Ellis,Ellis &Cohen

Eleanor Ellis is a local DC treasure, being among the most gifted female purveyors of old time blues in the area. She has championed the likes of the late Flora Molton and Archie Edwards, helped found the DC Blues Society and similarly helped with the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation after he passed. She has recorded infrequently, often in a supporting role, so when long-unavailable recordings with Bill Ellis (no relation) and Andy Cohen became available, it is cause for celebration. The CD is Preachin’ in that Wilderness: Country Blues Classics, on Cohen’s Riverlark label (remastered to CD from the original Marimac casette). There are twenty two performances included with all three taking vocals. Cohen gets to display his mastery of Rev.Gary Davis’ fingerstyle guitar and other pre-war blues styles, whereas Bill Ellis takes the lead on several as well as contributes originals and Eleanor handles Memphis Minnie ’s In My Girlish Days, duets with Bill Ellis on Leroy Carr ’s Midnight Hour Blues, and handles Sleepy John Estes’ Leaving Trunk. Other performances derive from Casey Bill Weldon, Washington Phillips, ‘Ragtime Texas ’ Henry Thomas, Simmie Dooley & Pink Anderson, Larry Johnson, Brownie McGhee, Gus Cannon and the wonderful Hungry Blues, words by Langston Hughes and music from James P. Johnson which is marvelously sung by Eleanor with Bill on guitar and Andy on piano. The level of the musicianship is marvelous and perhaps the best known of these songs may be Spoonful, taken from Mance Lipscomb ’s Arhoolie recording although it is familiar from renditions by John Hurt and Charlie Patton. Amazingly, or
thankfully, there were no covers of Robert Johnson tunes although I suspect any could do one that would actually be worth hearing. Cohen has
other recordings on Riverlark while William Lee Ellis has a new release on Yellow Dog. Eleanor is still criminally underrepresented on disc, but alas
we have this marvelous disc to savor.
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