Artist.......: Lisle Ellis
Album........: Sucker Punch Requiem
Label........: Henceforth Records
Genre........: Avantgarde
Catnr........: 104
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Oct-22-2009
str.date.....: Feb-26-2008
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: www.lisleellis.com
track title time
01. Summonings 03:40
02. Incantation and Ascent 04:54
03. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Derelict 01:52
04. X-Ray Gray 02:17
05. Perishable Fig. 1a 01:01
06. Bas Relief 02:03
07. Las Pulgas (Repelling Ghosts) 08:43
08. Perishable Fig. 2 00:54
09. Color Blind (Oracle)1/2 04:09
10. Suicide Study 06:30
11. Color Blind (Oracle)2/2 02:02
12. For Blues and Other Spells 08:31
13. Perishable Fig. 1b 01:08
14. 57 Great Jones St. August Twelfth Nineteen 05:15
Eighty-Eight
15. Perishable Fig. 3 01:48
16. Untitled (Life Stilled) 08:17
Runtime 63:04 min
Size 81,6 MB
Release Notes:
Canadian born bassist and Renaissance man, Lisle
Ellis opens a new chapter in his development with
Sucker Punch Requiem. A tribute to the revered
painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ellis' all-star
septet offers a diverse program of musical ideas
that mirrors Basquiat's idiosyncratic vision.
With ties across Canada, New York City and the Bay
Area, Ellis has been a highly valued collaborator
for almost three decades. A brief hiatus from
performing in the late 1990s found him channeling
his creative energies into painting and electronic
composition. After spending the majority of his
professional career in California, Ellis relocated
to New York City in 2005, when he began composing a
requiem for Basquiat as a "gesture of respect and
gratitude."
Using the Roman Catholic Church's six part mass for
the dead as a guide, Ellis staggers recurrent
motifs and concise transitory themes with
multi-sectional compositions. Alternating between
melancholy impressionism and bittersweet euphony,
the suite encompasses a range of emotions. By
shifting instrumental emphasis between brief
electronic sketches and heavily arranged acoustic
tunes, he exposes layers beneath the surface of the
overall work.
Pianist Mike Wofford and flutist Holly Hoffman
provide a neo-classical patina, lending gravitas
and austerity to Ellis' contemplative chamber
pieces. They add genteel lyricism to lilting
swingers like "Suicide Study," featuring a rare
bass solo from the magnanimous leader. Drummer
Susie Ibarra supplies subtle shadings and an
undulating pulse, while Pamela Z injects occasional
samples and processed vocals on electronic fanfares
like "Summonings" and "Incantation and Ascent."
Legends of the Loft Jazz era, saxophonist Oliver
Lake and trombonist George Lewis supply the album's
most heated exchanges. The episodic, suite-like
"For Blues and Other Spells" and dramatically
expansive "Untitled (Life Stilled)," find the duo
embroiled in turbulent discourse, their interplay
fearsome and uncompromising.
A diverse stylist, Lake pairs well with Hoffman,
offering plaintive keening and thorny spirals on
the boppish "Las Pulgas" in solidarity with her
pithy interjections. With his plangent alto, Lake's
presence transforms the electronic "Incantation and
Ascent" into an acoustic lament, his incisive
commentary on the turbulent "Bas Relief" providing
drive and focus.
Boasting fluid ensemble interplay, dramatic
stylistic shifts and rich harmonic writing, Sucker
Punch Requiem blends forward thinking
experimentation with old school craft, resulting in
one of Ellis' most accessible and rewarding albums