ELECTRIC BATH
(Columbia CS9585, © 1967/ CK 65522, © 2000)

TRACK LISTING
Indian Lady
Alone (Hank Levy)
Turkish Bath (Ron Meyers)
Open Beauty
New Horizons
Turkish Bath (single)* (Ron Meyers)
Indian Lady (single)*

PERSONNEL
Don Ellis
  quarter-tone trumpet

Saxes & Woodwinds
  Ruben Leon - alto sax, soprano sax, flute
Joe Roccisano - alto sax, soprano sax, flute
Ira Shulman - tenor sax, piccolo, flute, clarinet
Ron Starr - tenor sax, flute, clarinet
John Magruder - baritone sax, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet

Trumpets
  Glenn Stuart
Alan Weight
Ed Warren
Bob Harmon
 
Trombones
  Ron Myers
Dave Sanchez
Terry Woodson - bass trombone

Rhythm
  Mike Lang - piano, clavinet, Fender piano
Ray Neapolitan - bass, sitar
Frank De La Rosa - bass
Dave Parlato - bass
Steve Bohannon - drums
Chino Valdes - congas, bongos
Mark Stevens - timbales, vibes, miscellaneous percussion
Alan Estes - miscellaneous percussion

REVIEW
According to the liner notes of Electric Bath, the musical world was "taking notice" to Don Ellis and his orchestra. Want to know why? Because "Andy Williams is bobbing his head in patterns of 3-3-2-2-2-1-2-2-2 to follow one of Don's compositions in 19/4." Andy WIlliams? WHO CARES??!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!????!!!?!? Seriously.

Don's first studio album with his orchestra is also his first album with Columbia. Don has seven albums on the Columbia label, yet this is the only one available on CD. I'm surprised that even one album got reissued, considering the way Columbia handles things. I guess they got tired of reissuing the same Miles Davis albums over and over and over again and decided to do us all a favor. Thank God for Bob Belden.

Needless to say, this album is great. "Indian Lady" became a hit for the band, and the original version can be found here, The lead sheet even ended up in the "Real Book!" (who is gigging with "Indian Lady"?) Also of interest is "Open Beauty," which has some echoplex soloing by Don, a feature that would appear on most of his following albums. And Ron Myers' "Turkish Bath," with its out-of-tune woodwinds...great stuff!

Not only did Columbia reissue this classic, but (you'd better sit down) they actually did some digging and added the single versions of both "Indian Lady" and "Turkish Bath" to the original program. Pretty ambitious, guys.

I also want to add that the Columbia reissue was remastered by Mr. Belden, and the result is a mix that differs slightly from the original vinyl version. GNP Crescendo makes a CD of Electric Bath that is the exact remix of the vinyl., but I think it's out of print. Ahhh just git yer hands on the vinyl.