THE DON ELLIS ORCHESTRA: ELECTRIC BATH

This is Big Band music, so just be ready for that or leave it alone.

I have difficult relations with Big Bands, what means I like to hear some first minutes of them playing somewhere on regular jazz Fest, but it usually becomes boring during ten -fifteen minutes.

This album happily is different. Formally using a big band as musicians resources, Don Ellis adds some unusual (for big bands music) rhythms, complex compositions 'structures and electric keyboards. So - even if it sounds as jazz orchestra music, there are some classical, rock influences in sound and even some unusual psychedelic moments. In some compositions orchestra is used just as supporting band for few soloing musicians.

So - even if still big band music, open ears listener can really find more interesting moments there. What doesn't mean this album is jazz-fusion though. Just some roots of the future jazz fusion experimentalism, hardly more.

The album for collectors and early fusion researchers.