At Fillmore: Liner Notes

[liner notes are for edumacational use only]

I believe this album marks a milestone in the development of the band. Not only is it the freest within the concepts with which we are working, but I also believe it is the best band I have ever had. with basically the same guys blowing and rehearsing together for years. We take pride in being able to play the shit out of things that no other bands have even attempted.

Final Analysis (composed and arranged by Don Ellis)

This was our opening number, and is basically in 4/4 plus 5/4, with an occasional 5/4 and/or 1 1/2 plus 1 1/2 (or 3).

Glenn Ferris is the amazing trombonist who has made quite a reputation for his hair as well as for his playing. (However, just before the weekend he shaved off all his hair - the only way we recognize him now is by his playing.)

Jay Graydon plays a solo on guitar with all of the sound coming out of a plastic tube inserted in his mouth.

I follow him on electrophonic trumpet using a Ring Modulator and some octave doublings.
The drum exchanges feature our percussion section with Ralph Humphrey leading, then Lee Pastora on conga, Ron Dunn on drums and me playing the third drum set. (I started getting into drums seriously about a year ago, and decided to write myself into the drum routines so I'd have something to make me practice.)

The ending explains itself and is a sort of musical reductio ad absurdum stolen from some of the best-known classical composers (who should have known better).

Excursion II (composed by John Klemmer, arranged by Les Hooper)

John Klemmer is one of the most astounding tenor players I have ever heard. He never ceases to astonish all of us by what he does in the solo cadenza in this piece - and each time he does it differently.

The Magic Bus Ate my Doughnut (composed and arranged by Fred Selden)

Fred Selden has been an important member of the band for several years now. He first started playing in one of my student rehearsal bands, and as our lead sax player has been contributing some of our most intriguing and exciting scores.

The first section of Bus is in a pattern of 3/4, 4/4, 3/4, 5/4 and goes to 4/4, 5/4 for a contrapunctal segment between the trumpet, trombones, and saxes. Fred plays the alto solo against this pattern.

The Blues (composed and arranged by Don Ellis)

It always feels good to play the blues. The opening trumpet solo is supposed to be only two bars long, but I got into a thing with the audience this night and it got rather involved. The trio playing the theme is comprised of Sam Falzone, clarinet; Jack Coan, trumpet; and Ernie Carlson, trombone.

Salvatore Sam (composed and arranged by Don Ellis)

This is the first of a series of musical portraits I am doing of various guys in the band. Sam and I have been associated ever since I lived in Buffalo, New York, where he played in a combo I had. He moved out to California to be with the band and has been with it since the very beginning (except for about a year when he moved back to Buffalo).

The piece moves from a funky 4/4, 3/4 to a fast 7/8 which has a 6/8 bar for every fourth measure.

Sam does his thing.

Rock Odyssey (composed and arranged by Hank Levy)

Hank Levy was one of the first outside writers to contribute scores to our library. He caught on to the unusual meters amazingly fast, and now conducts college stage bands in Baltimore, Maryland, concentrating on the new rhythms.

All the band agrees that this is one of his most beautiful charts. The first part is in a slow 7/4 and the middle section is in 12/8 divided 2-2-3, 2-3. Listen especially to the exciting cross-rhythms our drummer, Ralph Humphrey, gets going.

Glenn Ferris plays the trombone solo.

Hey Jude (composed by Lennon and McCartney, arranged by Don Ellis)

I don't know if The Beatles will recognize their tune, but I wanted to do something different with a melody that everyone could recognize, in the hope that this would also give an insight into how we work with original material.

The opening cadenza is all done live (no overdubbing or editing) and is just how the Fillmore audience heard it.

The effects are all done on solo trumpet using a Ring Modulator and various echo and amplifying devices.

When we first started doing this arrangement it was fairly straightforward, but as you can hear, it has been getting further out every time we play it.

Jay Graydon (on guitar) gives some tasty and incredible answers to my statements on the second chorus.

Antea (composed and arranged by Hank Levy)

We've had this chart by Hank Levy in the book for some time, but it wasn't until recently that it really started to jell. It's in 7/4 and the rhythm section really burns.

We find it curious that occasionally when we get a new arrangement it will "happen" immediately, but other tunes will take a while. Sometimes we'll just keep them in the book, playing them only sporadically with perhaps less than perfect results, but then there will come a night when we pull it out again and this time it will pull together and cook. That is exactly what happened here.

Old Man's Tear (composed and arranged by John Klemmer)

This is John Klemmer's first arrangement for the band. It is a musical portrait of an old man's life - his joys and sorrows - a very sensitive and warm thing. It is also quite a challenge to play on the trumpet.

Great Divide (composed and arranged by Don Ellis)

The title comes from the fact that this is a piece in 13/4 divided 3-3-2, 3-2. It was originally commissioned for the stage band at San Jose State College under the direction of Dwight Cannon. It was also originally supposed to be played much slower, but one night sometime ago we played it at a faster tempo and found it made a great closer.

Sam Falzone is on tenor; the fantastic alto solo is by Lonnie Shetter, one of the truly overwhelming technicians on his instrument.

The band was set up flat on the floor of the Fillmore in front of the stage, and at the end you can hear the musicians walking out into the audience ad libbing on the theme. This take was from Saturday night and as the musicians walked out playing, the audience started clapping and cheering and stood up. Since we were on the floor already, this meant that the musicians couldn't see me to get the cues for the last ensemble section which is done from out in the audience. We were really worried, but at the last minute I ran up on stage in back of the band and somehow the rhythm section sort of half turned around, looked over their shoulders, and we got it together.

Pussy Wiggle Stomp (composed and arranged by Don Ellis)

We normally don't do encores, but the audience was so groovy, we couldn't resist. I hadn't planned to put this on the album either (since it was already recorded on our "Autumn" album), but we got such an inspired, different take we felt it had to go on.

This was the absolute fastest we ever tried to play this tune, but the guys all hung on - we were really excited by this time!

Sam Falzone is on tenor, and the drum exchanges are Ralph, Ron and me. The drum routine is a thing that has been developing over the last couple of years, and I really find it exciting when all three drums are kicking the band in unison.

During the trumpet solo, you can hear the Fillmore audience doing the syncopated clapping in 7. This really gassed us, because we figured this was probably the first time they had ever heard something in a fast 7 - and it showed how hip they were to be able to pick right up on it and keep it going in time!

Toward the end of my solo I tried to bring the band in, but they missed the cue and as I descend back into the low register wondering what I am going to do now, you can hear our tuba player, Doug Bixby, cry out: "Try again!"

The whole weekend was a real high spot in our lives, and I am pleased that it has been captured so beautifully on record by Phil Macey and Brent Dangerfield, making it possible for you to share it with us. - Don Ellis