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Bio
Lisle Ellis is a multifaceted creator whose work reflects his interests in music, visual art, computers/technology, and community. As a composer and improvisor-bassist his oeuvre spans three decades and two countries and has brought him international recognition as an artist with an exceptional vision. Some critics consider him to possess an important voice and to have made a significant contribution to the field of experimental music. Recent years have also brought him attention as a creator of computer/electronic music and as a visual artist. Ellis began playing electric bass in his teens and worked professionally from an early age in numerous environments including studios, radio & tv shows, and even strip clubs. When his teacher and mentor, Walter Robertson, suddenly died in 1974, Ellis abandoned his studies at a music conservatory in Vancouver, Canada in favor of the seminal, and now legendary, Creative Music Studio in New York. There, over a period of several years, he had intimate contact with the vital NYC music scene at a time of surging changes and extraordinary developments. Lisle Ellis, as the 1986 winner and first recipient of Canada's prestigious Frederick Stone Award -- given annually to a musician for integrity and innovation -- affirms the pioneering role he played in the development of improvised and experimental music in his native Canada. Particularly, in Vancouver in the early 1980's, and the late 80's in Montreal, Ellis was a conspicuous activator of musician alliance organizations, performance venues, and concert series presentations. One collective in particular, Vancouver's New Orchestra Workshop, is still active nearly thirty years later. Almost immediately after relocating to the United States in 1992, Ellis's music began to attract attention and acclaim on a global level. His recording, Kaleidoscopes: The Ornette Coleman Songbook (Hat Art), with pianist Paul Plimley, was given five stars in Downbeat Magazine and has been hailed as a modern masterpiece. Ellis's distinct instrumental voice has been heard in a multitude of concerts on the world stage in the company of legends of the avant-garde such as Paul Bley, Peter Broetzmann, Andrew Cyrille, Joe Mcphee, and Cecil Taylor; leading contemporary players Marilyn Crispell, Dave Douglas, Fred Frith, and John Zorn, and on more than 40 recordings for international labels such as Black Saint, DIW, and Hat Art, and New World. Currently, Ellis's principal interest is in developing an electro-acoustic architecture he calls string-circuitry-confluence. Secondary to that are projects such as his long standing trio with Larry Ochs and Donald Robinson called What We Live, Di Terra, an Italy based trio with Alberto Braida and Fabrizio Spera, and duos with pianists Paul Plimley and Mike Wofford. Ellis lives in New York City. Musical Accomplishments • BRAVO TV Productions : Duets Profiles of important Canadian musicians in a duo format with Lisle Ellis and Paul Plimley 1998 • Founder, Creative Music Program in San Francisco offering three month residencies Spring 1997 • Member of Cecil Taylor Unit. Concerts in Santa Cruz and Oakland, California, Jan. 1995 • Artistic Director - October Revolution, (Festival of New Music) - San Francisco, 1994 • Guest lecturer, St. François Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, I990, 1993 • Artist in residence, Upstream Ensemble, Dalhousie University, Halifax, 1993 • Guest lecturer, Music Department of Mills College, Oakland, I993 • Co-founder l'Association des Musiciens Improvisateurs de Montréal (AmiM), 1991 • Member of the International Creative Music Orchestra, 1990 NYC • Artistic Director - Series Solstice - Montréal I989/91 • Conductor - Freedom Force Orchestra - Vancouver, 1989 • Member Board of Directors - Traquen' Art Productions lnc. - Montréal, 1987-91 • Music Curator - Series Solstice - Centre des Arts Contemporains de Montréal, 1988 • Artistic Director - Dialogue Festival - Montréal, 1988 • Technical Assistant - 2nd International Sound Unity Festival - New York