost as much for his
good humor as he is for his great blowing. He’ll be on hand to sit in for
a couple of numbers at the culminating performance by the students on Friday,
July 29 at Southern University. The recital is from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. and
is free and open to the public. Clark will also perform at the limited seating
fundraiser at Maximo’s on Wednesday, July 27. Students get to show off
their new licks at a date to be announced at August’s Satchmo SummerFest.