Meet Ellery Eskelin

[Blue Train]

I asked Ellery if he would be interested. Apparently, Ron did the same. Great minds think alike.

The title of this thread gives you his answer.

[Ron Thorne]

Welcome, Ellery! We're delighted that you're joining us. Thanks for the confirmation.

[Ellery Eskelin]

Sure thing…always nice to have the opportunity for some exchange and hopefully go a little deeper than is afforded in some of the other on-line media...

[pig pen]

[steve(thelil)]

Ellery, does this count as the first question?

(PS. Also great to see you and this thread here, despite my inability to refrain from making a joke)

[pig pen]

Ok, I have a question.

I'm pretty sure that I've read in the past (damned if I know where, but I think it was on your thread at JC) where you have indicated that what you were playing with your trio with Andrea Parkins and Jim Black wasn't jazz. That comment may have been related to just one recording, my memory is a bit fuzzy in that regard. I've also heard people say that music like William Parker's various groups falls under Free Jazz, what's the difference in your mind (maybe you don't agree with that statement either)? I know that the label isn't the most important thing but since I think you do differentiate how do you draw the line between jazz improv and non-jazz improv?

btw I've been on an Ellery listening binge lately, had Secret Museum on yesterday and have Ben Goldberg's Unfold Ordinary Mind on now (among many others before those two). I never get tired of your recorded work and hope to some day hear it in person.

[Ellery Eskelin]

Hey All...

I may have said that I understand that some (many?) folks might not consider the music I've done with that band to be jazz. I can see it both ways and ultimately it doesn't matter to me so much. Except that I feel a heavy debt (love & respect) to so many great musicians who's music we do refer to as jazz. My roots are jazz for sure. So I would never try and deny what is in my heart. I think with that group I needed to take a stance apart from "tradition" (with respect to notions of style or idiom) and define myself without respect to those boundaries in order to feel musically whole.

Interesting that you would ask that question now in as much as I recently posted on my blog an entry about being in NYC for 30 years and how my relationship to tradition has changed. I realize that because of my place in time, my experiences, I have a piece of this tradition and that it's something of value, worth passing along to younger musicians. I've also been listening to tons of early jazz and I'm realizing that for me, it's not an investigation of style, it's about recognizing creativity. If we distinguish between style and materials we can find quite a lot of resources from the past to utilize in carrying creativity forward.

As for jazz improv and non-jazz improv, I don't know…perhaps a certain kind of propulsion in the former, but that 's just a general comment. As I think about this I realize that your first question may have been referring to an article I wrote some time back in which I discussed my band in relation to free jazz. I felt that we probably had too many types of musical elements flying around ('free jazz" among them) to think of the band as strictly free (or strictly anything...)

Interestingly, my current group, "Trio New York" deals more with the raw materials of jazz while doing so in many of the same mixed up ways I've always done things. I find that traditional minded listeners seem to think it's rather out there and devoid of swing while listeners inclined towards free music hear it as straight ahead. That's generalizing as I should point out that most of the reviewers understand that it is in fact a mix, but nonetheless, I find the more polarized commentary to be an intriguing indication of how folks listen.

[Mike Schwartz]

Ellery,

Nice to see you here and thanks for your contribution.

Interesting to me the comment about " polarized commentary" makes me think that it's probably fairly common that an audience shows up with some sort of a pre-conceived notion of what they expect to here (some...not all) as opposed to being open to taking in the experience of a performance from improvising musicians.

Something resembling this has been part of my own evolution as a listener over the years, which has been rewarded by a broader, deeper, & wider enjoyment of more music regardless of how they may be described or named.

[pig pen]

Hey Ellery,

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Looking back I can see that my question wasn't very clear so I appreciate that you actually understood what I was trying to get across.

Re: the polarized responses, I do find that there is a sizable community of people for whom jazz is playing over chord changes and anything else is not worth discussing. I find it kind of sad that people are that limited in their thinking, but I guess it could be worse.

Part of the reason for my question was that there is a local player who seems to feel that there is a distinct difference between free jazz and other forms of open improv. He has classed me as a free-jazzer (I am totally cool with being called any kind of "jazzer" since I'm pretty much a hack) but I've never really tried to play in any particular style. I sort of thought that you didn't really compartmentalize to that extent and just wanted to get your perspective.

Thanks again!

[Blue Train]

Two new releases from Ellery.

Ellery Eskelin, Susan Alcorn, Michael Formanek - Mirage
Ellery Eskelin, Gary Versace, Gerald Cleaver: New York II

[pig pen]

Review of Ellery's recent releases in downbeat:

[bluenoter]

[Tom Storer]

Thanks for that link, Rita. I love what Ellery says about older jazz. It absolutely echoes the LCJO slogan, "All jazz is modern," which I think is a great line. When, as a listener, I broke through the barrier of the so-called "modern" and heard early jazz simply as naturally expressed music, it completely opened my horizons.

[pig pen]

New post on Ellery's blog


I know I'm a bit of a fan-boy with our friend Ellery, so be it. Here's the latest from his blog, some interesting perspectives on evolving personal reactions to music:

[pig pen]

Here's a question for Ellery and/or anyone else who may know.

I see that Harris Eisenstadt has a residency at the Stone for the first week of September, just wondering if you will be one of the "special guests" listed for later in the week? He lists two trio dates with the other two trio members as special guests, I was hoping that that might be the September trio with you and Angelica Sanchez. I may try to get down for that week, but I think I would try harder if you were to be part of any of the shows.



One of my partners here in the office has become a big fan of Harris' and he is planning to go to NY to catch at least some of the week at the Stone. He was planning on bringing his wife with him and he doesn't really know the city that well outside of mid-town Manhattan. His concern is whether that part of the East Village is relatively safe for tourists to be around late at night? He's an experienced traveler but he's a bit nervous of US cities.

[relyles]

[Ellery Eskelin]

Hi Pig Pen
Thanks for posting the blog link…

I won’t be at the Stone in September. But no worries about East Village. Big city and all that so pay attention. But otherwise enjoy.

Been a bit less involved on line but was told there was a question for me here. Been using the blog to post updates and upcoming info.

http://elleryeskelin.blogspot.com/

Best to all…

[pig pen]

Thanks for that Ellery. Hope to someday hear you play in person.

We're up here in a city that probably has less population than one building in NYC, so it all seems a bit scary to us. I'm sure it won't be an issue.

[bluenoter]

[Ellery Eskelin]

Hi BN’r,
That’s right, a lot of music coming up next week. I have the particulars posted on the with my summer update. In particular Gerry will be in the drum chair for a “Trio New York” gig on Sunday, August 2nd at 8 pm. Thanks for posting…

[bluenoter]