City, 1988 • Orchestral Assistant to Cecil Taylor - Jazz Workshop Orchestra - Banff School of the Fine Arts, Banff, Alberta, 1985. • Artistic Director - Vancouver Creative Music Festival - 1979-82. • Conductor - Vancouver Creative Music Orchestra - I980. • Artistic Director - New Orchestra Workshop (N.O.W.) - Vancouver, 1978-82 • Artistic Co-director and Conductor - Cord Orchestra - Vancouver, 1979-81. • Artistic Co-director - Community Orchestra Research and Development Program - Vancouver 1979 • Co-Founder - New Orchestra Workshop (N.O.W.) - Vancouver, 1978 • Instructor - Vancouver City College Continuing Education Program - 1977 Musical Discography Title Label Country • Marcos Fernandes Hybrid Vigor Accretions (2002) USA • Glenn Spearman Blues for Felasha Tzadik (1999) NYC • What We Live On Tour in France Metalanguage (2002) USA • Marcos Fernandes Pictures in Sound Accretions (2002) USA • Paul Plimley Trio Safecrackers Victo (1999) Canada • Glenn Spearman Blues for Felasha Tzadik (1999) NYC • What We Live Quintet for a Day New World Records (1999) NYC • Patrick Brennan Saunters, Walks, Ambles CIMP (1998) USA with Lisle Ellis • Ben Goldberg Eight Phrases for Jefferson Rubin Victo (1998) Canada • What We Live Trumpets Black Saint (1998) Italy • Lisle Ellis Children in Peril Music and Arts (1997) USA • Glenn Spearman's Let it Go Red Toucan (1997) Canada G-Force • India Cooke Red Handed Music and Arts (1996) USA • What We Live Never Was Black Saint (1996) Italy • Lisle Ellis What We Live D.I.W.(1996) Japan • Lisle Ellis What We Live Fo(u)r Black Saint (1996) Italy • Rova Saxaphone Qt. Ascension Black Saint (1996) Italy • Glenn Spearman Fields Black Saint (1996) Italy • Glenn Spearman G-Force Red Toucan (1996) Canada • Matthew Goodheart Dedication Red Toucan (1996) Canada • Matthew Goodheart Sonoluminesences Nine Winds (1995) USA • Larry Ochs The Secret Magritte Black Saint (1995) Italy • Plimley Trio Density of Love struck Demons Music and Arts (1995) USA • Rova Saxaphone Qt. John Coltrane's Ascension Black Saint (1995) Italy • Glenn Spearman Trio Double Trio Black Saint (1994) Italy • Philippe Micol New York Interviews Unit Records (1994) Switzerland • Lisle Ellis What We Live Fo(u)r Black Saint (1994) Italy • Paul Plimley Paul Plimley Trio Music and Arts (1994) USA • McPhee/Ellis/Plimley SweetFreedom-NowWhat? HatArt (1994) Switzerland • Lisle Ellis Elevations Victo (1993) Canada • Plimley/Ellis/Bendian Noir Victo (1992) Canada • Plimley/Ellis Kaleidoscope Hat Art (1992) Switzerland • Plimley/Ellis/Cyrille When Silence Pulls Music and Arts (1990) USA • Plimley/Ellis Dix Versions Victo (1989) Canada • Plimley/Ellis Both Sides of the Same Mirror Nine Winds (1989) USA • Dennis Charles/ Music Box Gallery (1988) England A.R. Penck • Paul Cram Blue Tales in Time Sackville/Onari (1983) Canada • New Orchestra Quintet Up 'til Now New Orch. Records (1979) Canada Music Awards and Commissions • Research Project Grant - Canada Council, 1994 and 1995 • Compositions for Small Ensembles - Canada Council Project Grant, 1992 • Freddie Stone Award - First recipient of this Canadian Music award, 1991 • Composition for Solo Bass - Canada Council Project Grant, 1991 • Composition - Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Quebéc, 1990 • Composition - The Thirteenth Feeling - Dialogue Orchestra, 1988 • Composition - Azur - Lucie Grégoire Dance Company of Montréal, 1987 • Best Jazz Act Nomination - Bassic - West Coast Music Awards, Canadian Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences (C.A.R.AS.), 1982 • Composition - Sound Flowers for the Newborn - Vancouver Creative Music Orchestra, 1980 • Canada Council Explorations Award - Community Orchestra Research and Development Project - 1978. Performances Of Note (1990-2002) • George Lewis, Joelle Leandre, William Winant, Lisle Ellis (San Diego) • Peter Brotzmann, Marco Eneidi, Jackson Krall, Lisle Ellis (San Diego) • Chris Brown/Lisle Ellis (San Francisco and San Diego) • John Zorn's COBRA (San Francisco) • What We Live DuMaurier Jazz and Blues Festival, Vancouver, BC; Jazz a Mulhouse