Don Ellis Updates

Updated July 2020

My earliest online project was the Don Ellis Web Archive, which I began in about 2000 or 2001, and last updated in about 2011. Don Ellis's music captured my imagination for many years, and while there's still a great deal to love about his music, I've been overtaken by other musical interests. But that hasn't stopped me from the occasional Google, JSTOR, and newspapers.com search for more information. And on the 40th anniversary of Don's passing, I thought it was fitting to make a post about him.




Don Ellis' first album as a leader was 1960's "...How Time Passes..." with Charlie Persip, Jaki Byard and Ron Carter. But he actually recorded one prior to this, for the record label Enrica. There was an entry for this on Gord McGonigal's Don Ellis Info Sheet as far back as 2001, and more information was found on the UCLA Don Ellis Collection holdings page (scroll down to "Enrica Date").

The album is listed in Lord's Discography [E2449-16]:

The Note: is lifted directly from my Don Ellis Sessionography:

I had to reformat this a bit so it wouldn't break Blogger. I wrote these words in 2005, and would have chosen them a bit more carefully if I had known that I was contributing to a major jazz discography.

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I wanted to share some corroboration that I recently came across. In the 22 February 1960 edition of The Billboard (p. 26), we find that "Teddy McRae of Enrica and Rae-Cox Records, has signed trumpet player Don Ellis for an Enrica album":




So while the recording itself is still in hibernation, here at least is independent verification that Ellis was known by the music industry press to have signed a contract with Enrica. The Discogs page shows Enrica LP's 2001 and 2002, and a number of singles. Of course it would be cool to hear the record after all these years, but the backstory would be interesting to know as well.

Bonus: I just found this concert by the Hindustani Jazz Sextet. I had an entry for this show years ago, but didn't know anything about it. It was recorded March 24 1966, just 6 months before the Don Ellis Orchestra's break-out performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Steve Bohannon, probably my favorite member of the early Ellis groups, can be heard in great form.

https://californiarevealed.org/islandora/object/cavpp%3A22016

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