Post Description

Pee Wee Ellis gained renown as an instrumentalist and arranger for James Brown, Esther Phillips, Van Morrison, George Benson and The JB Horns, and as the co-composer of "Cold Sweat" and "Mother Popcorn." One of the mainstays of his studio band on this session is the legendary drummer Clyde Stubblefield, a veteran of the James Brown bands of the 60s and early 70s. Stubblefield is perhaps best known to modern listeners through his impact on contemporary dance beats, thanks to the countless rappers who've sampled his irresistible rhythmic grooves on "Funky Drummer," "Mother Popcorn," "Cold Sweat," "Since You've Been Gone" and other James Brown hits. BLUES MISSION is state-of-the-art funkjazz by some of the men who invented the form. Longtime James Brown arranger and band member Pee Wee Ellis took the spotlight on this set of hot instrumentals, blues-based uptempo numbers, and inspired covers. Ellis' tenor sax solos are strong, exuberant, and tight. His band members include guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly in a more restrained role than usual, while Tyrone Jefferson provides the trombone fills and effects much as Fred Wesley did in The JBs. The group pays homage to Ellis' past with the stinging "Cold Sweat Mother Popcorn," rivaling the original Brown orchestra in their execution, funk, and energy. ~ Ron Wynn

1 Zig Zag See  
 2 Gotcha!    
 3 Cold Sweat / Mother Popcorn    
 4 Yellin' Blue    
 5 One Mint Julep 
 6 Texas Sweet    
 7 Ham    
 8 Fort Apache    
 9 Blues Mission