[ Paul Cacia Orchestra ]
Overview
An erstwhile young member of the Ellis orchestra, Paul is notorious as a high note trumpet player and a clinician. His most popular album to date was on a label called Happy Hour and was a tribute to bandleader Stan Kenton, and featured lots of Kenton's alumni. Beautiful production. Producing seems to be his metier. He puts out a Kenton style band occasionally in L.A. If you like the Kenton 'wall of sound' then this guy does it well. He has an ambition to re-create a Don Ellis band but has met with problems.

Richard Bartkus, currently (May 1999) lead Trombone with the band (a chair previously held by the late Dick Schearer) has pointed out that Paul was lead trumpet for Frank Sinatra (in the 1980s - Conrad Gozzo had passed away in 1964), as well as lead for the Al Hirt band. (As I write this, Al Hirt has just passed away.) "Paul is now performing in Orange County California. Last week we performed a concert with Louis Bellson (he is an absolute joy to perform with, and even at this age he is still an awesome musician and performer). During the past year we have had Milt Bernhart and Bill Watrous with the band. We also had an evening with Pete Rugolo, in which we performed many of Pete's works including the chart for the 1948 Metronome All-Stars -- which originally included Charlie Parker; Kai Winding; JJ, Miles, etc.

[ Don Ellis Orch. ]
b. d. 1978
A very well read and highly intelligent man. His family wanted him to go into banking, but music won out. He had his own quartet in Junior High School, and was in the Boston University Band. During the course of time, Don has played the trumpet, flugelhorn, four valve trumpet and firebird valve/slide trumpet, slide trombone, piano and drums.

A student of the legendary Freddy Gruber. After WW2, he played 'straight' with Marterie, Miller, McKinley, Herman, Ferguson, Mingus. The Glenn Miller job was his first professional position. He also had outrageous third Stream tendencies in the 1950's - '60's. Got him good and bad and press. Actually, he was getting to the intellectuals via George Russell. These recordings are are much revered by many, but a little to close to the edge for some.

In 1961, Don was a member of George Russell's Sextet. In the early sixties he started a reherasal band in L.A. at a club called 'Bonesville'. His fans campaigned for him to appear at Monterey (on album) and the impact was fabulous. The 23 piece band was basically a traditional big band, but Don had added two more bull fiddles and a drummer and percussionist. Apart from his electronic bug on his horn, the band was basically accoustic. (Later, he experimented with an electronic device called a 'ring modulator'.)

His completely original scores used extremely complex notation. Most big band music is played at 4 beats to the bar. Ellis was experimenting with 5-beat bars, then 9-, 11-, 14-, 17-, 19-, and even 27-beat bars. Mixing the meters this way created immense problems for the Rhythm section. So, Ellis taught himself to play the drums that he might properly instruct the drummers. At this time, he was also experimenting with the brass. He introduced the 4-valve Fluegelhorn, the 1/4 note trumpet, and the Superbone (which Maynard Ferguson had invented and played a few years prior). Because of his use of these 7/4, 9/4, 11/4 etc. time signatures, Ellis was dubbed "The Father of the Time Revolution" in Jazz circles.

It's interesting to note a later comment by Kenton writer Hank Levey, who also wrote in odd meters, that Don's music was not written in (e.g) 7/4, but that the music was created and the meter evolved from the music. About right... as and when others write in exotic meters you tend to get the impression that someone is saying 'hey guys I'm playing in 7/4'

Ellis, ever restless, changed his band's configuration several times, in spite of success. In the late 1960's, the Ellis band went rock/electronic when CBS Records promoted them as part of the CBS Progressive Music campaign, and in the 70's finished up with the ultimate sound when an amplified string section evolved. I urge you to listen to 'LIVE AT MONTREUX' and 'TEARS OF JOY' before you condemn. This is the band at it's awesome exciting best. These should be re-issued. You must challenge SONY/CBS and ATLANTIC not to lose these gems. His 'accoustic' band is heard to its best advanage on 'SHOCK TREATMENT', 'LIVE AT MONTEREY' and 'LIVE IN THREE AND TWO THIRDS OVER FOUR -TIME'.

