CD Review: Joy Ellis – Dwell

Joy Ellis (piano, Fender Rhodes, vocals); Rob Luft (guitar); Henrik Jensen (double bass); Ferg Ireland (electric bass); Adam Osmiandski (drums); Helen Burnett (sound bowls on Daffodils)

(Review by Ann Alex)

Here is the first of three humdinger CDs received for review – I feel lucky. I've already seen Joy Ellis and her band at the Globe and have heard some of these actual songs. All the songs were written and produced by Ms Ellis and her lyrics are supplied on the CD insert, a bonus we didn't get in the live performance, so I was well primed to enjoy the album, and I certainly did.

The songs relate to a sense of place and reflections on life in general, such as thoughts on the birth of a new baby as winter ends; ideas about the family; an incident in Manchester; an atmospheric portrayal of ice on a river. The music is influenced not only by jazz but also elements of groove and dance music and her classical piano training.

The overall effect is freewheeling, varied, lively music, perhaps best described by a rundown of track 10 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, which is one of the 2 instrumentals. First we hear a rippling riffing piano with comments from Jensen on bass. The piano develops a strong theme and the whole tune moves along the line, gentle drums crop up, piano gets bolder with more variations, then ripples to the end. An inadequate description, I know, which doesn't do the music justice.

Our singer has a naturally musical tone, and the lyrics are pleasingly descriptive, especially on tracks such as Ice On The River, with its short lines suggesting coldness 'Ice on the river, frost on the field, cold tide lapping, 'gainst the boards of the pier.' These lyrics are accompanied by Rhodes-like tones which manage to sound cold. The other track titles are: Daffodils; Pollyanna; Family Tree; Castles; Dwell; One Minute In Manchester; Boy; Mick Coady Says Hello (Instrumental).

The presence of the outstanding guitarist Rob Luft adds to the overall sound as does the stellar rhythm section.

Joy Ellis graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has toured widely to such places as Ronnie Scott's, the Barbican, The Cork Jazz Festival and No Black Tie Jazz Club in Kuala Lumpur. Her previous album, Life On Land, (2017) was reviewed on BSH. She also performs Brazilian music with the Samba Azul group.  

A promotional tour featuring the album is planned but if you wish to see her you'll have to go to the nearest places, Edinburgh on February 23, or Leeds on March 14 next year. Better to ask Santa for the CD for Christmas, as it is released on November 29 on Oti-O Records. Or you could get  along to the album launch at the Vortex, London on December 14.

See www.joyellismusic.com  

Ann Alex