Ellis Marsalis On The Second Occasion (2014)

Digitally re-mastered edition of this 1972 album from the British rockers. Formed in December 1971, the band was the brainchild of former Love Affair vocalist Steve Ellis. Teaming up with celebrated keyboard player Zoot Money, the band took a harder Rock direction with Jazz overtones. The line-up of the band was completed with the addition of guitarist Andy Gee, drummer Dave Lutton and bass player Jim Leverton…

Phenomenal 11th studio disc by this bad-ass, killer axeripper from San Diego, California featuring 10 tracks (65 mins.) of mega-awesome, brain-damaging, powerful, over-the-top, blues-based, retro-70s, heavy guitar power trio rock mojo of monumental proportions. Brett Ellis is an amazing, prolific guitarist with astonishing string bending capabilities, a true Stratmaster Guitar Hero who gets down hard with super-human improvisational blues/rock fury from start to finish on the epic "Redemption At The Mojo Circus" disc. As an added way-kool bonus, Riffmaster Ellis has created & included a mega-killer Grooveyard Records "theme" song called "Keeping The Rock Alive" which lands down perfectly as our ultimate musical anthem for Guitar Rock World Domination.

Hurricane Ruth originates from central/southern Illinois, packing venues throughout the region. Critics and fans hail their shows as powerful, raw, emotional and dynamic. The band’s contagious energy is evident in their live shows. The center of this energy is Hurricane Ruth herself. Ruth is a captivating performer, who will grab your attention from note one and never let you go! Willie Dixon once told Ruth “You’re the only hurricane I can appreciate”. Hurricane Ruth LaMaster started performing professionally in 1979. She acquired the name Hurricane Ruth from the fact that no one believed that such a large sound could come out of such a small woman! Ruth has performed with Maynard Ferguson and his orchestra, Adrian Belew, and Louis Belson…

Writing on the Wall's only album was theatrical heavy blues-psychedelic-rock that, despite its power and menace, was too obviously derivative of better and more original artists to qualify as a notable work. The organ-guitar blends owe much to the Doors, Procol Harum, and Traffic, though the attitude is somehow more sour and ominous than any of those groups. The vocals are sometimes pretty blatant in their homages to Arthur Brown, particularly when Linnie Paterson climbs to a histrionic scream; Jim Morrison, Gary Brooker, and Stevie Winwood obviously left their imprints on him too. Throw in some of the portentous drama from the narrations to the Elektra astrological concept album The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds (particularly on "Aries") as well…

For this live concert recorded at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, a mostly all-star group of Texas jazzmen (plus pianist Ellis Marsalis from New Orleans) was gathered together. The music, which includes four blues and three standards among its nine selections, lacks any real surprises. Most of the numbers have solos by Fathead Newman on alto, James Clay's tenor, veteran baritonist Leroy Cooper, the lesser-known trumpeter Dennis Dotson and guitarist Cornell Dupree or Marsalis. In addition, the pianist gets a pair of solo features, and Newman is also heard on tenor and flute. Strangely enough, Fathead never gets around to dueling with Clay. Some better planning and the utilization of a few charts (rather than the funcitonal frameworks) would have elevated the pleasing date to a much higher level.

For this live concert recorded at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, a mostly all-star group of Texas jazzmen (plus pianist Ellis Marsalis from New Orleans) was gathered together. The music, which includes four blues and three standards among its nine selections, lacks any real surprises. Most of the numbers have solos by Fathead Newman on alto, James Clay's tenor, veteran baritonist Leroy Cooper, the lesser-known trumpeter Dennis Dotson and guitarist Cornell Dupree or Marsalis. In addition, the pianist gets a pair of solo features, and Newman is also heard on tenor and flute. Strangely enough, Fathead never gets around to dueling with Clay. Some better planning and the utilization of a few charts (rather than the funcitonal frameworks) would have elevated the pleasing date to a much higher level.

For this CD, veteran pianist Ellis Marsalis performs songs composed by some of the top modern New Orleans players of the 1960s, including drummer James Black, tenor saxophonist Nat Perrilliat, clarinetist Alvin Batiste, saxophonist Harold Battiste, and himself. With the exception of Alvin Batiste's tunes (based on "Cherokee" and a Dixieland-ish blues), the originals have strong melodies, slightly tricky chord structures, and sound quite fresh. Marsalis utilizes his son, Branford, on tenor and soprano; bassist Robert Hurst; and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts; the young Jason Marsalis sits in on drums during two numbers. Ellis Marsalis is in particularly inventive form on this unusually obscure material.