Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer and Vocalist Eli Rosenblatt has been a regular on the Seattle club scene for the last 10 years, inspiring dance mayhem from Ballard to Columbia City and everywhere in between with Salsa groups Picoso and Si Limon.  Over the last three years he has created a kid-centric repertoire of quirky, catchy dance tunes that rock the crowd in a new way.  The best of these songs are brought together in the album ELEPHANT CAR, a collection of seven new tracks that reflect both Rosenblatt’s talents as a wordsmith and his penchant for global rhythms.  “Have you ever noticed that the sun does not discriminate/ she shines on every-one/ she doesn’t care about your color, your religion or your race/ or the size of your body, or the shape of your face”.  These lyrics from “Sunshine”, sung in a lilting rap over a groove reminiscent of both Bob Marley and Manu Chao, give an idea of the philosophical direction of the album.  

In the break-beat fueled title track, “Elephant Car”, Rosenblatt delivers the story of the Squirrel who builds a car bigger than an Elephant to prove his worth to the other forest creatures.  “Say Hello to the World” begins as a tender ballad only to finish in a fiery Salsa version of the Mexican folk classic, “La Bamba”.  The album moves effortlessly from big-band Funk (“Photosynthesize”) to Samba (“Baby Kangaroo”) to other-wordly Klezmer (Buzz Buzz Beez), unified by Rosenblatt’s vocals and the unshakeable rhythm section of drummer Sam Esecson (Paperboys, Polyrhythmics) and bassist Bryant Moore (Grace Love and the True Loves).  The finishing touches are applied by the soaring trumpet and playful clarinet of  Rosenblatt’s longtime friend and collaborator Ahamefule J. Oluo (Industrial Revelation, Hey Marseille).

The album is an unabashed, joyful celebration of rhythm, absurdity and love for humanity, inspiring people of all ages to absorb themselves in the music with the fascination and abandon of a child.


Grow

Eli Rosenblatt