Pee Wee Ellis & Fred Wesley Funk masterclass

26 February 2007

Footage from LCCM's Funkiest Clinic Ever

Pee Wee Ellis’ biography

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. The effect Pee Wee had on music was huge, leading directly to George Clinton, Sly Stone and, in a circular twist, to the 70s work of Miles Davis.

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 90s. In between, a reunited JB Horns - Pee Wee, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker - made several albums and toured extensively.

Also through the early 90s, 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.

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 latest project Different Rooms, a new genre for the new millennium “SMUNK”, smooth funk.

The Pee Wee Ellis Assembly regularly tours, he has worked with UK jazz singing sensation Clare Teal, and last year 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.

Most recently he has performed with and arranged for the Miami based Spam All Stars with whom he will be performing live in 2007. He also played several successful dates with Fred Wesley in the UK in 2006 and they will be playing together again in London and Europe in early 2007.

Fred Wesley biogrpahy

Best known for his work with James Brown and the JBs, Fred Wesley has built his career in funk and jazz. From 1968 through 1975, Wesley was music director, arranger, trombonist and a primary composer for Brown's band, helping to create a brand of funk that he helped take to a new level upon joining forces with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins in 1975.

Wesley became a force in jazz in 1978 when he joined the Count Basie Orchestra. He released his first jazz CD as a leader, To Someone, in 1988. It was followed by New Friends in 1990, Comme Ci Comme Ca in 1991, and his latest two releases as a leader, the live CD, Swing and Be Funky and Amalgamation in 1994.

His 35-year career includes playing with and arranging for a wide variety of other artist such as Ray Charles, Ike and Tina Turner, Usher, Lionel Hampton, Randy Crawford, Vanessa Williams, The SOS Band, Cameo and rappers De La Soul, to name a few. Scores of other artists have sampled his work.

Wesley toured with his colleagues from the James Brown Band, Pee Wee Ellis and Maceo Parker as the JB Horns in the early nineties. With the departure of Ellis the band became The Maceo Parker Band. Wesley was featured trombonist with Maceo until 1996 when he formed his own band.

The Fred Wesley group recorded and toured for about two years until Wesley decided to put touring on the side and pursue a writing career. He is currently doing articles for general publication and liner notes for CDs etc. He has completed his first book entitled, "HIT ME FRED ( Recollections of a Sideman)", soon to be published.

Links
www.peewee-ellis.com
www.fredwesley.com