Personnel:
Don Ellis (tp), Paul Bley (p), Gary Peacock (b), Gene Stone, Nick Martinis (d)
Reference: FSRCD 1662
Bar code: 8427328616621
Influenced by trumpeters as disparate as Rex Stewart, Miles Davis and Don Cherry, Don Ellis emerged as a leading figure when he was the international critics choice for new-star trumpeter in 1962.
Also noted for his writing ability and a member of the innovative George Russell Sextet, he led his own quartet at several New York City and Los Angeles clubs, and recorded for various labels. Essence, made in 1962 when he was importing new ideas from contemporary classical music into jazz, features the outstanding quartet he was leading at the Lighthouse in Californias Hermosa Beach, with the remarkably individual pianist Paul Bley aided by the moving, musical bass solos of Gary Peacock.
Even well-known pieces like Johnny Come Lately, Angel Eyes and Lover emerge fresh, rich and emotionally rewarding. In a 4-star review for Down Beat, Dick Hadlock wrote: Over and over throughout the 44 remarkable minutes of this recording the force of Ellis extraordinary musicianship makes itself felt. Indeed, at times his complete mastery of his horn almost seems to get in the way. But this is a brilliant young musician with original ideas to offer, and its difficult to take much offense at his occasional musical muscle-flexing.
"Don Ellis is best known for the big band which he led in the sixties and seventies and which was notable for its rich instrumentation, its use of unusual time signatures (from 5/4 to 32/8), and Ellis's virtuosic trumpet which could play quarter-tones. Essence was recorded in 1962, before the big band became famous, and it uses a simple quartet - except that Ostinato employs two drummers. The album is a mixture of jazz standards and four originals by Ellis.
Like Maynard Ferguson, Don Ellis was a high-note specialist, although he was interested in the notes between the notes, often bending notes to explore different tones. The Ellingtonian Johnny Come Lately has the trumpeter playing a great deal in the upper register. Ellis's composition Slow Space sounds very like a modern "serious" piece or even a totally improvised track.
Ostinato begins with the two drummers playing what might be African rhythms, while the trumpet and piano play fragmentary phrases, before pianist Paul Bley contributes a fairly comprehensible solo and Don adds a solo which stretches up to the stratosphere. This track includes sections in 7/8, 5/8 and 11/8. The drummers' rhythm holds this track together and makes it exciting. Donkey is an invention by Carla Bley (the pianist's wife at the time), stated by piano and bass, with disjointed interpolations from Don Ellis.
Form is another Don Ellis piece which sounds like free improvisation. In fact the most successful tracks on this album are the jazz standards, since the listener can hear what basis the musicians are improvising on, however far out they go. This is certainly true of Angel Eyes, where the melody is easily discerned. Irony is very different, being based (according to Don's sleeve-notes) on "five non-triadic sounds on which we improvised as if they were actual chords". Don't ask me.
The album ends with Rodgers & Hart's Lover, taken at a hectic pace. Don sets off plenty of fireworks in his solo, proving what a virtuoso he was. All four members of the quartet display their brilliance [...] it displays Don Ellis's talent before he became famous with his orchestra. For those of us who only know albums like Electric Bath, it is educative to hear him at this stage in his career, although his adventurous spirit makes some of his music difficult to unravel."
Tony Augarde -www.musicweb-international.com
March, 2013
_______________________________________________________________________________
"The rarest of all Don Ellis sessions, Essence matches the trumpeter with pianist Paul Bley, bassist Gary Peacock, and either Nick Martinis or Gene Stone on drums. Ellis, who sought during this period to transfer ideas and concepts from modern classical music into adventurous jazz, often experimented with time, tempos and the use of space while still swinging. His renditions of Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Come Lately," "Angel Eyes" and "Lover" are quite fresh, he contributes four interesting originals and introduces Carla Bley's "Wrong Key Donkey" (here simply called "Donkey"). This is thought-provoking music."
Scott Yanow -All Music Guide
