Don+ellis

For his first studio recording with his colorful big band, Don Ellis utilized five trumpets, three trombones, five reeds, Mike Lang on keyboards, three bassists, drummer Steve Bohannon, and three percussionists to perform some remarkable new music. The most memorable selection is "Indian Lady" (accurately described as a "hoedown in 5/4"), which with its false endings is often quite humorous. The other four originals (the trumpeter-leader's feature on "Alone," "Turkish Bath," "Open Beauty," and the 17/4 "New Horizons"), while lesser-known, are also quite spirited. For the first time Ellis opened his band to the influence of rock (making liberal use of electronics) and the results lend themselves to some hilarity.

One of the most exciting new jazz big bands of the period, Ellis' ensemble became notorious for its ability to play coherently in odd time signatures. One of the four originals heard on this acclaimed outing from the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival is titled "33 222 1 222" to show how the band manages to perform in 19/4 time. The other selections are Hank Levy's "Passacaglia And Fugue," "Concerto For Trumpet" (in 5/4) and "New Nine." In addition to the time signatures, Ellis enjoyed utilizing unusual combinations of instruments; the instrumentation on this date consists of five trumpets, three trombones, five saxes, piano, three bassists, two drummers and a percussionist. Among the more notable sidemen are a young Tom Scott (who solos on alto) and tenor-saxophonist Ira Schulman.

Don Ellis & Brad Fiedel - The French Connection Collection (2016) {2CD La-La Land LLLCD1408 Limited Collector's Edition rec 1971, 1975}
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© 1971, 1975, 2016 La-La Land Records | LLLCD 1408 | Limited Collector's Edition of 2000 units
Jazz / Stage & Screen / Soundtrack / Avant-Garde Jazz

Great thriller soundtracks back to back on one CD – the soundtracks for both French Connection films, both handled by funky jazzman Don Ellis – plus the even rarer score for the later Popeye Doyle film, by Brad Fiedel – packaged here with other rare bonus tracks too! The music by Don Ellis is really incredible – a real cut above other 70s cop and action soundtracks, with a dark edge that shows that Ellis had been listening to some of the hipper European soundtrack composers of the time, but was still also cool enough to kick in with a badass kind of groove whenever he could! The instrumentation on the tunes is very odd – familiar, yet askew – as trumpet, guitar, and keyboard bits come off with some very weird effects. The sound of Popeye Doyle is a bit different – given that the film was an 80s TV addition to the French Connection narrative – with Ed O'Neil in the lead role that was previously handled by Gene Hackman. But Brad Fiedel's score is still pretty nice – definitely more 80s in its instrumentation, but handled with a mode that echoes the Ellis years, with the flavor of a decade later. This 2CD package has way more material than the previous issue – with a total of 48 tracks from the first two films – and 29 more from Popeye Doyle – a whopping 77 tracks in all, with some great notes too!

Don Ellis - Live In India 1978 (2010) {Sleepy Night Records SNR003CD}
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© 1978, 2010 Sleepy Night Records | SNR003CD
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Trumpet

Don Ellis traveled to India to perform two concerts in Bombay (now Mumbai), India in Janurary of 1978 with a small group consisting of Emilie Diehl, vocals; Randy Kerber, keyboards; Leon Gaer, bass; and David on drums. The recent unearthing of a tape of those concerts, combined with David's production, restoration, editing and mastering work, along with the efforts of Ellis historian Ken Orton and Gary Gilles of Sleepy Night Records now allows those performances to finally be shared.

Don Ellis - Don Ellis & Wojciech Karolak Trio (1962) {Polish RJ Archives PRCD 1590 rel 2013}
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© 1962, 2013 Polskie Radio S.A. | PRCD 1590
Jazz / Post Bop / Trumpet / Jazz Piano Trio

The material presented here was recorded in 1962 during the 5th Jazz Jamboree and features American trumpeter Don Ellis, accompanied by a Polish rhythm section consisting of pianist Wojciech Karolak, bassist Roman Dylag and drummer Andrzej Dabrowski. All the six tracks were recorded live during the Festival, the last of which is an extended suite composed by Polish pianist / composer Andrzej Trzaskowski presented as part of a concert dedicated to the Third Stream (early Jazz-Classical Fusion initiated by American composer Gunther Schuller in the late 1950s). On that track the quartet is accompanied by the Polish National Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Of the five shorter Jazz pieces, two are original compositions by Ellis and the remaining three are standards.

