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Don Ellis... forever!
"In the summer of 1972 I attended a show at The Oakland Civic Auditorium featuring
The Don Ellis Band as the headliner." It was a evening filled with rock music from The Sons of Chaplin & Moby Grape. The
Ellis Band was late and the audience became restless and many headed for the exits. We were there to see Don Ellis although
I only knew of him from a Music Theory Professor at West Valley Junior College that thought Ellis was the greatest Jazz musician
of the day. I anticipated this but had my doubts. When Ellis finally came out wearing his electric blue cape and carrying
his silver trumpet case, he immediately told the audience he was sorry for the delay and because of his lateness, he would
go "all out" for us. From then on, it was the most incredible show of any band I have ever seen then and today!
I was astonished at his mix of Jazz-Rock-Blues-Soul-Classical and his own version of what we would call World Music today.
He went far beyond anything I have ever heard and it all seemed to work, that is.. his odd-metered arrangements and strange
electronic sounds. But this was not a gimmick I quickly realized but written arrangements and were so complex myself and the
audience were completely mesmorized. He and band received a standing ovation for each piece he played and then for the last
songs, we simply stood up and danced into the aisles. And when Don Ellis himself jumped from the stage and came down
into the crowd it was just unbelievable! The memory of this concert has stayed with me my entire life.
Cut to 1997 as
I was digging through my old Jazz LP's, I came across my Don Ellis albums. I listened to all of them in a day and I asked
myself, whatever happened to this guy? I remember being very sadden when I heard of his death in 1978 as he was only 44 years
old. But why was it that a musician this noteworthy was never talked about nor his music very seldom played. I stopped wondering
quickly and created 'The Sights & Sounds of Don Ellis' a promotion to memorialize him and to get a Doc Film made on his
life story. It was disgusting and still is that a Jazz Artist of this magnatude can just die out, name & music. So I started
out on a path to attempt a resurgence of the name of Don Ellis, in Jazz and beyond.
With the help of Don's son Tran Ellis, working together we were able to track down
old footage shot on film and videotape. At that point I was able to offer a promotional DVD of Ellis 'Live' at Monterey,
Concord and in San Francisco to whomever wrote a testimonial letter about their own experience with Ellis and donated a few
bucks. What happened freaked me out! Thousands of letters, hand-written and e-mails rolled in along with some nice funding
to at least get me started with the bigger Doc project. Folks from around the world started to call along with x-members of
his bands. They all asked the same question I initially asked, what happened to Don and why isn't his music being sold or
played? Finally after years of research & development, I was able to secure funding to go into production on ELECTRIC
HEART.
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One From the Heart
Starting in Minneapolis, I brought into the production Associate Producer & AD Leah Farrar whom
is locally based. Her invaluable research and help had me interviewing some of Don's early friends. (Pictured Frank Oliveri,
Jazz Pianist & Leah Farrar) Leah also helped in tracking down Larry Ramirez, Chief Designer of the LeBlanc-Holton
Company whos interview gets to the bottom of Don's famous 4valve 1/4 tone trumpet in which he fought to have manufactured
and becomes the signature sound of Don Ellis. I then crossed the country (USA) to interview many of the x-Bandmembers and
now famous Jazz Artists such as Milcho Leviev and the late great Maynard Ferguson.
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| Click on Image to view Mary's website! |
Nationally renowned Voice-Over Artist Mary C. McKitrick supplies a
richly-textured dramatic Narration to
ELECTRIC HEART -don ellis.
"This is her second film with myself Directing as she also Narrated the
PSA series "End Torture Now" to much acclaim!
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Don Who?
Don Ellis may never become a so-called household name but what he accomplished in his short-lived life was nothing
short of legendary. He was the first to fuse together Jazz & Rock long before Miles Davis thought of it. He was the first
to electrify a brass section in a big band orchestra and was the first to add a amplified string section to a Jazz
group. His 4 valve trumpet was a first as mentioned before and that haunting sound is most remembered within the Oscar Winning
"The French Connection" Motion Picture Soundtrack in which he scored and for which he won the Grammy for Best Instrumental
Arrangement for the Title Track in 1972. His music is slowly returning and being re-mastered to CD.
As a afterthought, I went to Boston to interview Pulitizer Winning Composer Gunther Schuller (pictured above) whom
worked with and introduced Ellis to Leonard Bernstein in the early 1960's. Schuller states that Don went far beyond his own
coined phrase "The Third Stream" which convinces me now that Ellis was truely one of the most innovative musical artists of
the 20th Century.
ELECTRIC HEART tells the story of the Man, his Times and most importantly the Music of Donald Johnson Ellis 1934-1978.
Thank you to everyone that has helped me bring his fantastic story to the screen.
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| John Vizzusi, Filmmaker |
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| Maynard Ferguson, Paul Bogosian, Milcho Leviev, Sam Falzone, Fred Selden, Ralph Humphrey,Jay Graydon |
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MEDIA INQUIRIES & CONTACT INFORMATION
To Contact Filmmaker CLICK HERE!
ELECTRIC HEART HOTLINE: (USA TELEPHONE) 1-407-310-2774
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