DISCOGRAPHY - Page 1

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More Releases as a Leader (1988-1996)
Releases as a Sideperson (1985 to present)

"QUIET MUSIC" (prime source 4010)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Jessica Constable: voice
Andrea Parkins: accordion, piano, organ, sampler
Jim Black: drums

special guest
Philippe Gelda: piano and organ



Brand new release on Eskelin's own "prime source" label.
Visit the "prime source" website for complete information.
DOUBLE CD PACKAGE

"...another in an increasingly amazing discography for the tenor saxophonist." Pitchfork Media

"...shows no sign of settling into a predictable groove." Time Out New York

"...a stunning achievement." Santa Fe New Mexican

"Eskelin demonstrates his distinctive mélange of flavors and intensities throughout,
and the band exudes intelligence without borders...an impressive and expansive statement..."
JazzTimes Magazine

"What's most interesting about these discs are the continuous changes of atmosphere,
making for a varied listening experience and testifying to the force of this trio,
that reinvents today's jazz with a mind-blowing inventiveness: there is not a single useless,
repetitive, boring moment, in these two hours of music." All About Jazz Italy

"TEN" (hatOLOGY 611)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Jessica Constable: voice
Marc Ribot: electric guitar
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Melvin Gibbs: electric bass guitar
Jim Black: drums

"...the results are sophisticated and beautiful...
lucidity, born of intense and sensitive listening, reigns,
and Eskelin is able to preserve his trio's characteristic sound
in the full group setting". Bagatellen

...this wide-ranging music feels almost like a consolidation
of the previous decade's explorations, even though it contains
plenty of surprises; you can hear the whole history of jazz in Eskelin's
horn, as well as this trio's entire journey in the music they play here...
This disc is a fitting tribute to the longevity of one of the finest working bands
in improvised music. Dusted Magazine

Another skill Eskelin has evidently picked up
over the years is a sense of pacing and atmosphere
that contributes to the overall enjoyment of a CD.
The somber melancholy of much of the material is
a testament to both Eskelin's vision and the almost
astonishing cohesion of the ad-hoc groupings over
two days of improvising in the studio...A marvelous recording,
seriously recommended. Cadence Magazine 06/2005

Nevertheless Ten manifests an increase in intensity over Eskelin's
previous ten CDs on the hat label. Parallel with this intensity he appears
to play less, artfully insinuating himself into the patterns woven by his longtime
band mates and guests. Eskelin's body of work keeps growing like his solos: there is
always a story line counterbalanced by an air of mystery. You can never predict
where he and band mates are going to end up. That makes him not an iconoclast.
He rather one of the most creative and interesting of contemporary composers and
tenor players. Coda Magazine March/April 2005

...an improvised symphony with twelve distinct but related movements.
The six musicians on the album play in various combinations, and Eskelin
seems a musical polyglot: here playing fast and furious, there with an almost
melancholic intimacy. One tune seems like an oblique paean to punk, another
to circus music and cabaret. The singer Jessica Constable--one of three guests--
is a revelation. On the second cut, she sings a quiet line of wordless, atonal plainsong.
Unfettered from the burden of a text, her voice becomes an abstract sound sculpture
that is disquieting, compelling--and slightly unhinged. Eskelin's tenor dances delicately
around the voice. He gently slaps the reed with his tongue, and you can hear the air going
through the horn as he slowly creates a pulse around which Constable--whose voice has
the huskiness of Beth Gibbons and the crystalline ring of Björk--winds down her improvisation.
The New Republic on-line March 2005

Read the liner notes.

"FORMS" (hatOLOGY 592)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Drew Gress: bass
Phil Haynes: drums


"This is Eskelin jazz, folks; it's full of pathos, humor, and musically sanctified soul."
Thom Jurek / All Music Guide

"a significant unearthing of important archival material
by one of the top musical minds in jazz. (Vigorously recommended...)"
Glenn Astarita - Jazz Review

"The performances are confident and heartfelt,
and Eskelin's tenor sounds great against the rhythm
section of Drew Gress and Phil Haynes." Kurt Gottschalk / All About Jazz NY

Eskelin shows a remarkable control. He is angular,
he cavorts, he breaks lines and zips in with short phrases,
but he never scoots over the top. He balances melody with
freeform movement, and in bringing them together gives his
music sinew and soul. All About Jazz

"ARCANUM MODERNE" (hatOLOGY 588)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Jim Black: drums

**** (4 stars)
"There's a joy at the base of the ensemble's
sound and they navigate their improvisations
through often-uncharted territory in engaging
fashion. Thanks to his ceaseless imagination
and the group's distinctive instrumentation,
Eskelin and company avoid the trappings of a traditional sax trio.
DownBeat Magazine (November 2003)

"...the listener should come to expect the unexpected. It's partly
about Eskelin's blustery lines intermixed with Parkins' swirling accordion
maneuvers and Black's odd-metered backbeats. At times, the trio moves forward
with the semblances of a rumbling freight train, via driving pulses and moments of
compositional deconstruction. Nevertheless, the musicians seem equally comfortable
when either engaging in a bit of controlled mayhem or executing trance-like choruses
and soul-searching lyricism. This is yet another superb effort by one of the best groups
in the business. All Music Guide.