Festival, France; Tour to Italy, Austria, Hungary; RAI Radio, Rome; Nickelsdorf Jazz Konfrontationem, Vienna; Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival, NYC. 1995-2002 • Cecil Taylor Unit, (Oakland and Santa Cruz) • Myra Melford/Lisle Ellis Duo (San Francisco - Sacramento) • 30th Anniversary Concert of John Coltrane's Ascension (San Francisco) • Larry Ochs Concerto for Two Basses - Rova Saxophone Quartet, Barry Guy, Lisle Ellis, Chris Brown, Marilyn Crispell (Antwerp, Belgium - Vancouver) • John Tchicai Trio- (Sacramento) • Peter Apfelbaum Octet (San Francisco) • Plimley/Ellis Duo (Amsterdam- Cologne - Zurich - Bologna- Milan- Toulon - Atlanta New York - Seattle- San Francisco-Louisville - San Diego) • Paul Bley Trio (Vancouver) • Lisle Ellis/Glenn Spearman/Raphe Malik Trio (Montreal - Toronto - San Francisco) • Plimley/Ellis/Bendian Trio (Vancouver- Toronto - Montreal - Chicago - San Francisco • François Houle Trio (Ottawa Jazz Festival) • Sound Image Theatre (Toronto-Prague) • Ellis/Plimley/Cyrille Trio (New York) • New Orchestra Workshop/Knitting Factory Exchange (New York) • International Creative Music Orchestra (Seattle - Vancouver) • Marilyn Crispell Trio (New York- Montréal-Vancouver) • Butch Morris Orchestra (New York-Montréal) • Glenn Spearman Festival (Mills College/Oakland) 2001 and 2002
Music Festivals San Francisco Jazz Festival San Francisco, CA - 2002 Lisle Ellis/Paul Plimley Duo NWEAMO (New Music Electric-Acoustic Music Organization) 4th Annual Festival San Diego October 2002 Glenn Spearman Festival, San Francisco, CA - 1999-2002 Victoriaville Festival/Musique Actuelle, Canada -1999 Taklos Festiva,l Switzerland, -1998 Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey, CA - 1998 Konfrontation Austria, -1994 Artwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium -1993 Tangram Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music, Milan, Italy - 1992 Tribute to Frank Wright Festival, Hiembach, Germany - 1992 Ghent Improvised Music Festival, Ghent, Belgium - 1992 Jazz at Le seyne sur Mer, Toulon, France - 1992,1994 Earshot Jazz Festival - Seattle, Washington - 1991 Atlanta International Music Festival, Atlanta, GA - 1990 Sound Symposium - St. John's, Newfoundland - 1990 Edmonton Jazz Festival, Canada - 1990 Calgary Jazz Festival, Canada - 1994 Ottawa Jazz Festival, Canada - 1986, 1991,1992 Halifax Jazz Festival - 1990 Winnipeg Jazz Festival, 1994 Time Flies Festival of Contemporary Music - Vancouver - 1989 Festival de Musique Actuelle - Victoriaville, Québec - 1989,1992 Du Maurier International Jazz Festival - Vancouver - 1989-94 Du Maurier International Jazz Festival - Toronto - 1988,1994 Second International Sound Unity Festival - New York City - 1988 Musical Collaborations As Composer And/Or Performer Dancer/Choreographer Pearl Ubungen - Pintay - San Francisco, 1992 Paul Bley, John Heward - Trio Music - Vancouver, 1992 Malcom Goldstein - Duo Music - Montréal, Vermont, USA, 1991-92 Rainer Wiens, Jan Komarek - Sound Image Theatre - Czechoslovakia, 1990 Painter/Drummer John Heward - Forming - Montréal, I984-8 Dancer/Choreographer Lucie Grégoire - Azur - Montréal, 1987-89 Visual Artist A. R. Penck - Endless Jazz - New York City, 1988 Teaching • Guest Lecturer Cultivating Creativity UCSD Extension 2003 • Guest Lecturer University of Calif. San Diego (UCSD) Music Dept. Guest Lecturer Cultivating Creativity University of CA, San Diego Extension 2003 • Guest Lecturer UCSD Music Dept. 2002-2003 • 2002-2003 • Faculty Member UCSD Summer Jazz Camp 2003 and 2004 Artist Bibliography 2001 Pincus, Robert L. "The Eyes and Ears: Artists Capture Magic of the Circus, Allure of Cubism in Solo Exhibitions." Review of Auralizations, by Lisle Ellis, Spruce Street Forum, San Diego, Calif. and The Circus Loosely: In Response to Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and John Highkin, by Deloss McGraw, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, Calif. The San Diego Union-Tribune Night & Day, 17 May 2001, 40-4 Professional Tours and/or Performances With
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