Arthur Albert Ellefson (17 April 1932 – 2018)
/ref> was a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist who worked in the UK during the 1950s and 1960s.

Biography

Having learned

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

and

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

as a boy, he began playing

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

at 16 and began his career with

Bobby Gimby Bobby Gimby, OC (October 25, 1918 – June 20, 1998) was a Canadian orchestra leader, trumpeter, and singer-songwriter. Biography He was born Robert Stead Gimby (pronounced Jim-bee) in Cabri, Saskatchewan, a small town of about 300 people. ...

in Toronto. In 1952, he moved to London where he worked with

Carl Barriteau Carl Alrich Stanley Barriteau (7 February 1914 – 24 August 1998)Val Wilmer, "Barriteau, Carl Aldric Stanley (1914–1998)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 201accessed 15 January 201 ...

Allan Ganley Allan Anthony Ganley (11 March 1931 – 29 March 2008) was an English jazz drummer and arranger. Career Ganley was born in Tolworth, Surrey, England. A self-taught drummer, in the early 1950s Ganley played in the dance band led by Bert Ambrose. ...

, Harry Hayes,

Ted Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

Vic Lewis Victor Lewis MBE (29 July 1919 – 9 February 2009) was a British jazz guitarist and bandleader. He also enjoyed success as an artists' agent and manager. Biography He was born in London, England. Lewis began playing the guitar at the age o ...

, and

Ronnie Ross Albert Ronald Ross (2 October 1933 – 12 December 1991) was a British jazz baritone saxophonist. Life Born in Calcutta, India, to Scottish parents, Ross moved to England in 1946 and was educated at the Perse School in Cambridge. He beg ...

. In April 1959, he toured with

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

's Anglo-American Herd and with

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

. By the early 1960s, he had toured in the US with Vic Lewis and joined the Johnny Dankworth Orchestra. There was a period of freelance work (including, in October 1968 playing on the track "

Savoy Truffle "Savoy Truffle" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by George Harrison and inspired by his friend Eric Clapton's fondness for chocolate. The ...

" by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

), before Ellefson left the UK to live in Bermuda and then returned to Canada in 1974. There he played tenor saxophone with Nimmons 'N' Nine Plus Six for the next three years. In February 1976, he recorded with the Kenny Wheeler Quintet in Toronto. In the 1980s, he released two albums under his own name: ''The Art Ellefson Trio'' (1981) and ''The Art Ellefson Quartet featuring

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

''. In 1988, he taught at

Malaspina College Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and earlier as Malaspina College) is a Canadian public university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College began in 196 ...

. His quartet included Gary Williamson, Ian McDougall, and Dave Piltch. In 1992, the album ''As if to Say'', credited to Art Ellefson & Jazz Modus, was released on the Sackville label. According to music writer Jack Batten "his sound seems a direct extension of the old masters... olemanHawkins and enWebster and Lucky Thompson, and so is his sing-song lyricism, but the drive and naked passion of his playing comes from later, more beboppy tenor men'.

Discography

As leader

* 1981 ''The Art Ellefson Trio'' * 1985 ''The Art Ellefson Quartet'' featuring Tommy FlanaganDiscogs
/ref> * 1992 ''As If to Say'' ( Sackville)

As sideman

* 1959 ''The Swinging Sounds of the Jazzmakers'',

* 1968 ''Third Face of Fame'',

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...

* 1976 ''1976'',

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...

* 1997 ''Atlantic Suite/Suite P.E.I./Tributes'',

Phil Nimmons Phillip Rista Nimmons, (born June 3, 1923) is a Canadian jazz clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and educator. Nimmons is known for playing in a "Free Jazz" and mainstream styles. As well as playing jazz, Nimmons also played other genres, notab ...

* 1998 ''Ridin' High: The British Sessions 1960–1971'',

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)

Bibliography

*Bavin, Pam. "Canadians in London 2". Art Ellefson, ''Coda'', vol. 4, Nov 1961 *Brown, Don. Liner notes for ''The Art Ellefson Quartet'', Unisson DDA-005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellefson, Art 1932 births 2018 deaths people from Moose Jaw Musicians from Saskatchewan 21st-century saxophonists Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Canadian jazz saxophonists 20th-century saxophonists