This summer, two Don Ellis Orchestra albums were released on CD.
Scott Harris, editor
In This Issue:
What's The Deal?
This Year's Big News: Two Major CD Releases
Don's Albums
Don Ellis at the Movies
Don Ellis Sheet Music
Other Don Ellis Projects
The Don Ellis Memorial Library
The Don Ellis Web Page
Other Don Ellis Projects
Other Don Ellis News
Don Ellis passed away twenty years ago today, after a four-year battle with a congenital heart failure. He was 44 years old. His music has meant so much to me in my life, both as a jazz lover and a professional musician, that I wanted to do something to commemorate the occasion. My first choice would have been to present a concert of Don's music. As that was not possible at this time, my second choice was to attempt to bring together the diverse community of Don Ellis fans around the world and bring everyone up to date on the various ways that Don's music is being kept alive.
Because of my involvement in the Don Ellis Web Page:
http://www.handofgord.com/donellis/
I often get letters from people who thought they were the only ones who remembered Don and his music and were happy to learn that there were others out there. There are lots of others out there. When I started to seriously undertake this newsletter project, I sent out postings to a few music newsgroups and listserv lists inviting people to request this emailed newsletter. In the first two days I received 150 responses! Gord McGonigal tells me that the Don Ellis Web Page gets about twenty visitors a day. This has been steady since 1994.
I plan this newsletter to be an ongoing, irregular event. I will send out future editions whenever there is Don Ellis news of interest. If you landed on my mailing list my mistake, please email me and I will be happy to remove you. scott@scottharris.com Please also email me if you would like to be added to the list. The newsletter will also be available at the Don Ellis Web Page.
Many people have contributed to this project. Thanks to the Ellis Family, Gord McGonigal, John Killoch, Nick Di Scala, John Vizzusi, Ben Brooks, Peter M. Bracke, Jim Bates, and many others.
This summer, two Don Ellis Orchestra albums were released on CD.
The first, The Don Ellis Orchestra Live at Monterey, was recorded at the Monterey Jazz festival in 1966 and released on the Pacific Jazz label. It was the very first album by the Don Ellis Orchestra. Blue Note records has recently started releasing the Pacific Jazz albums on CD. Don's second "orchestra" album, Live in 3 and 2/3 4 Time, (1967) was also originally released on the Pacific Jazz label, so there is the hope that Blue Note will be releasing it on CD also, although I have not heard any word on that.
The CD version of Live at Monterey includes the four cuts from the original LP version plus three previously unissued cuts (Crete Idea, 27/16, and Beat Me Daddy, Seven To The Bar). The CD sounds much better than the LP version, at least mine does (my LP is pretty ripped up). Everything has been digitally remastered.
The other big CD release this year was Electric Bath (1967). Since Sony bought CBS/Columbia Records they have been slowly releasing the old Columbia jazz catalog on CD. Since most of the Don Ellis Orchestra albums came out on the Columbia label, Sony is our best hope for seeing the Ellis albums we love finally available on CD.
GNP/Crescendo records released Electric Bath on CD a couple of years ago, and did a fine job, but this new Columbia/Legacy version is fantastic. It includes the five original cuts from the LP plus "single" versions of Turkish Bath and Indian Lady. It was fun to listen to the "new" cuts and hear new Don Ellis solos that I had never heard before. The recording is much cleaner than the original without the obnoxious echo that had been added to the entire album. It also comes with a 16-page booklet which includes the original liner notes by Digby Diehl, new liner notes by Ben Brooks, and lots of pictures.
