Autumn: Liner Notes

[liner notes are for educational use only]

I remember the day that Clive Davis, President of Columbia Records, brought Don Ellis into my office. I owned both his LP's, "Electric Bath" (CS 9585) and "Shock Treatment" (CS 9668), and might be considered a fan by anyone's standards. I remember when I was in Blood, Sweat & Tears and I brought "Electric Bath" to a rehearsal and played it for everyone. I remember noting with flattery the way our albums were often reviewed together and we were called bands moving in the same general direction. But most of all, I remember seeing the Don Ellis band perform for the first time.

The day after I met Don, I journeyed with him in the band bus to Tanglewood where the band was sharing the bill with the Modern Jazz Quartet and Judy Collins. During the five-hour bus trip we talked of many things. I learned about Don's fierce dedication to his music, his concepts and his plans for a forthcoming album. We arrived at Tanglewood and I was surprised to see Don was closing the show. He was in pretty heavy company and yet no one objected or thought twice about it. I found out why the moment they walked on stage. The band is outfitted by a local (L.A.) hip clothing store and they all wear velvet-satin puff-sleeve affairs with white turtlenecks beneath. To see them alone is an experience. To hear them... well, words cannot describe blah blah blah... I was so impressed with that evening's performance that I swore that the band must be recorded live at some time in the near future. The band was to leave for Europe the next day, and Don and I made plans to record a new album when they returned.
Upon returning from Europe the band was booked into Boston and then into Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. I was to meet Don and record the band live at Stanford. Don came out a day early to check facilities, etc., and was quite shaken. They had had to cancel the Boston gig because their instruments had not yet arrived from Europe. Frantic calls were made all that day, and I believe they arrived scant hours ahead of the concert. We had our recording equipment ready to go and I was a little frightened myself. The result of this hang-up was that most of the musicians were dying to play, itching to get a hold of their instruments which had been denied them for almost a week. The result of this set of circumstances are Indian Lady and K.C. Blues.

On K.C. Blues Frank Strozier is heard on alto introducing the tune and playing the open choruses. He is followed by John Klemmer on tenor sax and Pete Robinson on Fender piano. The tune, Don says, is based on a classic Charlie Parker solo. Indian Lady first appeared in the "Electric Bath" album, but the tune had undergone so many changes I suggested we include an updated version. Don is featured on trumpet, Glenn Ferris on trombone, Pete Robinson on Fender piano, and two brilliant duels. The first is "between" Ellis' two tough tenors, John Klemmer and Sam Falzone. The playing started out on an extremely high level and by the time five minutes passed by I was amzed as they screamed out together through five or six choruses, even putting the band through an impromtu dixieland pseudo-waltz section. You can tell by the audience reaction how it went down and you can barely hear the beginning of the other duet between Ralph Humphrey and Gene Strimling, two of Ellis' trio of outstanding percussionists. The audience had themselves quite a time that afternoon in Palo Alto.
The remainder of the album was recorded in Studio A, Columbia Records, Hollywood, by Brian Ross-Myring, who also picked up the Stanford concert. Ross was the engineer who worked on Don's previous albums.

Scratt and Fluggs is sort of a breakdown in 5/4 time with the varios sections taking up banjo and guitar lines. Don is featured on trumpet and Pete Robinson on tack piano with some curious left-hand work. Various friends and wives were allowed to cheer the band on. I am responsible for falling over the music stand at the end.

Child of Ecstasy is a Don Ellis composition-showcase for lead trumpeter Glenn Stuart. It's a mysterious blend of Eastern and Western mini-influences and features some dazzling pyrotechnics by Glenn.

Pussy Wiggle Stomp is a Don Ellis soul tune which is quite different from anybody else's soul tune. It's a 7/4 look at some gospel changes with a recurring theme. Pete Robinson is ehard on piano, Sam Falzone on tenor and Ralph Humphrey on drums. This is an especially rewarding track for me because I think we captured some of the band's best playing ever which is so hard to do in the studio. A highlight of this is Don's trumpet solo which jumps octaves and trucks right along even when the band tacets except for some syncopated handclapping. Humor is prevalent throughout the 47 false endings.

I save Variation for Trumpet for last because it is a major work. It is divided into six sections which are as follows: Sec. 1 - Theme; Sec. 2 - 5/4; Sec. 3 - 9:4; Sec. 4 - 7/4; Sec. 5 - 32/8; Sec. 6 - Theme and Coda.

This is Autumn for Don Ellis and his Orchestra. It shows a maturing and cohesiveness far beyond its time (pardon the pun). It is not a cold, steely album. It is quite human, sometimes sad, sometimes joyous, occasionally humorous, and variously frightening. But it is, I believe, the sound of our time...

-Al Kooper