Description
“This is not your daddy's cover band. This is jazz, the way Coltrane and Dizzy played it. They take modern popular songs and make them jazz. And it WORKS.” This is what was written about Ellipsis from Philly2nite.com and just a sampling of what people are writing and saying about the newly formed piano trio Ellipsis. In essence these musicians take the popular tunes of yesterday and today and add in the elements they hold so dear to jazz i.e. creativity and improvisation. Some of the artists they have chosen to “make over” include: Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, and the Beatles. They are also writing and creating new and interesting originals. So far the band has completed a highly successful tour of the U.S. to promote their first EP, self-titled Ellipsis. Locally the band has been performing all over the east coast at very prestigious venues. They have played at Piano’s in New York City, Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia and also had the honor of kicking off the Medeski Martin and Wood show at Philly’s famed Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Currently the group is working on their first full length CD to be released sometime in the fall. Listed below are the individual bios that make up the whole of Ellipsis…

John Stenger has been playing the piano for 21 years. He began playing professionally in his hometown of Louisville, KY, before moving to New York City in
1997. There he studied jazz at the renowned Mannes/New School Jazz and Contemporary Music program, and performed with many different jazz, Brazilian, and
Cuban groups around the New York area. He graduated from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in 2001, receiving a degree in classical music. His teachers have included John Kamitsuka, Fred Hersch, John Corigliano and Reggie Workman, and he has performed in many different musical settings-from recording with Cuban percussion legend Mongo Santamaria to playing bossa nova in Rio de Janeiro.
He currently lives and works in the Philadelphia area.

Raymond Clemens grew up in Oklahoma and moved to California and then New York studying music and pursuing a performance career. He has studied with several jazz greats including Buster Williams, Reggie Workman, and Marshal Hawkins and has performed around the country with various acts including Tommy Conwell, Natalie Walker, Brian Haas, Arnie Lawrence, Eric Sarmiento and the International Chamber Orchestra. Raymond currently lives in the Philadelphia area where he is a top-call freelance player for live performances as well as studio work. Recent credits include performances at the Kimmel Center, Allentown Symphony Hall, World Café Live, Smalls, and the Blue Note (Chicago). Raymond also owns and operates Lo-Fi records & studios in Downingtown, PA -- current home of Ellipsis, Lauren Adams, Chris Adams, ARC, and Jim Love & the Blue Groove.

Justin Leigh performs regularly in Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. in various styles and settings. He is a graduate from Temple University with a degree in music performance. Justin has performed with such musicians as Terell Stafford, Rufus Reid, Tim Hagans, Eugene Maslov and Tommy Conwell and studied with such notable musicians as Jim Paxson, Ari Hoenig, Jean-Micel Pilc and Byron Landham. He can be heard on the records Don't Put Me In No Box by Rhett Tyler, The Mythic Belief & More by Daniel Peterson and on his new groups self-titled EP Ellipsis. His music has been featured on WRTI and in such Philadelphia venues as Chris' Jazz Café, Ortlieb's Jazz Haus, and The World Cafe Live. Leigh is also an active member of Philly's original music scene performing with such acts as Natalie Walker and Lauren Adams.


Credits
tracks 1,3 & 5 written by greenwood, o'brian, selway & yorke and licensed by wb music corp/ascap. track 2 written by lennon and mccartney and licensed by sony/atv tunes/beatles/ascap. track 4 written by joni mitchell and licensed by crazy cow music/sony/atv tunes/ascap. track 6 written by conor oberst and licensed by bedrooms and spiders/sony/atv music/bmi. all songs arranged by ellipsis and copyright 2005. all rights reserved. recorded 8/24/05 and 8/28/05 at lo-fi studios, downingtown, pa.