Morris Ellis

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Morris E. Ellis Sr. (born March 23, 1929 in Chicago ; † September 1, 2017 there ) was an American jazz musician ( bass trombone , valve trombone ) and band leader who was also active as a studio musician in the Chicago music scene.

Live and act

Morris attended DuSable High School on Chicago's South Side, where he had lessons from Walter Dyett ; he then studied psychology at Howard University in Washington, DC First he was the founder of the Howard Swingmasters during his college days ; from the 1950s he led his own big band , in which u. a. and Harold Mabern played. The Morris Orchestra, the u. a. performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival also accompanied Tony Bennett , Sammy Davis Jr. , Natalie Cole , Diahann Carroll and Joe Williams .

In 1965 Morris played in the Rockwell studio band "Billy" Davis, in which he accompanied the singer Billy Stewart on recordings for Chess Records ( Unbelievable ). In the 1960s he also worked in the Chess studios on recordings of Etta James ( Call My Name , Cadet, 1966), Kenny Burrell ( Ode to 52nd Street ; Cadet, 1967), Odell Brown ( Free Delivery , Cadet, 1969) with, in the 1980s still with Eddie Harris ( I'm Tired Of Driving ). In the field of jazz he was involved in nine recording sessions between 1965 and 1984. As a studio musician, he has also worked with R&B and soul singers and bands such as Okie Duke , Donny Hathaway , The Dells , Charles Bevel , Jerry Butler , Walter Jackson , The Chi-Lites , Peabo Bryson , The Impressions and Ramsey Lewis .

Morris was among the creators of the Duke Ellington Memorial Concerts, which later became part of the Chicago Jazz Fest . He also produced musicals and wrote the song "Chicago My Chicago".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Obituary in Chicago Sun-Times
  2. ^ Frank Adams, Burgin Mathews: Doc: The Story of a Birmingham Jazz Man ; Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama Pess, 2012, p. 144
  3. ^ Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-532000-8 .
  4. ↑ Chicago Jazz Festival 1979 (pdf)
  5. ↑ a b Obituary in Legacy.com
  6. ↑ Art Hoyle , Julian Priester , Bunky Green , Sonny Thompson and Pete Cosey also played in the Rockwell Davis Band
  7. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed September 15, 2017)
personal data
SURNAME Ellis, Morris
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ellis, Morris E. Sr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician (bass trombone, valve trombone) and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH March 23, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago
DATE OF DEATH 1st September 2017
Place of death Chicago