Don Ellis

Don Ellis生于1934年7月25號，因為母親是鋼琴家，所以很早被發(fā)現(xiàn)了他的音樂天分，于是鼓勵他學(xué)習(xí)鋼琴。五歲時便可以快速精準的將曲子移調(diào)。不過他自己卻對鋼琴興趣缺缺，反倒是對小喇叭情有獨鐘。他高中時，已經(jīng)有自己率領(lǐng)的dance band，而也因此接觸到爵士樂。在56年畢業(yè)后，馬上就開始的爵士樂手的演奏生涯。 Don Ellis的初期很辛苦（雖然之后也還是很辛苦），根據(jù)他父親的回憶，他一開始什都沒有，只有一只牙刷，一把剪刀，和一支小喇叭。好不容易有家音樂公司賞識他，想要幫他出唱片。不過進了幾次錄音間后，那家公司竟然破產(chǎn)倒閉了。好在不久之后，便在Nat Hentoff的廠牌Candid之下，他終于首次掛頭牌錄制了『How Time Passes』和『Out of Nowhere』。 1963年與印度西塔琴手Hari Har Rao的「奇遇」對他未來的音樂發(fā)展有莫大影響。雖然Don Ellis之前已創(chuàng)作過19/4拍的曲子，但是接觸了節(jié)奏使用復(fù)雜精致印度的古老音樂，他才知道自己對節(jié)拍和節(jié)奏的了解有多無知。于是他便決定暫時退出紐約的爵士圈，而進入UCLA跟隨修Hari Har修習(xí)碩士學(xué)位。 到65為止，Don Ellis除了學(xué)習(xí)演奏復(fù)雜節(jié)拍的基礎(chǔ)技巧，像是polyrhythms和superimpositions等等。更重要的是，他也接觸到許多如印度、土耳其和東歐等非西方傳統(tǒng)的音樂。
by Scott Yanow
A talented trumpeter with a vivid musical imagination and the willingness to try new things, Don Ellis led some of the most colorful big bands of the 1965-75 period. After graduating from Boston Unversity, Ellis played in the big bands of Ray McKinley, Charlie Barnet and Maynard Ferguson (he was featured with the latter on Three More Foxes), recorded with Charles Mingus and played with George Russells sextet (at the same time as Eric Dolphy). Ellis led four quartet and trio sessions during 1960-62 for Candid, New Jazz and Pacific Jazz, mixing together bop, free jazz and his interest in modern classical music. However it was in 1965 when he put together his first orchestra that he really started to make an impression in jazz. Elliss big bands were distinguished by their unusual instrumentation (which in its early days had up to three bassists and three drummers including Ellis himself), the leaders desire to investigate unusual time changes (including 7/8, 9/8 and even 15/16), its occasionally wacky humor (highlighted by an excess of false endings) and an openness towards using rock rhythms and (in later years) electronics. Ellis invented the four-valve trumpet and utilized a ring modulator and all types of wild electronic devices by the late 60s. By 1971 his band consisted of an eight-piece brass section (including French horn and tuba), a four-piece woodwind section, a string quartet and a two-drum rhythm section. A later unrecorded edition even added a vocal quartet.
Among Don Elliss sidemen were Glenn Ferris, Tom Scott, John Klemmer, Sam Falzone, Frank Strozier, Dave MacKay and the brilliant pianist (straight from Bulgaria) Milcho Leviev. The orchestras most memorable recordings were Autumn, Live at the Fillmore and Tears of Joy (all for Columbia). After suffering a mid-70s heart attack, Ellis returned to live performing, playing the superbone and a later edition of his big band featured Art Pepper. Elliss last recording was at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Fesival, a year before his heart finally gave out.