Swiss-based four-piece blues rock band Ellis Mano Band have released their third single “Ambedo Mind” . The single is taken from the band’s sophomore album “Ambedo” that was recently released on Friday 25th June via Jazzhaus Records.
Order the album on CD and digital from https://orcd.co/ellismanobandambedo. The new album went to #2 in the Official Swiss Album Chart.
The band describe their trademark well-produced sound as “a sort of rock n’ soul, rooted deep down in the blues.” “Smooth, sexy, and horn-section-soulful, this song is a nod to the soul and R&B greats,” says Edis Mano, the guitarist for Ellis Mano Band.
The band’s guitarist, Edis Mano, talks about the concept behind the making of the music video for the Amebedo Mind single – “During the pandemic, I was able to teach myself filmmaking which is something I have wanted to do that for years. What I always missed was the time to learn it in peace and self-taught (thanks YouTube).”
“Keep It Simple and The Question were the first two music videos I made,” continues Edis. “With Ambedo Mind I wanted to have a cinematographic reference to the subject of Ambedo. That’s why we took the macro recordings with a special lens. This optic makes the smallest objects appear gigantic. This is exactly how we
behave during the process of creating an album. The smallest details are often discussed very intensively. There are many parallels.”
In Switzerland, the Ellis Mano Band are not unlike the Wrecking Crew or the Funk Brothers. They are top-flight studio musicians and elites in the Swiss music scene. Although they spent years making music with other artists, the band members never got much time to make music of their own until now.
“We chose the album title “Ambedo” because it reflects the state of the process of recording an album,” says guitarist Edis Mano. “Ambedo” refers to the tendency both to reflect and to absorb. Musicians like us do it all the time, especially when we compose new songs and create a new album.”
Every track on the new album is rich with perfectly chosen detail including Chris Ellis’s rough voice, Edis Mano’s vintage sounding guitar playing, and the tight rhythm section of drummer Nico Looser and Severin Graf (bass). The album also features Hammond B3 organ, and horns that reflect the blazing summer heat during which they were recorded. The harmonious backing vocals are reminiscent of something you would hear from Muscle Shoals Studios.
“We would get together with just a few ideas, fill it out, let it grow, work on it, with a great passion,” says Chris. “For session musicians, it was not about having just another project to play on, but it was an opportunity for us to play as a real band again. It was a great feeling to see the guys together and getting emotional from time to time playing the music.”
