Don Ellis - Soaring (1973/2017) [Official Digital Download 24-bit/192kHz]

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.

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.

Tracklist:

01 - Whiplash
02 - Sladka Pitka
03 - The Devil Made Me Write This Piece
04 - Go Back Home
05 - Invincible
06 - Image Of Maria
07 - Sidonie
08 - Nicole


Produced & Arranged by Don Ellis.
Engineered by Hugh Davis. Recorded in 1973, in Hollywood, CA.
Remastered by MPS from the Original "Matrizier" tapes.



Thanks to the Original customer!