Esperanza (Hope) Liner Notes

His latest release, “Esperanza” is a wonderful pastiche of trumpet virtuosity with something for everyone: from burning straight ahead trumpet solos and soothing Bossa Nova Sambas, to beautiful ballads and some killer, infectious hip bop.

Upon carefully listening to Ellis, one might hear an amalgam of Dizzy Gillespie during his Latin ‘French Riviera’/Lalo Schiffrin period, Miles Davis during his muted “Sketches of Spain” period, Chuck Mangione during his lyrical “Land of Make Believe” period, Freddie Hubbard during his influential CTI period and finally, Tom Harrell during his romantic, strings period.

You’ll also hear John’s homage to the art of film scoring complete with his brooding trumpet that’s somewhat reminiscent of Bernard Hermann’s haunting score of Martin Scorsese’s classic “Taxi Driver.” Perhaps you’ll also pick up flashes of Maria, from Leonard Bernstein’s legendary score of “West Side Story.” Regardless, whatever or whomever you hear in Ellis’s playing, it’s truly his own and indeed, masterful, at that.

John Ellis’s “Esperanza,” a musical gift of ‘hope’ to the world