Liberty Ellman
Liberty Ellman (born July 17, 1971, in London, England, United Kingdom) is a jazz guitarist born in London and raised in the United States, beginning in New York City. In the early 1980s, Ellman’s family moved to California. Before leaving New York, Liberty attended Greenwich Village's progressive City and Country School.
In the 1990s, Ellman was associated with the M-Base musical scene active in San Francisco, California, where he played with Vijay Iyer, Miya Masaoka, Ledisi (Anibade), Steve Coleman Eric Crystal, EW Wainwright's African Roots of Jazz, and D'Armous Boone Collective. He also worked with hip hop artists such as the Coup and Midnight Voices, performing opening spots for Pharcyde, Ice Cube, Devo, and The Stray Cats. During this time Ellman also composed for and performed with the San Francisco Mime Troupe. He released his debut album on his own Red Giant Records in 1997, and moved back to New York City the following year.
Since his return to New York Ellman has performed and or recorded with a host of stand out artists including: Joe Lovano, Myra Melford, Wadada Leo Smith, Butch Morris, Steve Lehman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Somi, Matana Roberts, Michele Rosewoman, Josh Roseman, Barney McAll, Okkyung Lee, Ben Goldberg and Greg Osby. In 2014 Ellman worked with Jason Moran as part of Luanda Kinshasa, a video installation by film visionary Stan Douglas. Mr. Ellman is perhaps best known for his long tenure in Henry Threadgill's groundbreaking ensemble, Zooid. Their most recent recording "In For A Penny, In For A Pound" earned a Pulitzer prize for Mr. Threadgill. Mr. Ellman is credited as producer and Mixing Engineer on that recording. He has mixed and mastered many other recordings as well, including Gregory Porter's "Be Good," which was nominated for a Grammy.
Ellman has been featured as a guitarist on many recordings, including 4 of his own critically acclaimed albums: Orthodoxy, Tactiles, Ophiuchus Butterfly, and 2015’s Radiate on Pi Recordings. His compositional style has been described as "At once highly controlled and recklessly inventive,” and the Wall Street Journal said: “Ellman, along with his peers, is helping to define post millennial jazz.” He has also been honored in the Jazz Times expanded critics poll, as one of the four top guitarists of 2015 alongside Bill Frisell, John Scofield and Julian Lage.
Discography
- Orthodoxy (Noir, 1997) with Eric Crystal, Vijay Iyer, DJ Pause, K. Ellington Mingus, Hillel Familant, Rahsaan Fredericks, Babou Sagna, E.W. Wainwright, Brad Hargreaves
- Tactiles (Pi Recordings, 2002) with Mark Shim, Greg Osby, Stephan Crump, Eric Harland
- Ophiuchus Butterfly (2006) with Steve Lehman, Mark Shim. Jose Davila, Stephan Crump, Gerald Cleaver
- Radiate (2015) with Steve Lehman, Stephan Crump, Jose Davila, Jonathan Finlayson, and Damion Reid
References
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