Tears of Joy

Tears of Joy Artist: Don Ellis
Label: Wounded Bird Records
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2


UPC: 664140092723
EAN: 0664140092723
ASIN: B0006Q0XWS


Release Date: 2005-01-18

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Listmania:

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  2. Big bands of the 60's and 70's
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Tracks:

  1. Tears of Joy
  2. 5/4 Getaway
  3. Bulgarian Bulge
  4. Get It Together
  5. Quiet Longing
  6. Blues in Elf
  7. Loss

Tracks:

  1. How's This for Openers?
  2. Samba Bajada
  3. Strawberry Soup
  4. Euphoric Acid

Similar Items:

  1. Don Ellis at Fillmore
  2. Connection
  3. Live at Montreux
  4. Electric Bath
  5. New Don Ellis Band Goes Underground

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars An Underground Classic Surfaces.......2006-02-14

Coming on the heels of his often over-the-top (but frequently exciting) "Live at The Fillmore" album, "Tears of Joy" marks a likely highpoint in Ellis's multifaceted career as a bandleader. With the possible exception of his final band (well-caught on the Koch Records re-issue of "Live at Montreux") this particular lineup is one of most beloved by Ellis's fans, as it marks the US debut of Bulagarian pianist extraordinaire Milcho Leviev (whose "Bulgarian Bulge" in a nearly uncountable 33 and 36/16 meter is nonetheless played with devil take the hindmost enthusiasm by the band). The charts, particularly the epic "Strawberry Soup" show Ellis's most sophisticated pallette to date, as he augments the band with a string section and frequently uses mini-concertante groupings against big unisons. Besides the leader's pyrotechnical trumpeting, there's plenty of solo space given to the rest of the band, especially Leviev, trombonist Jim Sawyer and sax player Fred Seldon and the rhythm section of Ralph Humphrey, Ron Dunn and Lee Pastora always propel the charts with a surprisingly subtle swing (given that almost nothing on the two CDs is in 4/4).
I saw Ellis live many times between 1972 and 1975; it's still a shame that this most unique of American big band leaders still has not recieved the acclaim which he deserved for making music as heard on this CD.

5 out of 5 stars don ellis left us to soon..........2005-12-16

My opinion: this is the bands best...don goes from trumpet to drums and joins in fours with 2 other drummers, it's awesome!
If your in to odd time signatures, every tune is different. Highly recommend this one!

5 out of 5 stars A Joyful Noise.......2005-11-14

We are all fortunate that this has been reissued. The post-war era was rough on big bands. Ellis was one of a handful of innovators who dragged the format into the next epoch, with spectacular success. Known for time signatures which require complex algorithms to decipher, there is much more here to enjoy than mere cleverness. This music takes you through the entire emotional spectrum, weaving smoothly from point to point. It is smart, complex, and dense - truly extraordinary music. And those drummers!

5 out of 5 stars Fine CD mastering.......2005-07-18

Everybody else has told you how great the album is, and they are absolutely right. It's a shame there are only 5 stars available! I just wanted to comment that the CD mastering is very faithful to the original album. Bravo to Wounded Bird, and it's great to see that Fillmore is next!

5 out of 5 stars Ellis's Best.......2005-03-17

This is arguably Don Ellis's best album. It's certainly my favourite. The playing is a bit raw around the edges, but there is an honest passion here that is infectious and exciting.

The album covers the gamut of big band emotions. The track "Loss" is achingly beautiful. "Strawberry Soup", one of Don's finest compositions, is episodic, never repeating, and rollicking good fun as Don shows off how many ways 9 can be divided. "Blues in Elf", my fav DE composition, gets down and dirty as Milcho Leviev teases us with his Beethoven in a weird time signature, and Don's quarter-tone playing zeros in on the heart of the blues between the notes. Every track is a rich musical experience worthy of your listening.

I should point out the string section on this album. Rather than simply background filler, the string quartet here acts as a full fledged component of the band along with the saxes, trumpets, trombones, and rhythm section. The result is a unique big band sound.

This is simply one of the best big band albums of all time.

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  2. Duologues ~ Jim Hall, Enrico Pieranunzi
  3. The Battle: Live at Smoke ~ Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring
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  6. Solo Concerts: Bremen & Lausanne ~ Keith Jarrett
  7. Closer ~ David Sanborn
  8. Soul Station ~ Hank Mobley
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  10. Blues and Roots ~ Charles Mingus

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