Comprising entirely of previously unreleased material, the fascinating ‘Lost Tapes Vol. 3’ from Jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer and bandleader Don Ellis is released on 27 August 2021 on CD and digital through Sleepy Night Records. The company that brought you the Number One jazz album ‘Miles Davis: The Lost Quintet’ is delighted to release this, the last in the series of ‘Lost Tapes’.
The collection is based upon a treasure trove of recordings, photos, letters, video, scores and music supplied to Sleepy Night Records by the late Ken Orton. The musician sadly died three years ago, but he had the biggest worldwide collection of Don’s materials and worked with Don’s family to preserve his memory. ‘Lost Tapes Vol. 3’ features never before heard tracks from Don’s own personal collection, both in the form of studio material and other music recorded at various clubs on reel to reel and cassette tapes.
The album closes, fittingly, with Don Ellis’ last ever recording. Laid down in 1978, Vulcan was recorded in a club but on this collection Sleepy Night Records have enhanced this track, by adding in new keyboard parts, bass, drums, strings and a new guitar solo. By not deviating from the original spirit, and keeping the track honest, this has breathed new life into this cassette recording. In fact, the process has worked so well, that it is an approach that Sleepy Night Records are likely to revisit in the future.