Over the course of his career, Ellis scored music for 10 Hollywood films. His score for the film 'The French Connection', won him a Grammy Award. Don died and his music went to MESQUITE COLLEGE in Dallas where there is a Don Ellis Museum. His music is available for study. There was an attempt to re-create the band BUT unless you are a MILLER or JAMES revival band in L.A. you can't get an audience, so it did not happen..

Two recent CD's, 'ELECTRIC BATH' and 'AUTUMN', have appeared on SONY/CBS. There have been attempts to create a band outside the USA. All are well meant but - not so good. Messing about messes about the memories and perhaps discourages new converts. MA selection of the music is available from UNIVERSITY OF NORTH COLORADO JAZZ PRESS.

Ellis once told an interviewer "I am not concerned whether my music is Jazz, 3rd Stream, Classical, or anything else, or whether it is even called music. Let it be judged as Don Ellis Noise."
Don Ellis died in 1978 of heart complications.

Sidenote:
Lead Trumpet Glen Stuart was a close friend of Don Ellis and was with his band from the beginning. He played lead trumpet on the many albums that Don made. Glen has told a great trombonist, Felix Mayerhofer, that an Englishman by the name of Ken Orden is writing a book about Don, and is traveling all over the country (ca. 1997) interviewing musicians who knew and played with him. Don was an incredible person and the book should be good reading.
(Thanks to Mr Felix Mayerhofer for this information.)
Gord McGonigal has the Hard Bop Cafe, website with much good reference material on Don Ellis.

[ Bob Florence & The Limited Edition Band ]
Currently resident in Los Angeles, Bob Florence is one of the most under-rated pianists on the planet. That is not to say that locals do not know he is exceptional, it is mostly because of two reasons.
1. he has not toured (as a rule) except as musical director for Julie Andrews, Jack Jones, Gogi Grant, and
2. his record output is mostly of his big band. The impact of his band (which is enormous) and the quality of the arrangements (all his) is such that his solo space is somewhat limited.

Of recent years he has remedied this by featuring himself but not in a self indulgent way. He has an extremely strong sense of melody and has a happy knack of creating original tunes with melodic lines that immediately stick in your mind as they are so attractive. His other forte is to take standard tunes and turn them on their head. For example a recent composition (Oceanography) is based on "How deep is the Ocean". In fact he has latched on to 5 notes and weaves them in and out of a barn storming piece.

In English parlance, his musicians are the royalty of the west coast scene. His band is called the LIMITED EDITION because he is so proud of the standard, enthusiasm and loyalty of these TOP SESSION MEN, that it is unlikely to happen again. Bob doesn't do enough local concerts because (you tell me). The band, live, is an extraordinary experience. He will say that if he can surprise folk with sudden dynamic, and lift them out of their seat, his job is done!

Some of the people who have been with the band in recent years (some passed on unfortunately) the late Nick Ceroli, late Bob Cooper, George Graham, Warren Leuning, Charlie Loper, Carl Sauders, Bob Efford.

Bob can often be seen in the L.A. area either leading or, happily, as a sidemen in other bands, large and small. See him if you can, he is always worth it. Bob has an annual release on CD of his big band. Lately they have been on the MAMA Label. Another is in production in the Fall of 1996.

This is one of the GREAT BIG BANDS. Bob's influences are Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Holman and within classical music that he loves so much. Expect his band to have the impact of Basie, the eloquence of Ellington, the quirkiness (occasionally) of Brookmeyer and the other 95% is pure Florence.

