Don Ellis
6 Classic Albums

There is something ultra-cool about this, and you can't discount the fact that Ron Carter is the bass player on the first two albums and Steve Swallow on the last two. Some of this is definitely way out there. . .you have to really like experimental music to enjoy the 22+ minute "Improvisational Suite." It goes from having a groove and a beat to pretty random explosions of sound. One minute it is a blues shuffle with a discordant melody, the next it is an exchange between trumpet bursts and a snare drum, all in the same track. The rest of the music is a synthesis of avant-garde and bop. Then there's "Despair to Hope" which sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie and Uh-Huh which just plain swings. Overall, pretty interesting if you're willing to expand your consciousness beyond traditional melody. This is weird stuff. . .you get lots of different sounds for your money, that's for sure.