Soaring (Remastered) Don Ellis
- 1 Whiplash 04:30
- 2 Sladka Pitka 06:46
- 3 The Devil Made Me Write This Piece 05:58
- 4 Go Back Home 03:19
- 5 Invincible 06:46
- 6 Image Of Maria 03:06
- 7 Sidonie 06:44
- 8 Nicole 05:33
Info for Soaring (Remastered)
Classical, Avant-garde, East Indian and Balkan metric concepts, big band jazz – Don Ellis brought it all together with his own orchestra; as early as the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival, Ellis and band were putting the public’s expectations to the test. Over the years Ellis expanded and refined the band’s fantastic expressive abilities by, for instance, the integration of a string quartet into the group, or inviting the Bulgarian pianist Milcho Leviev as special guest. In 1973, trumpeter Ellis and orchestra recorded two albums for MPS. This first album is titled Soaring; the scintillating music created by 22 musicians, including a 12-piece horn section, three percussionists, and a string quartet provides a shimmering, translucent texture captured in a Hollywood studio at the zenith of the band’s abilities. On the first composition, Whiplash, Ellis demonstrates how his band could accommodate funk to 7-beat time signature. Sladka Pitka is a showcase for insanely complex time signatures, and when it comes to The Devil Made Me Write This Piece with its layering of samba, legato strings, and chromatic lines, the devil is indeed in the details. With Go Back Home, tenor saxophonist Sam Falzone gifted the band with an instrumental hit, and Invincible is characterized by dramatic, lyrical paintings in sound. Ellis allows for some tender moments on Images Of Maria and Nicole, whereas Czech composer Aleksej Fried’s Sidonie celebrates an exuberant festival of uneven rhythms. No question – on Soaring, Don Ellis gave the concept of big band jazz a completely new meaning.
„The last album by Don Ellis' big band before the trumpeter suffered a heart attack that would ultimately cut short both his career and his life, this underrated set finds Ellis' orchestra consisting of seven brass (including tuba), four strong woodwind players, a string quartet, and an enlarged six-piece rhythm section that includes guitarist Jay Graydon and keyboardist Milcho Leviev. A special highlight is "Invincible" which is an outstanding feature for altoist Vince Denham; whatever happened to him? Ellis composed four of the eight originals including one titled "The Devil Made Me Write This Piece!" This out-of-print Lp is well worth searching for.“ (Scott Yanow, AMG)
Don Ellis, trumpet, flugelhorn, drums, arranger
Fred Selden, alto saxophone, flute, soprano saxophone, piccolo, alto flute
Vince Denham, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, piccolo
Sam Falzone, tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute, arranger
Gary Herbig, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe
Jack Caudill, trumpet, flugelhorn
Bruce Mackay, trumpet, flugelhorn
Gil Rathel, trumpet, flugelhorn
Sidney Muldrow, French horn
Mike Jamieson, trombone
Ken Sawhill, bass trombone
Doug Bixby, tuba
Jay Graydon, guitar, bag
Milcho Leviev, piano, electric piano, organ, clavinet, arranger
Dave McDaniel, bass
Ralph Humphrey, drums
Ron Dunn, drums, percussion
Lee Pastora, congas
Earle Corry, electric violin
Joel Quivey, electric violin
Renita Koven, electric viola
Pat Kudzia, electric cello
Produced by Don Ellis
Digitally remastered
No biography found.
This album contains no booklet.