[ George Graham Orch. ]
Overview
George Graham ACE lead trumpet and soloist leads the Florence trumpet section and has also put togther his own big band. His charts are from the Pen of Orange County writer/arranger and big band leader Tom Kubis, and Florence. This is a very exciting band recently formed. there is a cross over of musicians with Florence etc. One excellent addition is the superb (and getting even better) drummer Greg Field. Currently with Florence, this musician has, year upon year, developed an outstanding talent as a brilliant driving big band player. Solid as a rock, his recent tenures have been with Sinatra, Basie, Ray Anthony and so on. The music of the Graham band also includes some of the excellent back library of Bob Florence (who plays piano in the band). No recordings yet

[ "Chico" Hamilton Orch. ]
b. Sept 21, 1921, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
né: Foreststorn Hamilton
Even before this drummer had graduated from high school, he had already played with other fledgling musicians including Charles Mingus; Dexter Gordon; Ernie Royal, and Buddy Collette, who later became his partner.

In 1940, he played briefly with 'Slim' Gaillard, and with Lionel Hampton. In the late 1940's he played with Count Basie; Lester Young and with Jimmy Mundy. Between 1948 and 1955, he was accompanist to vocalist Lena Horne.

In 1952, he recorded with Gerry Mulligan's piano-less quartet. In 1955, Chico formed his own quartet. In the 1950's, he led small groups that at times experimented with added cello and flute, and featured such musicians as Eric Dolphy; Dennis Budomir; Fred Katz; Ron Carter, and Collette.

In 1956, his group appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, and curiously, "Chico" appeared in a 1958 film 'Jazz On A Summer's Day', in which his group is shown practicing for that 1956 Newport Jazz Festival.

In the mid-1960's, he formed an advertising 'jingles' company, whose success kept him away from the Jazz music scene.

In the 1980's, Hamilton was back with a new band 'Euphoria', -playing 'Heavy Metal' and recording again.

[ Clayton Hamilton Orchestra ]
Overview
This is the project of drummer Jeff Hamilton, bass player John Clayton and his altoist brother Jeff Clayton. An excellent group peopled by the older pros, generally the guys you would have seen in the bands of Basie, Quincy Jones (in the 1950/60's). Great, older black American jazz players pre-dominate. The feel of the band is similar to Quincy Jones at his non-commercial best and perhaps Woody Herman of the 1960's. The charts are usually by John Clayton and have a drive and swing that thrills. They have three CD's, one on Lake Street Records from San Francisco, and the others on Capris.

[ Bill (Willis) Holman ]
b. May 21, 1927, Olive, CA
Overview
A legend! Notorious for his writing for the Stan Kenton orchestra, but likes to be known for his current work. An amazing catalogue of charts in his library makes you wonder why he has only three big band CD's to his credit. He would record if someone pays the bill! Outings are all too rare but worth every effort when it happens. Worshipped by Florence, McConnell, he himself cites his respect for Brookmeyer as motivation for a lot of his writing. For the most part, his music is awesomely difficult to play. He enjoys rehearsing every week in Los Angeles with the 'creme de la creme' of musicians.

After matriculating at Westlake College, in California, Holman got a tenor sax chair with the Charlie Barnet Orchestra, staying for 3 years. He then landed a position with the Stan Kenton band where he both played sax and contributed charts for the band. He also played in some small groups with other Kenton sidemen, such as Art Pepper; Conte Candoli; Shorty Rogers, and Shelly Manne. (Later on, the Shelly Manne Blackhawk Orchestra used one of Holman's tunes "A Gem From Tiffany" as their themesong.)

In the years following Kenton, Holman was to write for many bands including those of Count Basie; Gerry Mulligan; Louis Bellson; Maynard Ferguson, and Woody Herman's Herd. Herb Pomeroy, a Boston based orchestra, also found Holman's charts intriguing.

From the 1950's onward, Holman, while still writing charts for the Count Basie and Buddy Rich orchestras, was basically active only in doing studio work. He also did some arrangements for 'pop' groups; "Aquarious" by the Fifth Dimension was the sort of work he was doing.

In 1975, he again formed a big band that did some recording.

[ Tom Kubis Orch. ]
Overview
This young Orange County ex-student of Doc' Rutherford at Golden West College runs his band in that County. He has two REAL CDs to his credit, both worth getting, one on Seabreeze and the other on Cexton. There is one other beautifully played, but forgettable, Christmas album. Admittedly, a slightly lower echelon of musicians are involved, but that is not to say they are not excellent. A frequent guest is Jack Sheldon -who Has his own big band using Kubis stuff, etc.

