Tommy Ellsworth and his Rockin' Jesters
The Hertz Sessions
(Self-issued)
These never-issued songs were put to tape in 1963. Tom Nazziola ("Tommy Ellsworth") led a combo through gracious turns that exemplied Rock'n'Roll in an evolutionary stage. Southern-spawned Rockabilly's rip-snorting defiance had by then conceded real-estate to more widely accessible tunefulness that bespoke the influence of Northern inclinations and lacquered crooning. As apparent here, such smooth gestures harbored their own especial magnetism.
Endeavors benefiting from majestic harmonies and genteel instrumentation predominate. They cast shine on Tom's personable vocals, ones for which no note exceeds grasp. Sporadic inclusion of uptempo, somewhat sterner jaunts points up resourcefulness.
Singer Nazziola's son Tom recently discovered the reel-to-reel masters in storage. And together with his brother Jay, Tom the younger has now made these available in CD and streaming formats.
Recommended: "Every Day I Have to Cry," "Raining in My Heart," "Little Town Flirt," "Charms," "Your Lips," "If I Had a Hammer," "Black and Blue," "The Right to Love," "True Love Ways," "If You Wanna Be Happy," "Take Good Care of My Baby," "Every Day I Have to Cry" (background vocals version)
Videos: "Every Day I Have to Cry" "Your Lips" "Take Good Care of My Baby" "Little Town Flirt"
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