Record Reviews

DON ELLIS ~ AT FILLMORE WOUNDED BIRD 3024 (Barcode: 664140302426) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1970 Released: 2005 For just about a decade (the Golden Decade as a matter of fact 1965-1975) trumpeter Don Ellis led one of the most sensational jazz Big Bands in history. A visionary musician, composer, arranger and bandleader, Ellis took the Big Band vehicle places it never went before and probably was never intended to go beforehand. His Big Band was unusual in every respect, as it included an extended brass section, rhythm section with two or even three drummers and bass players, a string section and a score of electronic devices like the ring modulator. The sound of the band in full swing was overwhelming and breathtaking, especially when it performed some of the more wacky music with strange time signatures like 5/4 or 15/16. Ellis was open to musical influences from all over the globe and when the brilliant Bulgarian pianist Milcho Leviev joined the band soon after arriving in the US, the Balkan rhythmic patters soon became also part of the regular repertoire. Ellis suffered a heart attack in the mid 1970s and died untimely in 1978, a great loss to the world of jazz and music in general. This album presents the Don Ellis Big Band at its peak, recorded in 1970 at the Fillmore West. A superb set of compositions and arrangements suit the abilities of the players perfectly and this music is so powerful and sophisticated that no serious jazz lover should ever consider ignoring it. A few words about the Fillmore: Fillmore’s (East and West) owner Bill Graham was a man of great musical taste and open mind. He booked some of the most popular acts of the time as well as some of the most obscure ones and what’s even more important he disregarded genres completely, giving Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix the same amount of respect and hospitality. We should cherish his memory for organizing so many of the momentous and historically important concerts at his venues, many of which turned out to be recorded for posterity.

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DON ELLIS ~ AUTUMN WOUNDED BIRD 9721 (Barcode: 664140972124) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1968 Released: 2007 Brilliant American trumpeter / composer / arranger / bandleader Don EllisFind albums by this artist led a superb Big Band, which was one of the most outstanding Jazz ensembles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Eons ahead of its time, Ellis´ fascination with uneven meters and World Music influences made his music truly revolutionary and fresh and the music lost nothing of its relevance over the years. He also had a rare talent to pick up the best musicians for his band, mostly forward-thinking individuals, ideally suited for his unusual approach to music and brilliant instrumentalists. Some of the musicians playing on this album are saxophonists Frank StrozierFind albums by this artist and John KlemmerFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Glen FerrisFind albums by this artist and many more outstanding musicians. The brilliant music was all composed by Ellis, except one Charlie ParkerFind albums by this artist standard. At its full might the orchestra sounds like nothing else before or since, with every instrument perfectly fulfilling its role. Two of the six tracks were recorded live and show the orchestra as one of the most exciting live acts at the time. It´s fascinating to read the album´s liner notes written by Al KooperFind albums by this artist, who was ColumbiaFind albums on this label´s A&R manager at the time, describing the Don Ellis experience at the time. This is an absolute must to and Big Band fan, but all music connoisseurs should find this music fascinating.

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DON ELLIS ~ CONNECTION WOUNDED BIRD 1766 (Barcode: 664140176621) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2005 This album is quite different from the extraordinary Don Ellis Big Band live albums. Recorded in studio it enables (and produced by no other than the legendary Teo Macero of Miles Davis fame) Ellis to emphasize the more intricate arranging tricks (his own and some guest arrangers like Dick Halligan – ex-BS&T), which are virtually impossible to perform live. The album includes eleven shorter tunes, mostly Ellis unusual (and often humorous) treatment of jazz, pop and even Prog songs (Roundabout by Yes and Conquistador by Procol Harum). Exploiting the exceptional skills of his band members, which include the brilliant pianist Milcho Leviev, Ellis creates a charming collection of tunes, which lost nothing of its originality and interest over the years and remains a classic Big Band album. The album also includes the theme Ellis wrote for the classic thriller “The French Connection”, which gave the album its title.