"...his group has made the virtually miraculous discovery of playing new
jazz that isn't 1) hopelessly traditional or 2) hopelessly experimental...
Arcanum Moderne is the eighth release by this trio, and, like its predecessors,
is an excellent example of how vibrant jazz can be in a world where rock,
hip-hop and electronic music are the dominant forms of artistic music expression."
Pitchfork Media

"One of the truly great working bands out there, fast approaching the
10-year mark, this trio continues to create weird, bewitching music at
the highest level. Equal parts brains and booty..this album raises the
bar yet again." Cadence, October 2003

"Best CD of newly released music in 2003"
"This is one of the best groups in improvised music...
This CD finds the cutting edge trio in brilliant form,
building lyrical swells in fragmented opuses." (Stephen Middleton)

Recorded in May of 2002, New York City.
Read the liner notes here.

"12 (+1) IMAGINARY VIEWS" (hatOLOGY 584)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Jim Black: drums


Jazz Man Magazine (Paris) awards this CD the "CHOC" (their highest review recommendation).

"His new album, 'Twelve (+1) Imaginary Views' (Hatology), has plenty of hustling, original, abrupt music." - The New York Times, Nov. 22, 2002

"The basis for this outing relates to tenor
saxophonist Ellery Eskelin's references to
"imaginary" musical works - the bulk of this material is centered upon the trio's
improvisational acumen. Few would argue that this ensemble
is perhaps one of the finest units in progressive jazz."
Downbeat Magazine, July 2002

"This is a man who has seemingly taken it upon himself (and conspirators Jim Black
and Andrea Parkins) to find the missing link between jazz, rock, electronic music,
pop and plain old everyday static...Furthermore, though I took this stuff without
so much as a second thought, I would be hard-pressed to say what kind of
music they were playing...Best of all, this lack of a label applies to every second of
music on the album...Like Monk, his music is often simple on the surface,
but repeated listens reveal a marvelously advanced efficiency in the
arrangements (as a bass-less trio, this is a plus) and compositions. Fittingly, this
group plays the old master's "Oska T" as a virtual encore at the end of the disc."
www.pitchforkmedia.com March 20th, 2002

Recording Information and liner notes, here.

"VANISHING POINT" (hatOLOGY 577)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Mat Maneri: viola
Erik Friedlander: cello
Mark Dresser: bass
Matt Moran: vibraphone

Read the liner noteshere.

The French magazine "Diapason" awarded this recording a "Diapason d'Or", February 2002

"...the musical interplay, the sensitivity between the players
and the adventurousness of their hearts and minds is awe-inspiring. **** The Birmingham Post (UK)

"These five players are daring in their trust for one another. Their agitations of materials in
a never-ending present suggest the action paintings of Jackson Pollack. Like Pollack's drip paintings,
Eskelin's music delights in purposeful accident. But there are five artists flinging color on this canvas;
somehow, they don't make a mess. They listen closely, react instinctively and find complex counterpoint
sonorities on the fly. Individual movements contrast and congeal. Microtonal details (from stringed instruments
plucked and bowed) accumulate to dense yet delicate texture. Within the multiple calls and responses are
sudden revelations of space and light."
**** Down Beat, May 2002

"How Eskelin manages to turn out the number of beautifully contoured, concise musical statements he does
without any preconceived structure is up to him to explain. But regardless of the method, Vanishing Point is fairly
well stocked with not only shining moments, which many a free session does happen upon, but also
entire songs that are ear-catching from end to end." Jazz Times May 2002

"Does Ellery Eskelin ever lead a group with less than outstanding results?
This is his sixth recording for a series of limited edition CDs produced by
the adventurous Swiss label, hatOLOGY, and like its predecessors, it is a
winner all the way...There is an intense lyricism produced that belies the
common conception of free improvisation. The strings and vibes stand on
their own, with the saxophonist's exquisite tone drawing, blending, and
contrasting its timbre." Steven A. Loewy, All Music Guide.

"THE SECRET MUSEUM" (hatOLOGY 552)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Jim Black: drums

"Some people will probably criticize this "devious" album but, honestly,
it feels like a breath of fresh air and reaffirms Eskelin's position as a true creator."
March, 2001, www.allmusic.com

"Their music has rarely sounded so effortless and straightforward...This is smart, complex music, but it never lacks heart."
Down Beat Magazine, May 2001

"The three players have now traveled the same wavelength for so long that they have become part and parcel of the same advanced organism." SIGNAL TO NOISE #22, summer 2001

"Ellery Eskelin is a gifted tenor saxophonist whose bold, pungent tone, remarkable range and uncanny facility on the instrument should naturally rank him right up there with the leading lights of today's jazz scene. And yet, his experimental streak often places him well beyond the walls of the jazz establishment. Hence, Eskelin is an outcast, a Herculean player with an extremely fertile imagination who remains keen on collaborating with musical upstarts who also defy convention. On the adventurous The Secret Museum he has found some real kindred spirits indeed in keyboardist Andrea Parkins and the superb drummer/percussionist Jim Black. "
Jazz Times Magazine, May 2001

Cover, recording Information and liner notes, here.