Don Ellis - Music From Other Galaxies And Planets (1977) {Atlantic-Wounded Bird WOU 8227 rel 2006}
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© 1977, 2006 Atlantic / Wounded Bird Records | WOU 8227 / LP Atlantic SD 18227
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Experimental Big Band

Ellis recorded Music from Other Galaxies and Planets (1977) after returning from a hiatus caused by a severe heart condition. With this new ensemble – appropriately named “Survival” – Ellis covers very little new musical territory on the release, which has become maligned by many Ellis fans. However, according to Hank Levy, the album is the result of hasty decisions made by Ellis’s new label Atlantic Records.

Don Ellis - Haiku (1973) {2010 MPS Reissue 441132 CD}
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© 1973, 2010 MPS / Promising Music / Universal | 441132 CD
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Experimental Big Band / Trumpet

Don Ellis, the American composer and trumpeter, who died in his 40s in 1978, is mostly overlooked, though his great, fusion-anticipating 1967 Electric Bath album is still prized. This 1973 recording with a strings ensemble is very different from his adventurous work with mind-boggling time signatures in the 60s. But an Ellis venture is never without surprises. All the segments are inspired by haiku, and they reflect that form's brevity.

Milcho Leviev - Multiple Personalities: Milcho Leviev Plays The Music Of Don Ellis (2006) {Mighty Quinn MQP1109}
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© 2006 Mighty Quinn | MQP1109
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

Trumpeter Don Ellis (1934-1978) led one of the most memorable big bands of all time; actually several of them. During 1965-1975, his orchestras blazed their own unusual path, becoming famous for their utilization of ridiculously complex time signatures (seven/four and nine/four were commonplace for those musicians), a mixture of acoustic and electronic instruments, and a crazy sense of humor. Milcho Leviev's musical career in the United States began when he emigrated from Bulgaria in 1971 to join Don Ellis' band. Leviev found the unusual time signatures to be second nature and he was featured on "Bulgarian Bulge."

Don Ellis - Electric Heart (2014) [DVD] {Arthaus Music Expanded Edition}
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© 2014 Arthaus Music | 102 178
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Experimental Big Band / Documentary / Trumpet

“Don Ellis – Electric Heart” is the story of one of the most innovative musicians of the 20th Century. Ellis (1934–1978) fused together a mixture of Jazz-Classical-Rock and his own version of World Music long before anyone else had thought of doing it. He was the first to experiment with odd rhythms as well as introducing electronics into the world of Jazz. His life, times & music is explored with interviews from musical giants such as bandleader Maynard Ferguson, Pulitzer Winning composer Gunther Schuller as well as pianist Milcho Leviev. Rare footage of Ellis overwhelms the film as Ellis attempts to take Jazz to new heights and never look back. Strangely, his life story and musical genius has almost been completely forgotten. The unforgettable short life of one of the greatest musicians of all time is explored and a re-birth of the electrifying and magical sounds of Don Ellis is back for all to enjoy!

Tommy Vig - 1978 {2011 Essential Media Group Digitally Remastered} (featuring Don Ellis)
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© 1978, 2011 Dobre Records / Essential Media Group | 94231 41912
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibes / Trumpet

An internationally recognized child prodigy by the age of 6, Hungarian drummer/percussionist Tommy Vig grew to become one of the premier European jazz players. In the late 1950's he migrated to New York and became a much in demand percussionist, over the years performing with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Tony Curtis, the Miles Davis-Gil Evans big band, Woody Allen, Diana Ross, and The Carpenters, to name a few. Vig is also the percussionist on all the Rod Stewart albums. Presented here is Vig's classic 1978 recording simply titled "1978".