Listen:
Buy:
brochure text
live recordings
email us
photos
bios
Transcendent song fused with deep funk
"Gig of the Week"
The Guardian
Visionary poetry that will inspire you, set to tunes that will transport you, backed by grooves that will take you down. Legendary New York saxman Pee Wee Ellis joins singer Emma Harris, the Bristol Ensemble, choir and some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK to perform Keith and Ann Harrison-Broninski's "Songs of the Spirit and the Senses". The 1960s jazz-funk hero who is taking Cold Sweat to the Barbican and the Lincoln Center brings his own brand of soulful melody and hard-edged excitement to settings of lyric poetry described as a "revelation" (Venue Magazine) when originally performed at festivals and concert halls. Now re-invented for the larger forces they deserve and a major tour, the new Songs of the Spirit and the Senses are an unforgettable journey from still classical beauty to eerie fingerpopping funk.
Listen to short excerpts from (the 2006 jazz versions of) Miracle Play, Vow, Catkin, Pantomime, Downland, Georgina's Jig, Lorca Moon, Shadow, Autumn's Henchman, Thumbelina, Ophelia's Dance and (the 2001 classical version of) The Hills Will Hollow below. You can also buy the album online.
Listen: |
|
Buy: |
|
Promoters, please email us to discuss a booking.
| Pee Wee Ellis | Emma Harris | Bristol Ensemble | Keith Harrison-Broninski | |
|
|
|
|
|
Pee Wee Ellis
Emma Harris
Bristol Ensemble
Keith
Harrison-Broninski
Pee Wee Ellis was born to play music. From first piano lessons in Lubbock, Texas to discovering a saxophone in his grandmother’s bureau at age nine, he showed exceptional aptitude. In Texas Pee Wee got to see blues greats like Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and Fats Domino; by 11 he was sneaking in to play with touring dance bands. With clarinet and sax lessons in school, he was skilled on reeds as well as piano when his family moved to Rochester, New York at age 16.
In Rochester, he began gigging earnestly in a scene that included future bass legend Ron Carter; the two would travel to New York City to see jazz heroes at Birdland. Pee Wee here met Sonny Rollins, who agreed to give him lessons.
Pee Wee joined James Brown in 1965, immediately began writing and soon came up with the first pure hardcore Funk hit, Cold Sweat, followed by 26 others that defined what we think of as Funk to this day. Six months after he was hired, Pee Wee became James Brown’s musical director.
Pee Wee has been called The Man Who Invented Funk: influenced by Miles Davis, he distilled R&B and made complex, polyrhythmic arrangements that created a dialogue with James’ singing rather than just a backing track. Pee Wee’s effect on music was huge, leading directly to George Clinton, Sly Stone and, in a circular twist, Miles Davis’ 70’s work.
Pee Wee yearned to grow beyond the confines of James Brown, and left by 1970 to work as arranger and musical director for CTI-Kudu records, the most popular jazz label of the 70s. He worked with Esther Phillips as well as George Benson, Hank Crawford and dozens of other CTI artists.
In 1979 Van Morrison asked Pee Wee to do arrangements for his Into The Music album, leading to Pee Wee becoming Van’s musical director, an association that lasted for six years and five albums then was repeated for another five years and five more albums in the last half of the 90’s. In between, a reunited JB Horns - Pee Wee, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker - made several albums and toured extensively.
Also through the early 90’s, Pee Wee released several solo albums that illustrated the depth of his music. As well as funk-jazz , there were big band and two pure jazz albums, 12 and More Blues and Yellin’ Blue, made with just a bassist and drummer; both garnered rave reviews.
Van Morrison came calling in 1992 and Pee Wee’s return to the band coincided with a new surge in popularity for Van; the first album was Days Like This, with the hit title song arranged by Pee Wee, followed by How Long Has This Been Going On? with another hit, That’s Life, big band arrangement by Pee Wee. His last album in this run with Van was Back On Top, yet another hit, critically and commercially.
Meanwhile, Pee Wee had found world music, or it had found him. He contributed arrangements for Malian singer Oumou Sangare’s album Worotan also for Senegalese singer Cheikh Lo; the result was a brilliant and natural fusion that caught the attention of many. That led to arranging and playing for two Cuban legends: Cachaito and Miguel ‘Anga’ Diaz. He continues to arrange for World Circuit Records, including work with Ali Farka Toure on what turned out to be sadly, his last album, and Cheikh Lo’s funkiest cd ‘Lampfall’
Since 2000, Pee Wee has released Live ‘n Funky, a brilliant New York live set, Ridin’ Mighty High, a gospel album that has been his biggest hit yet, and his smooth funk project "Different Rooms".
The Pee Wee Ellis Assembly regularly tours, he has worked with UK jazz singing sensation Clare Teal, and was asked to North Carolina to write songs once again for James Brown. In 2005 he visited Japan with the Cuban pianist Omar Sosa to great acclaim and in 2006 they played together again, in South Africa and a sell out week at Yoshi’s in Oakland.
Pee Wee's latest project is "Still Black, Still Proud - An African Tribute to James Brown", with his long time colleague Fred Wesley, and Cheikh Lo from Senegal. Others guests in the show are Vieux Farka Toure (Mali) Tony Allen (Nigeria/Europe), Simphiwe Dana (South Africa) and Manu Dibango. The show plays major venues worldwide.
Emma Harris won the 'Pure Solo Jazz Vocalist Competition' in 2011.
Emma spent six years with the jazz quartet "Eyebrow Music", 3 years with the Delta/Chicago style blues band "Blues Express", and now sings with "Naked Voices", a 17-piece accapella group who are festival favourites with sell-out gigs every year.
Emma teaches gospel and world music to natural voice accapella choirs across the UK, and has done a variety of session work including film soundtracks.
Emma's debut album "Lovelife" features Pee Wee Ellis and a host of other guest stars. Emma has been singing the Songs and the Spirit and the Senses for years, and was acclaimed for her performance in the 2006 live recordings.
Bristol Ensemble is Bristol's professional chamber orchestra, and is renowned for its accessible, passionate, warm and virtuosic performances.
The group holds a pivotal position in South West music, presenting eighty events per year in the region's major venues. Formed in 1994 by Roger Huckle, Bristol Ensemble is a musicians' collective, bringing together the best of the region's performers.
The group regularly works with outstanding international artists and soloists, including Willard White, Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, Andy Sheppard (jazz saxophone), Wayne Marshall (piano), Leslie Garrett, Emma Johnson (clarinet), Victor Hugo-Villena (bandoneon), as well as exceptional young artists such as Natalia Lomeiko (violin), Jiafeng Chen (violin) and Adam Walker (flute).
The Bristol Ensemble is particularly known for collaborations with other art forms, for film and media work, and for its acclaimed contemporary music series Elektrostatic at the Colston Hall where the ensemble works with such artists as Gabriel Prokofiev, Juice, Get the Blessing, Charles Johnston and USA group Eighth Blackbird.
"A fine pianist" (The Independent)
As jazz pianist, Keith Harrison-Broninski has led bands and worked as a sideman with leading jazz players such as Pee Wee Ellis, Iain Ballamy, Karen Street, and many more. His jazz recordings range from straight-ahead to african/gospel/spiritual to classically-influenced songs.
He has also recorded an album of traditional English folk songs as classical guitarist.
Keith's jazz/classical compositions range from short ensemble pieces to large-scale operatic works. They have been performed in major concert halls, commissioned for radio broadcast and featured as festival highlights.