Concert
Spending his childhood in the countryside of North Carolina John Ellis chose New Orleans as home town during his formative years. Besides associations with Nicholas Payton, the saxophonist took lessons with Ellis Marsalis – consequentially playing in his quartet for some time –, belonged to the Jason Marsalis Band and started his initial career in the trio of guitarist Charlie Hunter. After his first album One Foot In The Swamp had been gaining international attention, his latest release By A Thread is an unobtrusive blend of traditional New Orleans jazz, fusion and acid jazz..
Beatboxing: The art of imitating drums with the human voice. Napoleon Maddox will appear twice with his vocal percussion at this year’s festival. Next to IsWhat?! – founded in 1997 in Cincinnati/Ohio – he will be “beat-boxing” with Roy Nathanson on Sunday.
Quintessentially the Maddox and Walker team can be compared to the avant-hiphop band The Roots and spoken word activists the Last Poets, carrying forward their tradition. IsWhat?! manages successfully to combine hiphop, political poetry and seventies jazz music.
John Ellis – reeds
Aaron Goldberg – piano
Omer Avital – bass
Jason Marsalis – drums
Napoleon Maddox – human beatbox
Jack Walker – alto, tenor sax
Claire Daily – baritone sax
Joe Fonda – bass
Hamid Drake – drums