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DON ELLIS ~ HAIKU PROMISING MUSIC 44113 (Barcode: 602527326337) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1973 Released: 2010 The trumpeter / composer / bandleader Don EllisFind albums by this artist was probably the most "progressive" and open-minded American Jazz musician of his time. He experimented with odd meters, World Music / Folklore themes and hired European musicians as members of his ensembles and Big Band. His contacts with Europe were excellent and his friendship with legendary producer Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist and the German MPSFind albums on this label label led to the release of two of his albums on MPS, when his US label ColumbiaFind albums on this label refused to record his novel ideas. These were sadly among his latest recordings prior to his untimely death just a few years later. This album was a second of the two MPS recordings and contains a beautiful suite for trumpet, Jazz group and orchestra, with ten themes based on ten short Japanese Haiku poems. Ellis plays wonderfully on this album, as do his colleagues: Bulgarian keyboardist Milcho LevievFind albums by this artist, legendary bassist Ray BrownFind albums by this artist, drummer John GuerinFind albums by this artist and guitarists Larry CarltonFind albums by this artist, David CohenFind albums by this artist and Tommy TedescoFind albums by this artist. The music is also wonderful, mostly melodic and gentle, but with the great orchestral arrangements and trumpet solos on top the overall effect is truly gorgeous. In many respects this is "the other side" of Ellis, compared to his highly energetic Big Band albums on Columbia. Brilliant stuff!

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DON ELLIS ~ PIECES OF EIGHT WOUNDED BIRD 6000 (Barcode: 664140600027) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1967 Released: 2006 Sensational reissue of a live recording by the Don Ellis Octet, which was available earlier only partially and is now restored to its full glory with almost an hour of previously unheard music. The album was recorded while Ellis thought a jazz course at the UCLA and features an ad hoc band assembled by him for this one time performance. However, in spite of the haphazard circumstances, the octet performs some first class music, composed mostly by Ellis (with a couple of standards and two tunes by saxophonist Tom Scott being the only exceptions). This is an extraordinary opportunity to hear the brilliant trumpet work by Ellis, which was much subdued when he led his famous Big Band. All band members play some great solos here and the ensemble performance is truly exceptional, which considering the circumstances, proves the incredible professionally of these players. Don’s fascination with world music is already evident here, although in subtle undertones. A beautiful jazz album, full of energy and joy and very highly recommended to all jazz buffs!

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DON ELLIS ~ SIX CLASSIC ALBUMS REAL GONE JAZZ 544 (Barcode: 5036408192325) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1960 - 1962 Released: 2017 This is a reissue of the early recordings by the legendary American trumpeter / composer / arranger / bandleader Don EllisFind albums by this artist. Ellis was one of the most forward-thinking American Jazz musicians and also one of the most aesthetically "European" of them all, which was the reason why he was more popular and appreciated in Europe than back home. His work as a leader of Big Bands / Orchestras in the late 1960s was absolutely ground shattering and his openness to World Music was light years ahead of its time. This collection includes the first three albums as a leader by Don Ellis: "How Time PassesFind albums with this title" from 1960, "New IdeasFind albums with this title" from 1961 and "EssenceFind albums with this title" from 1962. These are intimate quartet / quintet recordings with such excellent players as pianists Jaki ByardFind albums by this artist and Paul BleyFind albums by this artist, bassists Ron CarterFind albums by this artist and Gary PeacockFind albums by this artist and many others. The music, although still based in the Bebop tradition, moves towards early forms of Free Form and non-conventional harmony and rhythmic patterns. The other three albums present Ellis as a member of the small ensembles led by American pianist / composer / arranger / music theorist George RussellFind albums by this artist, another highly influential figure as far as modern American Jazz is concerned and also a non-conformist and innovator. This set collects recordings made between 1961 and 1962, which present Russell playing with small orchestral ensembles and small combos, introducing elements of his Lydian Chromatic Concept and later Modal Jazz. These are "George Russell Sextet In K.C.Find albums with this title" from 1961, "The Stratus SeekersFind albums with this title" from 1962 and "The Outer ViewFind albums with this title" from 1962. These three albums can be also found as part of the George Russell collection "Seven Classic AlbumsFind albums with this title", but considering the really inexpensive price of these releases, the duplication can be ignored. Overall this is a fascinating collection of great Jazz music performed by some of the best players at the time, and which has additionally also an enormous historical value. I can’t imagine any true Jazz fan missing this set! Side Note The Real Gone JazzFind albums on this label label releases hundreds of album collections, which include usually between three to eight original albums in a two to four CDs sets. Most of these albums were recorded and released in the 1950s and early 1960s. These collections provide the track lists and lineups of the original albums, but no recording information, liner notes and any background information whatsoever. The label takes advantage of the copyright law in UK, which limited the length of the copyright protection of recorded works to 50 years, after which recorded works become public domain. In 2013 UK implemented a correction of the copyright law extending the protection of recorded works to 70 years (like the rest of Europe), but the correction does not apply retroactively, which means that recordings which entered the 50 years rule prior to January 1, 2013 (i.e. recorded before January 1, 1963) remain public domain. There are two great advantages to these releases: they are really inexpensive and they bring back to life many albums not reissued previously on CD, which means it would cost a collector an arm and a leg to get a copy of them. Many of these albums are absolute gems and essential pieces of Jazz history. The disadvantages are: the lack of proper information, original cover art, combining tracks of several original albums on one CD and the sound quality, which depends on where the label gets the source material. From my experience most of the releases have quite excellent sound quality but I have not listened to all of them and some people have complained about it.