[ Ladd McIntosh Orch. ]
Overview
Ladd MacIntosh. Seems to radiate from the Burbank area. Ladd who used to appear as in Kaftans and long beards now looks like a bank manager! See the cover of his ENERGY LP. His music is full of surprises, always interesting. My impression was that the band was a lot like Don Ellis' but in 4/4. Jim Snodgrass (tenor and ex-Ellis is in the band. Ladd has a drawer full of tune titles looking for tunes. he is irresistibly drawn to 'off the wall' tune titles. This is a shame as it does put music buyers off and perhaps discourages the odd purchaser of his two CDs. The band is not avante-garde. It rocks; it swings; it is everything you would want.

Ladd has been quite busy the last couple of years (ca. 1998) orchestrating music for films. And, while not nearly as much fun as standing in front of his band, it certainly is a lot more lucrative. In some private mail, he recently updated me on his varied activities.

       ".....And it is gratifying to be working in the studios here with some of
       the very finest musicians I have ever encountered. It is a rewarding
       experience in more ways than one."

       "I work with the infamous Bruce Fowler (of Zappa fame), a long-time
       colleague and friend. He is the head orchestrator for the likes of
       noted film composer Hans Zimmer and others. To date I have helped to
       orchestrate 38 films and my name appears in the screen credits on quite
       a few notable ones, including 'The Lion King', 'Speed', 'The Rock',
       'Face Off', 'Crimson Tide', 'Muppets' Treasure Island', 'The Man in the
       Iron Mask', 'Home Alone 3' and the upcoming 'Prince of Egypt'. I have
       also worked on such films as 'As Good As It Gets', 'Armageddon', 'Antz'
       and 'Twister'."

       "It may be of interest to know that in my spare time I have been working
       on some new arrangements for my big band of some wonderful standards and
       am planning on recording an all-standards album in the near future. The
       intense demands of the orchestration work make it more difficult to find
       the time to complete some of the arrangements I have begun, but I am
       determined to do so."

And so it goes. You just can't keep a good man down. Millions more can now hear Ladd's work while theatre going, and his own Big Band just continues to grow and gets better with every passing day.

[ Mark Masters Orchestra ]
Overview
From Pasadena, CA., Mark has a penchant for being acceptably derivative doing concerts in praise of and referring to past masters (sorry). He has featured the music of Graettinger, Holman, Hannah, etc. It all depends on what mood he is in. He's young and enthusiastic. He's also rather good.

[ Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass ]
b. February 14, 1935, London, Ontario, Canada.
In 1964, Rob joined fellow Canadian Maynard Ferguson's New York Band. Previously he had played with some bands in Ontario, and following his Ferguson stint, Rob returned to Canada. He joined the Phil Nimmons Orchestra. During these years, he was playing in different studio bands and writing many arrangements.

In the late 1960, Rob formed his own 15 piece brass and rhythm orchestra, 'The Boss Brass', that used his own charts of then popular tunes. This orchestra made a series of very successful recordings. Among the sidemen who appeared with the band were, Don Thompson; Sam Noto; Ed Bickert and Guido Basso. I think that Mo Koffman, who later composed "Swinging Shephard Blues" was with Rob at this time. The band also did accompaniment work for such vocal groups as the 'Hi-Lo's'; Phil Woods and Mel Torme.

Near the end of 1988, Rob accepted a teaching post at the Dick Grove Music School in Los Angeles, CA. While McConnell was not completely happy with the position, he did stay in Southern California in the early 1990's, working with rehearsal bands and some studio work.

He has since returned to Canada, and also toured Europe. Here's more information on Rob McConnell, in our Canadian Bands Database.

[ Roger Neuman All Star Band ]
Overview
Tenor Sax and excellent composer and arranger for big bands, as well as TV work and acting as side-man to others. He has an all star big band ( with recordings on Seabreeze). Fine contemporary big band. Very muscular in its style... very exiting.