Don Ellis small combo albums available on CD
Don Ellis (1960-62 compilation) Giants of Jazz CD 53262
Out Of Nowhere (1961 compilation) Candid CCD 79032
New Ideas (1961) New Jazz OJCCD-431-2
How Time Passes (1960) Candid CCD 9004
The Don Ellis Orchestra available on CD
The French Connection/French Connection II (soundtrack) (1971, 1975) Film Score Monthly Vol 4, No. 6
Autumn (1969) CBS France COL 472622 2 (not available)
Shock Treatment (1968) Koch Jazz KOC CD-8590
Electric Bath (1967) Columbia/Legacy CK 65522
Live in 3 and 2/3 4 Time (1967) Pacific Jazz 7243 5 23996 2 8
Live at Monterey (1966) Pacific Jazz CDP 7243 4 94768 2 0
Don Ellis Combo--long out-of-print on vinyl and not (yet?) available on CD:
Essence (1962) [Pacific Jazz 55]
The Don Ellis Orchestra--long out-of-print on vinyl and not (yet?) available on CD:
LIVE AT MONTREUX (1977) [Atlantic SD19178]
STAR WARS/MUSIC FROM OTHER GALAXIES AND PLANETS (1977) [Atlantic SD18227]
HAIKU (1973) [MPS MC25341]
SOARING (1973) [MPS MB25123]
CONNECTION (1972) [Col. C31766]
TEARS OF JOY (1971) [Col. CG30927]
DON ELLIS AT FILLMORE (1970) [Col. CG30243]
THE NEW DON ELLIS BAND GOES UNDERGROUND (1969) [Col. CS9889]
Of course, all of these LPs are out of print. Your best bet is to check out used record stores. There are also some used record services on the World Wide Web that might have good luck finding them.
Don also played on many other people's albums. See Don Ellis Web Page for details.
In 1995, the Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings released a 5 CD boxed set called Big Band Renaissance: the Evolution of the Jazz Orchestra. It includes the recording of Chain Reaction from the Connection album. It wasn't remixed and had the same audio flaws as the original, but it was great to hear on CD anyway. The entire set is terrific and certainly worth the money, as are all of the Smithsonian collections.
Don composed soundtracks for the following motion pictures:
The most notable being the French Connection Films.
As the big thing nowadays in home video is DVD (Digital Video Disk) I thought it would be great to see French Connection out on DVD. They usually do a major restoration job on both the video and the soundtrack, so this might breathe new live into Don Ellis' score. I wrote to Peter M. Bracke of DVDfile.com, who seems to know about these things, if there was any word about if Fox has plans to release The French Connection on DVD (Digital Video Disk). This was his reply:
" I also attended a recent DVD signing with William Friedkin, director of The French Connection. I did slip in a quick question about The French Connection 1 and 2, how they would make great SE DVDs, blah blah blah. Unfortunately, there is nothing going on at Fox in regards to these two, but Mr. Friedkin indicated he certainly is game (he said The Exorcist remaster and SE experience was great). So, let's hope Fox gets it together, but as of now, don't expect any sort of French Connection DVD of any kind for at least the first half of 1999."
All of published charts from the Don Ellis Orchestra are available for sale from the UNC Jazz Press at the University of Northern Colorado: Go here.
UNC Jazz Press also sells charts by Milcho Leviev and Sam Falzone,
The Don Ellis Memorial Library opened in 1981 at Eastfield College in Texas. Ellis donated all of his records, tapes, photos, manuscripts, music and many of his instruments to this Community College in the outskirts of Dallas. Due to changes at the College, they will be no longer able to house the library there. The Ellis family is currently looking for a new home for the library:
"The location of the Don Ellis Memorial Library is being reviewed. Request for Proposals (RFPs) have been sent to universities around the country that have expressed an interest in the collection. These responses are currently being reviewed."
By Gord McGonigal
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Back in the "good old days" of the internet -- around 1991, before the WWW -- the USENET newsgroup rec.music.bluenote was (and still is) the forum for jazz discussion. At that time, a few of the contributors were putting together discographies of artists that interested them. Since I was "a completist" collector of Don Ellis albums I thought I could do a decent job on a Don Ellis discography. I then realized that I had other info about Don that others might be interested in so it was expanded to become the main repository of Ellis' legacy on the internet.
Early on it was posted to rec.music.bluenote about once per year as the Don Ellis FAQ (frequently asked questions) sheet. In 1994 the file was moved to the WWW where it became permanently available. This exposure has led to contributions from others as the site continues to grow.
I think of it as a cooperative effort to keep Don's memory alive by those that appreciate his music. Don's music touched me deeply. This WWW page is a small thing I can do to give something back to him in return.
(note: as of 2002, the Don Ellis web site is now being maintained by Scott Harris)
By Nick Di Scala
San Francisco, California, USA
Hello from this first edition of the Don Ellis Newsletter! A few of you out there in cyberland may be familiar with my name through Gordon McGonigalsı web site and/or a couple online message boards.
