Trumpeter/composer/arranger/bandleader Don Ellis began his career playing with the likes of Glenn Miller, Charles Mingus, and George Russell in the 1950s. In the early `60s he formed his first groups, which explored novel avant-garde textures with such excellent players as Jaki Byard, Ron Carter, and Steve Swallow. At the same time, Ellis also showed a keen interest in Third Stream and Indian music, which he pursued with his Hindustani Jazz Sextet. But Ellis's true métier was the big band. With the Don Ellis Orchestra, formed in 1965, the leader created his most memorable works, all of which reflected his adventurous--experimenting with radical time signatures, unusual instrumentation, electronics, and non-jazz genre elements. Ellis is also famous for writing the theme to the film THE FRENCH CONNECTION. He died of heart complications in 1978.

Listen to Don Ellis at Finetune.

• (2005)  Live At Montreux
• (2004)  Don Ellis Live At Monterey
• (2004)  Live In 3 2/3/4 Time

• Freedom Jazz Dance (Live) (2000 Digital Remaster)
• Thetis (Live) (2000 Digital Remaster)
• Angel Eyes (Live) (2000 Digital Remaster)
• Bossa Neuva Nova (Live) (2000 Digital Remaster)
• Johnny One Note (Live) (2000 Digital Remaster)

• Maynard Ferguson
• Miles Davis
• Dizzy Gillespie
• Stan Kenton
• Lee Morgan
• Clifford Brown
• Tower of Power
• McCoy Tyner
• Spyro Gyra
• The Buddy Rich Big Band
• The Don Ellis Orchestra
• Jimmy Smith
• Earth, Wind & Fire
• Thelonious Monk
• GRP All-Star Big Band
• James Brown
• Woody Herman
• Louis Armstrong
• Sonny Rollins
• Charles Mingus

• paul_hudsontx
• eddielin11