Don Ellis'
Connection, issued in 1972, was a brazen attempt at swinging for the chart fences. Most of the tunes selected come right from the pop vernacular of the day. They range from a barnburning read of
Andrew Lloyd Webber and
Tim Rice's theme for "Jesus Christ Superstar" and a dirty funk approach to
Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move" to a provocative and spacy cover of
Procol Harum's "Conquistador" that feels like the horn chart for
Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" wedded to
Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" trumped by
Stan Kenton in the mid-'50s. While the description may read atrociously, sonically and aesthetically the set comes off far better.
Ellis incorporated inventive, in-your-face, swaggering arrangements into his hearing and execution of pop's possibilities in the jazz world of the early '70s. Most of the tracks are short, with only a big-band freakout read of
Hank Levy's "Chain Reaction" going over the five-minute mark. This, along with the disc's opener (a fine cover of
Joe Sample's "Put It Where You Want It") and
Ellis' own "Theme from The French Connection" (a surprise hit for him) work well as modern creative big band offerings. There are some really embarrassing moments here as well.
Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)" was utterly unnecessary and is pure schlock; likewise the "jazz on Quaaludes" take on
the Carpenters' "Goodbye to Love." "Lean On Me" (the soul classic written by
Bill Withers) is simply surreal, as is the cover of
Yes' "Roundabout."
Ellis devotees will no doubt delight in
Connection because of its abundance of sass, humor, and imagination, while jazz purists will shake their heads in disgust and others will greet the album with mix of curious bewilderment, a good-natured (hopefully) chuckle, and a perverse kind of glee. ~ Thom Jurek