Pee Wee Ellis, Ronnie Scott's, London W1, 5/4/10

Live Review

Pee Wee Ellis & his Jazz Quartet @ Ronnie Scott’s, London W1, Monday 5/4/10

**** (Really quite good)

Did you know you are not allowed to take pictures in Ronnie Scott’s? (My excuse for the poor picture here.)

You are, however, obliged to mingle with some of music’s greatest talents.

On previous occasions I have found myself backstage with the superb Carleen Anderson and attempting to embrace the legendary Dr John as he made his way through the club.

On Monday night I ended up, stood on a Soho pavement, offering the great saxophonist and bandleader Pee Wee Ellis a smoke and explaining my favourite Pee Wee sax solo was when he took Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” to another level during a performance at Montreux in 1980.

This moment of admiration outside a packed Ronnie Scott’s was one of many on an evening in which Ellis’ skills as a saxophonist, bandleader and all-round great guy were on show.

Pee Wee Ellis now resides in Frome, Somerset and had bought with him a homeboy, fellow tenor sax player Josh Arcoleo. The youngster, blessed with fantastic ability and tone added a touch of youth to a line up that was experienced and highly skilled.

Pee Wee’s theme for Monday night was jazz (he returned Tuesday evening with his Funk Assembly). However, the two highlights of the show came with a break from the tight, yet highly improvisational nature of the performance with a little blues number that swaggered with real character and “a song I wrote for James Brown” called “Chicken”. The soul vibe took the show up a notch.

Ronnie’s is a great place to see some great up-and-coming talent alongside famous names from the past. Pee Wee Ellis was James Brown’s musical director (JB Horns) and arranged Van Morrison’s live shows for years at the prime of his powers (Into The Music and onwards). His reputation is enough to sell a club full of tickets. His performance was good enough to sell more.

At 68, Ellis is no spring chicken. But his musicianship is still outstanding. In Arcoleo, he has found a saxophonist that will gain so much from being onstage with one of the most influential horn players in soul and funk music - and the youngster confidently holds his own against a seriously big name in sax music.

So excuse my poor picture taking… but Pee Wee and his band really were too good to take your eyes off.

Steve McNeill

MUSICIAN FOCUS - Herbie Hancock

I have recently been researching and writing an article called “The ten greatest jazz pianists”. As a pianist myself who loves jazz (note I can’t call myself a jazz pianist) its been great fun. I’ve listened to some incredible music and discovered a lot of interesting information about “the ten greatest…” and although the definition of opinion dictates few people will agree with my run-down, I feel I can justify my top ten list.

Herbie Hancock is not just one of the most influential jazz musicians that has walked this earth – he is one of the most influential musicians of all time. He continues to embrace new music while remaining fresh and innovative.

One of my favourite records of 2009 was Hancock’s album The Joni Letters, a tribute to his long-time friend Joni Mitchell. The album was only the second jazz album to ever win the Grammy Award for Best Album (do you know what the first was?). Featuring collaborations with Norah Jones, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner and more, The Joni Letters is a masterclass in jazz piano. Hancock’s rearrangements of classic songs like “Case of You” and “Both Sides Now” stay faithful enough to the original chords and rhythms to be recognisable, yet venture far enough into Hancock virtuoso territory to be suitably outstanding works of musicianship.

My greatest admiration of Herbie comes from two of the best examples of jazz-fusion composition –“Watermelon Man” (1962) and “Cantaloupe Island” (1964). In both songs, the classic piano riffs are instantly recognisable and helped bring jazz to a more mainstream, pop-orientated audience.

Out of all the jazz greats, Hancock has incorporated other genres of music into jazz the most. As influential on hip-hop, funk and soul as he has been on jazz, Herbie continues to make great music, perform knockout shows and inspire countless other musicians (and non-musicians) across the world.

This video is a classic performance of the superb “Cantaloupe Island”. Composer, virtuoso, innovator… Enjoy a dose of the truly legendary Herbie Hancock.