[ Kim Richmond Orch. ]
Overview
Kim Richmond. Alto etc. leads his own concert big band, his own charts. The style of the band is a more full bodied mix of Gil Evans with the subtlety of Jones/Lewis. When he's with with the Florence band, Kim Richmond is happy to swing, or tear your heart with an interpretation of a ballad. Left to his own devices, his tends to the adventurous. Don't be put off though; he never loses touch with the audience and always ensures that his private fantasies do not encroach on the accessability of his music. He's really someone to enjoy.

[ Steve Spiegel Orch. ]
Overview
He has played with just about everybody, and this Orange County, CA writer and arranger occasionally puts out a big band which rehearses in L.A. Surpisingly, a concert will include other writers too. His own style is a big concerto grosso sound. He loves to get into fiery latin material. His charts are in that style. They are available from him direct. He puts a lot of effort into visiting schools with his charts and is quitely swamping the school fraternity with his material.

[ Bill Watrous Orch. ]
b. June 8, 1939
Overview
This dazzling technician, with his endless supply of intriguing ideas and a deep feeling for Jazz, never allows his work to be tainted by the use of technique for it's own sake. He is truly a formidable trombonist.

Watrous was taught to play the Trombone by his father, however, in his early years, he was a largely self-taught musician. He played with some amateur groups and then began some serious study with Herbie Nichols.

In the 1960's, he was able to play in several bands including Maynard Ferguson; Woody Herman; Kai Winding, and Billy Butterfield.

During the late 1960's and early '70's, he resumed serious music studies in New York City, and also had some recording dates with several different bands. It was in the 1970's that he formed his own big band named 'The Manhattan Wildlife Refuge Big Band'. It had a funny name, but it also had some serious musicians with a rhythm section of Dick Hyman on piano; and Ed Soph on drums. Danny Stiles was on trumpet and Wayne Andre had the trombone chair. In the mid-1970's, Watrous relocated to Los Angeles, CA, where he did some studio work with his friend Danny Stiles and with others too. He also found time to tour Europe.

In 1980, he formed 'The Trombone Summit' collaborating with Albert Mangelsdorff and Kai Winding.

Bill Watrous' favorite arranger is his friend Tom Kubis; the reason being that Tom's forte is to take the 'changes' of popular jazz classics and re-work them until they are often barely recognizable, and so most sidemen can improvise freely and have fun. This makes the Kubis charts (available from Glendale's 'Walrus Music') a must for college band directors who want their bands to play challenging charts, but still be familiar with classic changes. Kubis is a prolific composer/arranger courtesy of his speed with a computer. His charts, generally don't have the depth of Holman's or Florence's material BUT they are great fun and audience friendly.

Moving from LA momentarity:-
From Cincinnati.

[ John von Ohlen & The Blue Wisp Big Band ]
b. May 13, 1941
Overview
As Leader/drummer, the Baron John Von Ohlen, has shown both great sensitivity and the capability to really swing. This outstanding big band is named after a Cincinnati, OH club. Using in-house writers, the band is very reminiscent of Herman, Rich, and Kenton but is not a copyist band.

In 1967, John had his first big band job when he joined the Herman Herd. In 1968, he joined Stan Kenton where he stayed for about 2 years. He then formed his own band for an engagement at Cincinati's Blue Wisp Club

The band became the 'love-child' of Helen Morr (Mopro Records). Her promotion and management company put a lot of work into furthering his career. Helen is unwell at the moment (1996). We hope for a full and complete recovery.

Von Ohlen's reputation arises from his days with the Kenton orchestra. His orchestra was a good example of an American Rehearsal Band. In recent years, he has recorded with small groups and accompanied visiting jazz musicians such as Bill Berry and Cal Collins.

The BWBB had, I believe, 5 albums. Now they are being ganged together on CD's (Seabreeze -again). There are plans to capture the others soon.

[ Patrick Kelly's Psycho-acoustic Big Band ]
Overview
This band is also from the the Cincinnati area, and I believe has roots at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Blessed with an unusual band title, one should buy their two CD's and experience an excellent modern, not rock, not avant, jazz ensemble.