Tears Of Joy / Connection

I have been a big fan of Don Ellis' Big Bands since first hearing one of his earliest LPs "Shock Treatment". I will never forget the impact the first track had upon me - "A New Kind of Country"- it simply pins you to the wall. And so it continued throughout that particular Disc. This one, "Tears of Joy", has much the same impact with incredibly vibrant, lively ensembles and wild and joyous soloing. It is remarkable how Don Ellis put together these band units, with incredibly gifted young musicians who very few people (outside of their immediate family circles!!) had heard of before - a true testament to Don's powers of selection and a tribute to his vision and taste. Ellis never hogs the limelight and allows full scope to his young charges to unleash their musical talents upon the listener. This album certainly measures up to his other ones - "Shock Treatment" and "Electtric Bath" - and is heartely to be recommended.

What you get here is the last two albums Big Band Leader and Jazz Trumpeter Don Ellis made for Columbia Records (USA) - one being a full double-album from 1971 of new material recorded over several nights live at the legendary Basin Street West Jazz Club in San Francisco - and the other, a 1972 single studio album of contemporary covers augmented with three new songs. Both albums are newly remastered here in 2017 from licensed Sony tapes - with the first's running order split across two CDs in order to make it fit without audio compromise.A collection of contemporary cover versions across a wild scope of genres (Gilbert O'Sullivan to Yes, The Carpenters to The Crusaders), the second album "Connection" has probably Don Ellis' most sought after crossover moment – his jagged yet funky original theme to the ultimate gritty cop chase movie "The French Connection" starring Gene Hackman (Frog 1).But there's so much more - the fabulously inventive and superbly recorded/played "Tears Of Joy" 2LP set is rated by fans as one of his best and for good reason – seventeen minutes of "Strawberry Soup" baby. And man does it all sound good too - England's Beat Goes On Records (BGO) doing the usual top job on one of their many Jazz-related reissues. Here are the euphoric details...UK released 15 December 2017 (22 December 2017 in the USA) - "Tears Of Joy/Connection" by DON ELLIS on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1317 (Barcode 5017261213174) offers two albums (one a double, the other a single) Remastered in full onto 2CDs that play out as follows:Disc 1 (60:11 minutes):1. Tears Of Joy [Side 1]2. 5/4 Getaway3. Bulgarian Bulge4. Get It Together5. Quiet Longing [Side 2]6. Blues In Elf7. Loss8. How's This For Openers? [Side 3]9. Samba BajadaTracks 1 to 9 are Sides 1, 2 and 3 of the double-album "Tears Of Joy" - released October 1971 in the USA on Columbia Records G 30927.Disc 2 (68:54 minutes):1. Strawberry Soup [Side 4]2. Euphoric AcidTracks 1 and 2 are Side 4 of the double-album "Tears Of Joy" - released October 1971 in the USA on Columbia Records G 30927. All songs written by Don Ellis except "Get It Together" by Sam Falzone, "Samba Bajada" by Hank Levy and "Euphoric Acid" by Fred Seldon3. Put It Where You Want It [Joe Sample song, Crusaders cover] - Side 14. Alone Again (Naturally) [Gilbert O'Sullivan song]5. Superstar (from the Rock Opera "Jesus Christ Superstar") [Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice song]6. I Feel The Earth Move [Carole King song]7. Theme From "The French Connection" [Don Ellis song]8. Conquistador [Keith Reid and Gary Brooker song, Procol Harum cover]9. Roundabout [Jon Anderson/Steve Howe song, Yes cover] - Side 210. Chain Reaction [Hank Levy song]11. Goodbye To Love [John Bettis and Richard Carpenter song, Carpenters cover]12. Lean On Me [Bill Withers cover]13. Train To Get There [Richard Halligan song]Tracks 3 to 13 are the single album "Connection" - released November 1972 in the USA on Columbia KC 31766.The card slipcase lends the reissue an air of class and the 20-page booklet comes resplendent with new MATT PHILLIPS (Musician and Founder of soundsosurprise.com and movingtheriver.com) and all the original artwork including the song-by-song notes from Ellis that adorned the inner gatefold of the mammoth "Tears Of Joy" double. It's nicely done with new Remasters from BGO's long-standing Audio Engineer ANDREW THOMPSON. These CDs sound great - the new transfers bringing out the best of the original Don Ellis and Phil Macy production values. To the Jazz...Although "Tears Of Joy" was recorded live (climaxing a US tour) – such is the restraint of the crowd – you'd barely notice. But don't let that make you think the performances are too staid or po-faced reverential. If you want to know how a band 'cooks' – check out the staggering syncopation of the ensemble on "5/4 Getaway" – eight minutes of trumpet and horns merging – the two drummers Ralph Humphrey and Ron Dunn giving in some solo time before the whole group keeps it tight-tight to the end followed by whoops from a clearly geared-up crowd (sticks man Humphrey would join Zappa and his band just after this). From that and the wildness of the Sam Falzone contribution of "Get It Together" – we feel the complete contrast of "Quiet Longing" – a lone trumpet with some strings - sounding just like its title – images of a lone hombre on the range aching for his love as he stares up at the stars in the stillness of the night."Blues In Elf" begins in a reverential classical mode until piano player Milcho Leviev (much to the mirth of the crowd who spot the clever mood change) gets all sloppy New Orleans on its ass. Leviev is later joined by a string section and Don Ellis on Trumpet, the combo of which suddenly turning the initial Jazz Blues rhythm into something way cooler and more 1971-contemporary. "Loss" is equally beautiful and its complex string arrangements buffering off the trumpets and horns gives it a sort of magnificence that is truly epic. The hank Levy composition "Samba Bajada" that ends Side 3 feels like Santana crossbreeding with a Big Band by way of Herb Alpert – its eleven minutes again displaying amazing virtuosity from the whole ensemble (joyful stuff). Side 4 offers us two – an epic 17:38-minutes of "Strawberry Soup" where a lone sad cello is followed by cascading flute but is soon thrown into pure Zappa experimental territory – the band still managing to sound musical as it sounds at times like "The French Connection" – the extended car chase.The predominantly covers album "Connection" opens with a very clever choice – Joe Sample’s fabulously funky and groovy "Put In Where You Want It" – an instrumental from the "Crusaders 1" double-album on Blue Thumb Records released only months earlier in 1972. Never one to take the easy route, Ellis then unfortunately embarks on an unwise cover of Gilbert O'Sullivan's mega hit "Alone Again (Naturally)" but instead of sounding cool, his version feels destined for some horrible elevator somewhere (going down). His takes on the Jesus Christ Superstar title track is a bit better as is the lesser-heard Procol Harum single "Conquistador", but you can't help racing towards that real moment of cool – his jerky theme to "The French Connection" movie – very groovy stuff indeed. Another smart choice is his suitably brass-bopping take on the Fragile track "Roundabout" – a Yes cover that even features some Rick Wakeman copycat keyboard sounds.The double is a wonder, a genuinely great release that's unfairly forgotten now while the 1972 platter may have been cool-ish back in the day, but sounds the most dated of the two despite its odd moments of brilliance. Still with presentation and great audio, this is another stellar five-star winner form BGO. Dig in and get connected...