New Ideas - Don Ellis

 

Imitation

New Ideas 

Don Ellis

Supervision: Esmond Edwards

Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder

Prestige 7607

Distributed by Fantasy Records

Formerly catalogued as Prestige / New Jazz 8257

1972

Don Ellis - Trumpet, piano (on Tragedy)

Despair To Hope

Uh-Huh

Four And Three

Imitation

Solo

Cock And Bull

Tragedy

From the back cover: "Young trumpeter Don Ellis... is an ultra-modernist who could develop into the most important brass soloist since Davis came on the jazz scene." claimed the April 5, 1961 issue of Variety. John S. Wilson in his review of the Don Ellis Trio (at the Village Vanguard) in the March 30, 1961 New York Times said: "It is quite evident... that Mr. Ellis has the background, the point of view and the necessary talent to become an important and influential force in jazz."

In 1968 Din Ekes leads what many listeners consider to be the most exciting big band to appear on the American musical horizon in a very long time. Its unusual instrumentation, electronic sounds and adventures in time mark the Don Ellis Orchestra as the big band of the Sixties.

Between Wilson's words and the advent of his orchestra, Eillis was actively involved in furthering the horizons of American music. In 1962 he led his own quartet at Wells' in Harlem. During 1961-62, he was also a maker of George Russell's sextet. In 1963 he formed the improvisational Workshop Orchestra, and also appeared as soloist with theNew York Philharmonic in Larry Austin's Improvisations conducted by Leonard Bernstein. In 1964 Ellis played in Gunther Schuller's Journey Into Jazz, and himself then journeyed to California where he spout together the Hindustani Jazz Sextet with Hair Har Rao. The founding of his 23-piece band followed in the same year.

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1934, Don attended grade school in Southern California, High School in Minnesota and College in Boston and holds a degree in composition from Boston University.After graduating in 1956 he served in the US Army in Germany playing lead trumpet and jazz with the Jazz II and Jazz III Orchestras which featured such musicians as Leo Wright, Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton and Lanny Morgan. Returning to the United States in 1958 he played briefly with the bands of Charlie Barnet, Claude Thornhill, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson and Lionel Hampton before striking out on his own. He has recorded with Maynard Ferguson, Charlie Mingus and George Russell in addition to his own LPs. 

At the time of this recording, Mr. Ellis requested that he write the notes and explain his music in his own words.

–––

This album is a debut for Al Francis, a vibraharpist whom I consider to be the most original of all the new voices on this instrument. I first met Al in Boston just after I had returned to civilian life in 1958. He was playing drums and vines with the Jake Byard trio, quarts (with Charlie Mariano), and 16 piece band (with which I played). In the spring of 1960 he moved to New York and he and I had an experimental trio (L'Avant Trios) which was featured in several Greenwich Village coffee shops. In fact, Cock and Bull is named for the place where we started. He played vies and drums with the trio but has since given up the drums to concentrate fully on the vives. Al was born in Niagara Falls, New York in 1938 and started piano lessons at the age of six, switching to drums at thirteen. He subsequently studied drums and xylophone for four years with John Rowland of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Moving to Boston to attend the Boston University Music School he continued his mallet studies with Charlie Smith of theBoston Symphony Orchestra until moving to New York.

Jaki Byard has been my personal friend, teacher, inspiration and colleague since I first met him while I was attending the Boston University College of Music. It was he who first opened my eyes to the vast unexplored areas of jazz improvisation and writing which are only now beginning to be tapped. Jake had his own school in Boston and some very interesting experimentation was going on there. He showed his students way of practicing chords and chord sequences which opened up the chords and enabled the students to free themselves from the patterns and cliches which are the normal way of running the chords for most jazzmen. Jake led his students into their own creative resources – the mark of a truly great teacher. Jake Byard is probably the most underrated musical in the country today. He has a complete command of the keyboard and all styles of jazz from "way back" up to and away past the present. He is a loving history of jazz in one person.

It was Charlie Persip, who first called my attention to the work of Ron Carter, a thoroughly schooled musician, both in jazz and  classical music. Ron, who is working on his Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School Of Music. has the mind, ability and conception to play the extremely demanding music I have written.

Charlie Persip has the ability to readily adapt himself to almost any given musical situation.He can read themes difficult passages at sight, adjust to new ideas, and above all keep everything swinging naturally, no matter how complex.

Natural H.

Despair To Hope

Uh-Huh

Four And Three

Imitation

Solo

Cock And Bull

Tragedy