I work with Donıs estate in a couple capacities. For a few years now I have been trying to launch a recording project that focuses on material that Don did not record. I also prepare and edit scores for publication through UNC Jazz Press. Additionally, at times I act in an advisory capacity to the estate on non-legal matters. Scott Harris asked me to provide an update of these endeavors for this newsletter.
At this point, the recording project is on the back burner due to lack of funding. I am in contact with Clint Eastwoodıs label and they have expressed interest in the idea, but so far no answer either way. A couple years ago, I tried a less ambitious approach and tried to make the first recording some octets that Don wrote/arranged (5 horns, 3 rhythm). Nonetheless, this smaller version still had financial barriers. To get "A" list players to rehearse Donıs material to the point where it would be ready for recording without any reimbursement is asking a lot. We made a demo of some big band material some years back. Tom Scott, Milcho, Glenn Stuart, and others from the band have heard the tape and have all expressed interest in being a part of any new recording(s).
In an effort to generate some income for the project and the estate, I proposed the idea of publishing some of Donıs more popular charts. UNC Jazz Press will be making these available along with the other selections of Donıs they already publish. These would be ones that, even though available through the library at Eastfield, had never been officially prepared and published. The goal is to create a series (we have a wish list of about twenty charts) of published versions of the tunes most often requested from the library. They will be prepared from the original score and parts the band played from. From there I cross reference with as many recordings of the piece as available from Donıs private recording collection. Finally, all the information will be generated using Finale software. The scores will all be full scores not condensed versions as is the norm for jazz publications. Each chart will bear the official stamp of "A Don Ellis Critical Edition." The first chart to be published will be "Strawberry Soup."
The reason for doing the publications in this manner is to create an impression of importance, legitimacy and historical significance. All in the hopes that someone, somewhere down the line with clout will start pushing the name of Don Ellis out there and get him the recognition he deserves.
I learned my lesson about backing-up files the hard way when I lost the score just when it was almost finished. So I had to go back and do it all over again. This chart, in particular, posed some time intensive problems for entering things on the computer. Things that are easy to write by hand but make the software want to put up a serious fight. Still, as of this writing, the score is almost finished. Then it's on to the parts. The scores will have the look of the Petrucci font and the parts will use the Jazz Font (check out his web site) from Rich Siglar for that hand written look that seems more appropriate for this type of thing.
That's all for now. If anyone out there wants to contact me with any matter Ellis-ian (especially leads to financial resources) I'd love to hear from you. I can be reached via the following information:
Nick Di Scala
1309 26th Ave., #1
San Francisco, CA 94122 USA
(415) 566-0480
ndiscala@cwnet.com
Ta-ki-ta, ta-ka, ta-ka, ta-ki-ta, TA!
John Vizzusi, an independent filmmaker in Florida has been working on plans to make a Feature length Documentary (120 min) with the title: "Electric Heart" The Don Ellis Story. He has a film treatment and proposal and is shopping it around to studios, production companies and private individuals to secure funding to continue the project. I have read his material and it sounds very exciting. He plans to use lots of actual footage of Don's concerts from many different sources as well as interviews with the band members and others. It seems to me that the best way to introduce a new generation to the incredible excitement generated at a Don Ellis concert is to get that video out there for people to see and hear.
You can learn more about John's project at the Central State Productions web site:
http://www.angelfire.com/fl/filmit/
Central State Productions
Errol Estates
1409 Oak Place Suite K
Apopka, Florida 32712
(407) 889-8998 voice/fax
Email: filmit@angelfire.com
The California Institute for the Preservation of Jazz, featured Don's music in an hour concert, played by the Cal State Long Beach Jazz Ensemble. It was billed as a weekend of jazz "A Big Band Celebration of the great Jazz arrangers" on the Queen Mary in October.
John R. Killoch of West Midlands, England, has written a very interesting article about Don Ellis called
"DON ELLIS...'TIME' FOR THE FINAL ANALYSIS"
You can read it on his web site at http://www.btinternet.com/~j.r.killoch/ellis.htm
Email me at scott@scottharris.com
Return to the Don Ellis Newsletter home page.