Updated: 27/05/2018Posted: 05/05/2018

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DON ELLIS ~ SOARING MPS 4029759119777 (Barcode: 4029759119777) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1973 Released: 2017 This is a reissue of the first of two albums for the MPSFind albums on this label label by American trumpeter / composer / bandleader Don EllisFind albums by this artist, recorded with a twenty-two musicians lineup, which was somewhere between a Big Band and an Orchestra, including a string quartet. The Bulgarian keyboards wizard Milcho LevievFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Sam FalzoneFind albums by this artist and drummer Ralph HumphreyFind albums by this artist are among the better known names among the Orchestra members. The album presents eight compositions, four of which are by Ellis, one each by Leviev and Falzone, another one by the great Czech composer Alexej FriedFind albums by this artist and finally the first recording of the now famous "Whiplash" by Hank LevyFind albums by this artist, who composed many of his innovative works especially for Ellis´ bands. The music is absolutely stunning and completely different form the American Big Band tradition, which often leads to calling Ellis the most European of all American musicians / composers. His aesthetic approach to Jazz and to the Big Band / Orchestra idiom was ground-breaking and daring, and included a wide use of odd meters, World Music elements, non-conventional arrangements and many elements which are still fascinating today. In retrospect it was probably the reason why his success in the US was rather limited. The band was one of the top Big Bands at the time, consisting of exceptional, mostly young players, with total dedication to the music and their leader, which produced a unique sound and feel like no other Big Band in the history of Jazz. This is definitely a milestone recording, which should be a part of every decent Jazz collection, especially as far as connoisseurs of Big Band / Orchestral Jazz are concerned. As usual for MPS standards, the sound quality is truly sublime, with every instrument in the band clearly audible, in spite of the difficulties in recording a highly dynamic music. This is of course timeless music, which lost absolutely nothing of its vitality and aesthetic value over time. Essential listening! Side Note The legendary German MPSFind albums on this label (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label, founded by Hans Georg Brunner-SchwerFind albums by this artist (HGBS) in 1963, first as SABAFind albums on this label Records and later on from 1968 as MPS Records, was the most important independent European record label, which had an enormous contribution to the development of European Jazz. For many years MPS cooperated with the legendary German producer / author Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, my Friend and Mentor, whose visionary approach and open-mindedness brought the crème de la crème of the Jazz (in the broadest meaning of the word) musicians from all over the world to the label. Between 1963 and 1983 MPS produced about five hundred albums, many of which are among the most important Jazz recordings on this planet. In 1983 the MPS catalog was sold to UniversalFind albums on this label, which sadly resulted in all those artistic treasures to almost disappear from the face of the earth – a situation not only tragic but culturally criminal. Universal reissued a part of the MPS albums (probably 128 titles) on CD between 1999 and 2011 under the "Most Perfect Sound Edition" moniker. Since 2008 the German Promising MusicFind albums on this label label released some of the MPS recordings, but at a very slow pace. In 2014 the German company Edel AG bought the MPS catalogue from Universal and released a series of 25 MPS albums on CD with a new slipcase graphic design, which brought all those excellent albums back to life. In 2015 Edel AG started to record and release new albums under the MPS moniker. In 2016 Edel AG released a series of 10 classic MPS albums on CD, which were beautifully remastered and re-packaged, presenting the original artwork and liner notes, as well as new liner notes and photographs. An obvious labor of love, these reissues are what the MPS catalogue truly deserves. This project was continued in 2017 with another series of 10 classic MPS albums released on CD. In later years some new reissues were released sporadically. Over the years many SABA / MPS albums were reissued in Japan, which is often the only available source for these albums today, but that is a story in itself.

