It's been said that music is the universal language. With that in mind, the New York City-based saxophonist John Ellis was inspired to write an album based around the universal reaction to that language--dancing. His fourth recording as a leader, Dance Like There s No Tomorrow, is a joyous affair, harnessing music's power to make us forget our troubles in the face of uncertain times. Here, Ellis debuts a band he calls Double Wide, featuring Matt Perrine on tuba, Gary Versace on organ and Jason Marsalis on drums. The album draws its spirit from the South where Ellis was raised, and in particular, his former stomping ground, New Orleans. There s the gospel-inflected All Up In The Aisles that brings the congregation to their feet, the gypsy images conjured by Three-Legged Tango In Jackson Square and the Crescent City s commitment to celebrating life evoked by the title track. Ellis proclivity for pastoral melodies is also well-represented on compositions like Tattoed Teen Waltzes with Grandma and Dream and Mosh. Ellis surmises the heart of this landmark recording:
During Hurricane Katrina and in its aftermath, there were bars on Bourbon Street that never closed. And, of course, it wasn't too soon to celebrate Mardi Gras the following February. New Orleans has always known how to live for the day, and how to dance like there's no tomorrow.