Nice. No, “nice” isn’t the word. Brian Ellis is a, put it subtly, a bit of a jazz head. And a muso to boot – apparently he can play 4 instruments (sadly, we’re not informed if they’re all at the same time). An he IS a one-man band and he does indeed sound like he’s working with a full orchestra at times. ‘The Morning After’ sounds like post rock, almost, sleepy Sunday morning for the night after the Slint show. But basement Boogie is modern jazz exactly as you expect it to sound, dissonant and all over the place. ‘Para Ti’ has some interesting guitar effects in the vein of John Martyn, and ‘Flute Salad’ throws noodles into its jazzy melange.
The kudos out of the way then. The 9-track album from the label which usually houses electro artists like Christ, is something of a surprise. Ranging from fairly straightforward jazz in places, to ‘Night Falls’ to the almost Krupa drum beats of ‘Say’, it’s a bit of an ordeal to be honest. Certainly talented, and it has its moments. However, ‘Travelling’ attempts that jazz funk disco thing that Herbie Hancock really shouldn’t have, and the closing ‘Cookies and Cream’ sounds like Pigbag gone bad. Not that nice then, but what did you expect?