Updated: 28/05/2018Posted: 25/02/2018

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DON ELLIS ~ TEARS OF JOY WOUNDED BIRD 0927 (Barcode: 664140092723) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1971 Released: 2005 Another live recording of the superb Don Ellis Big Band, just a year after the momentous Fillmore show. The band went through some important changes in that year, with the Bulgarian pianist Milcho Leviev joining the ranks of the players and the addition of the string quartet to the band’s permanent personnel. Ellis wrote himself most of the material for this album, with arrangements done by some of the band members. The unusual rhythmic patterns are strongly present here with Leviev introducing the mesmerizing Balkan timing. This is Big Band music at its best: fresh, challenging and always full of surprising and often humorous moments. This stuff is beyond recommendations, just grab it and let the tears of joy fill your eyes!

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DON ELLIS / WOJCIECH KAROLAK TRIO ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.02 POLSKIE RADIO 1590 (Barcode: 5907812245900) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1962 Released: 2013 This is the second installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The material presented here was recorded in 1962 during the 5th Jazz Jamboree and features American trumpeter Don EllisFind albums by this artist, accompanied by a Polish rhythm section consisting of pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, bassist Roman DylagFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej DabrowskiFind albums by this artist. All the six tracks were recorded live during the Festival, the last of which is an extended suite composed by Polish pianist / composer Andrzej TrzaskowskiFind albums by this artist presented as part of a concert dedicated to the Third Stream (early Jazz-Classical Fusion initiated by American composer Gunther SchullerFind albums by this artist 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. Ellis was the second US musician who opted to play with a local rhythm section, following Stan GetzFind albums by this artist who did so two years earlier (as captured on the first volume of this series). Although he was just 28 years old at the time, he already had a lot of experience and quite a reputation as a result of playing with many top American Jazz acts in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His Polish partners: Karolak (aged 23), Dylag (aged 24) and Dabrowski (aged 24) sound like veterans, obviously ready and able for the occasion. Ellis was the ideal choice as a performer of the orchestral piece by Trzaskowski, as he was one of the musicians / composers involved in this genre from its early stage. There is a clear division between the first part of this album, which includes the five Jazz pieces and the orchestral suite, which is quite Avant-Garde and geared more towards Classical music listeners. Both parts are excellent, each presenting different merits of course. The fact that Trzaskowski composed the orchestral suite at that time is quite astonishing, considering the limited information about contemporary musical trends and developments that managed to cross over from behind the iron curtain. Obviously he was a man of great vision beyond his obvious talents as a player and composer. The wonderful ambience of the hall and the remastered sound quality are spectacular, worm and natural, leaving many contemporary recordings way behind, even though they were done 51 years ago using quite primitive equipment. The only note of criticism about this new edition is the lack of a proper booklet with proper liner notes, photographs and other well deserved details, which this monumental music truly deserves. Polish Radio really should have made an effort there. A pity! In retrospect this is a great document of the era and an integral part of the Polish Jazz saga, which deserves to be told and studied. The presence of the orchestral suite makes this an absolute must for collectors of Polish Jazz albums and Third Stream followers.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.03 POLSKIE RADIO 1599 (Barcode: 5907812245993) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1962 Released: 2013 This is the third installment in the new series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venue, the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The material collected here presents recordings made during the 5th Jazz Jamboree, which took place between October 27 and 29, 1962 in Warsaw. The artists include two Scandinavian Jazz ensembles: Swedish trombonist Eje ThelinFind albums by this artist and his quintet and the Jazz FraktionenFind albums by this artist quintet featuring the Danish saxophonist John TchicaiFind albums by this artist. One track features the American trumpeter Don EllisFind albums by this artist accompanied by a Polish trio led by pianist Wojciech KarolakFind albums by this artist, which was already presented on volume 2 of this series, offering here an alternate take. Another track presents the quintet led by Polish vibraphonist Jerzy MilianFind albums by this artist, which features the legendary Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist on piano. The last track presents the Danish vibraphonist Louis HjulmandFind albums by this artist also accompanied by pianist Wojciech Karolak and his trio. At the time Poland kept a relatively open relation with the Scandinavian countries, as opposed to the Western Europe, which explains the presence of several Scandinavian players at the festival. Also some Polish Jazz managed to play in Scandinavia at that time, including Komeda. Except for Ellis, who plays an original composition, all the other ensembles play Jazz standards, mostly Bebop, which was the model for most modern European Jazz musicians at the time, leading to the development of a new style, which would crystallize over the next few years. The performances are all excellent and their invaluable historical significance is beyond reproach. Beautifully restored sound quality and a warm ambience of the live analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its meaning to the development of Polish Jazz in particular and Polish Culture in general. Nevertheless this is an essential piece of history which every Polish Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

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