PIECES OF EIGHT: DON ELLIS OCTET LIVE AT UCLA

Recorded live on April 8, 1967 at a concert at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), quite uncharacteristically, Don sported only an octet for this performance where he was lately in the habit of squeezing dozens of musicians on stage to perform his rhythmic acrobatics. I don't know the occasion or purpose of this concert but it sounds to me as if he had to "straight lace" it and pander to the masses as the fare is much tamer and smoother than his usual spice--plus the usual educational wit Don was so gifted at between songs is not included on the recording so we don't really know how much of Don was on display.

CD1 1. "Slippin' 'N' Slidin'" (6:57) the concert's opening song of course has to be either impressive or engaging, and Don opts for the latter with a Latin-flavored tune with lots of flare coming from the percussion section. As a matter of fact, the sound levels in the mix make it so that the percussion section often threatens to completely drown out the rest of the band. Not one of my favorite Don Ellis tunes but I can easily picture the audience members fighting back the urge to dance in their seats. (13.25/15)

2. "Sadness Shouldn't Go so Deep" (3:54) following a lively, crowd-engaging opener with a deeply emotional tune shouldn't go so well, but one can tell that the band members all had their hearts and heads fully engaged with this one. Don really hit home with this one: Even almost 60 years later I can feel the serene respect emanating from the room. (9.5/10)

3. "Bali Dancer" (5:31) a series of melodies woven into a kind of rondo of Ennio Moricone-like Spaghetti Western themes. The piano, horns, and percussionists all get turns to stand in the spotlight on this one (much to the audience's pleasure) while the melodies that bring everyone together are mystifying in the way they impress without overwhelming. (9/10)

4. "With Respect to Coltrane" (5:05) did Don (or composer Tom Scott) know that 'Trane was dying? Evenso, the band does an amazing job here of coaxing some very Coltrane-like music out of their octet. Tom Scott is especially up for the task though Dave MacKay's piano and Ray Neapolitan's bass play are equally apropos. (9.125/10) 5. "Pete's 7" (6:29) a stride piano opening from Dave MacKay that is eventually joined by Ray Neapolitan's bass, the percussion team, and, finally, the horn section. A popular dance number that hides itself in the big band feel of the band and its Latinized blues rhythms. Though Don blows a strong horn, it's really Dave's song to shine through. (8.875/10)

6. "Let's Go to Sleep" (7:16) an Ellis composition that sounds very cinematic and experimental, opening with repeated bass chord supporting a "distant" muted trumpet playing plaintively from "behind the scenes." Dave MacKay takes over for the second minute, playing some beautiful ivories before yielding back to the "distant" trumpet. Really, there is very little other than the piano, bass, brushed snare and crash cymbals and dolorous trumpet. I love music like this. It reminds me of one of my favorite 21st Century albums, Particelle by LAGARTIJA. (14/15)

7. "Blues for Hari" (9:08) another Tom Scott composition, its opening themes both sound a lot like variations on the main melody hooks of "The In-Crowd" and "I Wanna Know," but then after the whole band has laid out the foundation, the soloists take over, each performing over a hip-beatnik kind of motif, first Tom with little flares from Dave MacKay, then Dave stepping up only to recede for Ray Neapolitan to have some shine in the fourth and fifth minute, then stepping back in with the rhythm section for bandleader Don to have a turn on his trumpet. Steve Bohannon and Alan Estes make some noise beneath throughout the final two or three minutes as the horns come together to finish things off. (18/20)

Total Time 44:33

CD2 1. "Milestones" (9:56) taking on a jazz classic--one by no less than Miles Davis himself--is never an easy task but the band do quite an admirable job with this one, bass player Ray Neapolitan really distinguishing himself while tenor sax player Tom Scott also asserts himself quite well. It's too bad that the two stars of the show (for me) bandleader Ellis and drummer Steve Bohannon are recorded so poorly and thus cannot quite stand up next to the beautifully rendered sounds of Ray's double bass, Tom's reeds, and Dave's piano. It also helps, I'm sure, that it's a classic (and the band show exactly why it is). (18/20)

2. "It's a Snap" (2:18) a Don Ellis composition that puts on full view in just two minutes time a little of Don's propensity for crazy, almost humorous structures and time signatures. Very tight performances of some pretty complex charts. (4.75/5)

3. "I Love Us" (5:47) a light and airy bossa nova track composed by Don himself, once again the maestro displays his amazing talent for capturing the essence and beauty of every sub-genre of music he touches. Brilliantly moving performances from Dave MacKay, Tom Scott on clarinet, Dave Wells on (a poorly recorded) trombone, as well as the chillin' cool rhythm section. Absolutely gorgeous; enough to quell any tension from the body of any listener. Those lucky audience members! (9.75/10)

4. "The Squeeze" (5:22) this one starts out like some of the tunes on Don's previous two live albums: with some cacophonous dissonance, but then the Latin rhythms lock us in so that the horns can continue to challenge our Western melodic sensibilities with more disparaging dissonance. Dave MacKay continues the dissonance on display with his piano solo in the second minute, while trombonist Dave Wells seems to get into the picture by using his pitch-sliding notes to continue the cerebral workout. Ray Neapolitan is next, using the upper registers of his double bass to tease us into complacency before starting a two-note-at-a-time display to take us of center again. Definitely a piece that puts the audience to the test! (9/10)

5. "Lush Life" (7:29) the band covers another classic--this one by Billy Strayhorn, here performed by as a duet by Don and Ray. I don't really recognize it but that never stopped a jazz artist before. (13/15)

6. "Turk's Works" (18:25) a multi-movement piece composed and arranged by Arif Mardin that switches styles with and beneath switches in soloists: first Don, second Tom Scott on tenor sax, third back to Don's trumpet, all the while the accompanists and rhythm tracks change, morph, leave and return, speed up and slow down, often without seeming to coordinate with the soloist up top. Interesting! At 5:40 the complete shift in motif yields some jazzy piano play over fast-walking bass and percussion before suddenly leaving Dave stranded all alone, then coming back to perform the same support/fake for Ray Neapolitan's bass. Next up comes percussionists Chino Valdes and Alan Estes on congas and timbales, respectively before everybody finally gives way for a Steve Bohannon exhibition--and a wonderful exhibit it is! This god-given supernova was definitely taken from us way too soon! (He gets a big ovation from the crowd for his efforts.) Then, at the end of the 17th minute the full band comes back together for some final histrionics. (36/40)

Total Time 49:28

I'm not usually known for my inclusion much less reviewing of live albums but there is just something I gain from Don Ellis' work no matter the recording setting: the smooth delivery of such complex music always renders me awestruck: that a band can be taught to perform such unusual music with such fluidity and grace is always astonishing to me.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of eclectic, middle-of-the-road jazz, mostly-audience-friendly jazz.

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