"RAMIFICATIONS" (hatOLOGY 551)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Erik Friedlander: cello
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Joseph Daley: tuba
Jim Black: drums

Reached #2 on the CMJ Charts, August 21, 2000


Jazz Man Magazine (Paris) awards this CD the "CHOC" (their highest review recommendation).

...it's a beautiful showcase for the rich timbres of Eskelin's quintet of cello, accordion, tuba and percussion...Eskelin's most vivid episodic works to date... Ramifications suggests that Eskelin's compelling voice as a tenor saxophonist and his bold compositional sensibility - which he aptly likens to filmmaking, given his penchant for a jump-cut approach to structure - have reached a new level of integrated creativity.
Sonic Net, by Bill Shoemaker

"..thoughtful, playful and lyrical imagination and execution"
"...laced with humor and features Eskelin dancing his tenor over the tuba-cello/drums accordion rhythm, what a beautiful sound..." Downbeat Magazine, October 2000

Read the Liner Notes
See photos from a recent concert appearance.

"FIVE OTHER PIECES (+2) " (hatOLOGY 534)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Jim Black: drums

****1/2 (4 & 1/2 stars)
"...masterfully performed."
Downbeat October 2000

December 2002, Jazzman Magazine (France) includes "Five Other Pieces (+2)
as one of 50 recordings that define the sound of the last decade (24 critics have made a list of these 50 CDs
for Jazzman, which is celebrating 10 years (1992-2002) of publication.

"Staying true to the music of others, while deconstructing and reformulating a new synthesis,
makes this a more accessible though no less innovative recording than the trio's other excellent issues." All Music Guide
Recording Information
Liner Notes

"DISSONANT CHARACTERS" (hatOLOGY 534)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Han Bennink: drums

"Audiophiles will wet their drawers, guaranteed...improvisations of as high-spirited,
inventive a quality as it's been this writer's pleasure to hear."
Mike Silverton
La Folia Volume 2 Number 1

"In this duet with New Yorker Ellery Eskelin, Bennink has found as formidable
an opponent in an American as he did in Sonny Rollins some years back."
All Music Guide

"This joyful tussle between American saxophonist Eskelin and Dutch drummer Bennink is serious fun from beginning to end. Foxy veteran Bennink's energy and drive -- absurd, majestic, unremitting, and unforgiving to those who can't keep up -- spurs the younger Eskelin into some of his most formidable playing on record." JAZZIZ, February 2000
Recording Information
Pictures from the recording session

"KULAK 29 & 30" (hatOLOGY)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Jim Black: drums


Jazz Man Magazine (Paris) awards this CD the "CHOC" (their highest review recommendation).

"This is some enjoyably organized madness which needs to be heard to be believed." Signal to Noise/issue#12 july aug 1999

"On tenor sax, Eskelin is The Man -- quite possibly one of the two or three best tenors on the scene." Motion - Interactive Services for New Music

"The album's production and sound quality are superb, bringing the organic percussion and saxophone tones together with Parkins' more modern keyboards in a way that, despite sounding a little unusual at first, is ultimately coherent and tastefully done. All in all, Kulak 29 & 20 is an excellent album from one of the more groundbreaking jazz trios of the late '90s." All Music Guide

"...recorded live at Kulak, Berikon, Switzerland, on October 29 and 30, 1997, by the innovative trio... This bravura track shows this trio at their best - both in their imaginative reconstructions and recombinations of generic material, and in their tremendous instrumental ability and appeal...Kulak, 29 & 30 is a fascinating document of one of today's top trios at work. Don't miss it." www.allaboutjazz.com
Recording Information
Liner Notes

"ONE GREAT DAY..." (hatOLOGY 502)
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Andrea Parkins: accordion & sampler
Jim Black: drums

****1/2 stars
"...he's come up with a startlingly new concept, a new
approach to structuring jazz work and stimulating improvisations..." DownBeat, January 1997

"Eskelin could get away with murder. That tone is all the
alibi he'd need...incarnating the horn's romantic tradition
while inking fresh initials on it's tattooed heart." Jazziz, January 1997

"Coming from Baltimore, Eskelin's compositions have much in common with fellow Baltimorean
John Waters' films. They mine the tradition for its contradictions and use those as a place to
build something new that can only be marked with an individual signature...
This is one of America's truly great offerings to the music of the world."
All Music Guide
Recording Information
Liner Notes