Life and people
Hank Levy and Don Ellis
The teacher who introduced me to Don Ellis.
Hank Levy (1927–2001) was a composer and arranger from Baltimore who wrote for the Don Ellis Orchestra and later for Stan Kenton, and who led the jazz program at Towson State. I studied composition with him there from 1987 to 1989, one of Hank’s last students. It was Hank who introduced me to the music of Don Ellis.
Hank’s music on Ellis’s albums
- Connection (1972): “Chain Reaction”, which Hank considered his finest effort for the Ellis ensemble.
- Tears of Joy (1971): “Samba Bajada”.
- Live in 3 2/3 /4 Time (1966): “Thetis” and “Bossa Nueva Nova”.
- Don Ellis at Fillmore (1970): “Antea”.
- Electric Bath (1967): “Alone”.
- Soaring (1973): “Whiplash”.
The interview
In April 1995 I interviewed Hank about Don for my dissertation. The tape was nearly inaudible for thirty years, until AI recovered parts of it in 2026. Read what came back, and what did not.
More about Hank
I keep a separate site about him: HankLevyMusic.com, with a sourced timeline, his music, his program notes and an odd-meter player.