Music
Press
It would be lazy to label Elliott Ranney’s An Aging Sailor’s Dream simply jazz music. Granted, his singing is breezy and jazzy, and there is plenty of jazz instrumentation on it. But there is also so much more.
“St. Louis In One More,” for instance, is more folk than jazz. It features Dobro, and “Ellen Claire” has – I think – mandolin. But the piano on “Together,” the sax of “I Still Remember You,” and the guitar instrumental “Innervoice” are all strongly jazzy.
You might just dig this complete project, start to finish. That's because Ranney has a wide range of musical tricks up his sleeve, many of which he shows off on this CD.
Dan MacIntosh
- Indie-Music.com
Discography
An Aging Sailor's Dream cd released 2001 Wildstone Audio. Here's a list of tracks that have gotten air play around the world:
A good Life
Ellen Claire
Together
Sailing Through - Neo Pangea's indie film : Townies
www.areyouatownie.com
Photos
Bio
Elliott Ranney is a singer/songwriter composing jazz/folk pop influence music. He has found success in playing wineries and coffee houses in the Missouri-Illinois region. He is often joined by his talented wife Ellen Ranney who co-writes with Elliott, and close friend, Latin percussionist Patrick Rodriguez. Pat and Elliott began playing music in 1981 after meeting at their ten year high school reunion: Kirkwood High class of 71.
Elliott incorporates cover tunes and originals into his stage show. He has an eclectic song list, material arranged for his smooth vocal stylings and guitar work. Its not a juke box offering, but songs by recognized artists not often heard, much less performed.
What makes Ranneys sound unique is his approach to finger style classical guitar. He has a broad vocabulary of and jazz and altered chords. He first learned rudimentary finger picking from a PBS guitar course offered by local, Channel 9 in St. Louis, MO. during the late 1960s. Picking up on Paul Simon and Joni Mitchells approach, he synced the folk/pop technique into his early writing style. Learning jazz guitar at St. Petersburg Jr. College has led Ranney into swing, Latin and a sort of Bop Nuveau with the concentration of juxtaposing dense chord/note clusters to create tension/resolution. The music flows from one concept/key sense into another and it somehow works.
There is a sense of each chord resolving into the next creating a perpetual motion effect that feels like an unending hook. Theyre just pretty melodies that are mellow and engaging.
Elliotts lyric writing has been influenced by Michael Franks, James Taylor and Paul Simon. Lyric writing has been the most challenging. Lately, Elliott has given the creative writing assignments to his wife Ellen, and together tweeze(1) the stories to fit the music.
Elliotts tag line is: Acoustic music like an Island Breeze.
(1) Tweeze Frank Zappa coined the word to describe how he rehearsed an orchestra prior to performing his symphonic compositions.
Links
