JEV1A

Don used to say; "And now here one that is longer than your Zip Code!

I'm shocked and saddened by the loss of Bruce Ricker. He expressed great interest and praise for my Film on Don Ellis and he was a major influence in my own artistic endeavors whether it was Filmmaking or Producing. Bruce's love for Jazz and all pure musical art forms reached out to so many that knew him. His legacy will always be remembered by the great Films that he made, was involved in and Distributed. -John Vizzusi

For the Ellis fans and fellow musicians: USA Release of Electric Heart "Special Edition" DVD Available for purchase on My link or E-Bay Store: My link Award Winning Documentary Film, Interviews with Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Gunther Schuller, Milcho Leviev and many more! 150 minutes of Extras, including behind the scenes interviews and 2005 Don Ellis Alumni Band "Live" Only Feature Length Film on Don Ellis ever produced. Check it out... John V. / Sights & Sounds Films e-mail: centralhsd@earthlink.net

I want to thank all those that have so-far purchased the ELECTRIC HEART "Special Edition" DVD as well as your great comments and reviews I have read here in this forum. My Film so far in 2009 was invited to The Library of Congress and I dedicated a special archival Library Copy as referrence material, so now we can all say the name of Don Ellis will live on. I also won Best Feature Documentary Award at The Kansas City Film Festival. I have slowed down the promotion of my film for this summer because of mainly budget constraints but have been offered to bring my film into Austin, Texas late August. Sleepy Night Records whom published the DVD has it for sale in The United Kingdom & The British Isles through Amazon, Borders and many other major outlets but you can order directly from http://www.sleepynightrecords.com or go: http://www.donellisfilm.com and click on the Amazon UK Link at the top. It normally takes about 2 weeks for shipping if you are ordering from USA and Canada. The DVD will play in all regions and will play on Computers as well. I'm in the process of a deal with MidWest Tape to get ELECTRIC HEART in public libraries as well. There is very little on Don Ellis as referrence material as you all know. I realize the love for Ellis now more than ever and since my Film has had at least a limited release, there has been great praise for a musician that deserves his due! I still don't understand exactly why Ellis is not so well known. At the very least his charts should be researched more and his music played. I asked public radio to play his music and they told me it was too "electric" for their orchestrated big band shows. I asked public television to air ELECTRIC HEART and they told me nobody would care about it! What is it with Ellis that people seem to resent? Are his musical compositions that far out that nobody gets it? People do remember The French Connection and his other Scores ( The Seven-Ups just released Soundtrack) but that only happened because his doctor said he needed to rest and get off the road. So he sat home and composed... he sent Glenn Stuart out on the road for him and then when Don was healthy enough, he came back on tour and created his final band, The Electric & Star Wars Orchestra. My favorite will always be The Tears of Joy Bands but whatever Ellis did, it all somehow seemed to work! I just wish his Producers in those days, with the likes of John Hammond and Al Kooper would have let him do his own thing and not try to gimmick him out to pursue better records sales. The Ellis story is nothing like anything I have ever imagined simply because you have this creative genius that everyone seemed to like, not only his music but the person too... a guy that stayed away from booze and hard drugs and a musician at heart but because his sounds were so odd metered he was shunned by records companies! To me Jazz needed to change to keep up with Rock & Roll and Ellis's own version of Fusion may have been the first to transform Jazz into everything else. Maybe that pissed off the Jazz fans, I don't know... but for myself when I saw Ellis play, it was like nothing I had ever experienced then and now. So that is why I decided to make a biographical film on him. But the Distributors are telling me its too hard of a sell, first musical Docs. in general, second movies about people nobody has ever heard of. So I'm still searching for a American Distributor that can at the least sell the DVD in the States. Its sad... the state of classic jazz records, jazz education and jazz oriented films and the like but I can only keep fighting for the name of Donald Johnson Ellis to stay alive and for my film not to end up being forgotton too. So if by chance this long winded message gets through to a Ellis fan that can help me with marketing, that is what I need presently. Thanks again for all your kind thoughts... John V. / ELECTRIC HEART E-MAIL: centralhsd@earthlink.net

Hello all Don Ellis fans: Last April 15th (TAX Day in the USA) I presented my Feature Documentary Film ELECTRIC HEART, the Biography of Don Ellis to "The Library of Congress" in a Special Screening at The -Mary Pickford Theater in The James Madison Building in Washington D.C. It was a cold, rainy and generally speaking.. a miserable day in the Nations Capitol. The Screening was set for 7:00 - 9pm with Discussion and Q&A. I metup with Larry Applebaum whom is the Archival Musical Curator and the small audience was seated. I was astounded that the rain soaked audience even came out and they seemed mesmorized with the Film not making a sound as most of my Audiences always applaud and or laugh or ?? during certain segments of the Film. But all I was getting was silence... When the end credits rolled, applause broke out and I was happy that they were actually still there and seated. Larry introduced me and we went into discussion immediately on general topical issues of Don Ellis and my Production of the Film. That is when a mysterious Lady... (I won't mention a name here) stood up and told me that she lived with Connie & Don for sometime and knew both very well during Don's East Coast years... but most of all she declared that the Film told her a story that she did not know before. All the sides of Don that were somehow new to her! She was almost in tears explaining that my Film was the true and untold story of Don's life and hopefully everyone can get a chance to see it. Well lest to say, this was and is the highest compliment a Filmmaker can ever get, expecially with a Documentary Film I Produced, Wrote and Directed and never even met Mr. Ellis. Just before the end of the Screening, I dedicated a Special Library Copy of ELECTRIC HEART to The Library of Congress. The sole purpose of myself and Producers making this Film was to rightfully put Ellis back in the place he belongs in Jazz, at the top! And this evening proved that someone forgotton somehow in the Musical World can be brought back to life for all to enjoy. I hope you have enjoyed my own Testimonial of a night I will never forget. Long live Donald Johnson Ellis (1934-1978) John Vizzusi, Filmmaker ELECTRIC HEART don ellis Sights & Sounds Films and Sleepy Night Records present -Jazz had to Invent a New Term when it came to Don Ellis ENGLISH, 70 Minutes, Not Rated Official Website: http://www.DonEllisFilm.com Distributors Website: http://www.sleepynightrecords.com

There's about 5-10 minutes of footage from the Monterey concert. One of the numbers has a Glenn Ferris trombone solo and the other track is a Patti Allen vocal feature I think. Hello, this is the Filmmaker of ELECTRIC HEART. My Film features several segements of the 1969 "Live" at The Concord Jazz Festival with The Don Ellis Band with Jazz Vocalist Patti Allen during their Underground Tour. I was not allowed to use any of The Monterey Concert footage Produced by Ralph Gleason for WNET New York. Thanks John V.

Hello, this is the Filmmaker of ELECTRIC HEART. I was not allowed to use any of the 1967 "Live" at The Monterey Jazz Festival Footage for my Commercial Film and it is only available through a Stock Footage Company in Los Angeles. However, I do have a PROMO DVD that was utilized during my Funding Stage that does show the Piece "New Horizons" from that Concert. I can only ask for a Donation for this DVD and it cannot be used for any Commercial purposes. If you want the DVD, I cannot even suggest a price you can pay though PAYPAL at my verified Business E-MAIL address: Centralhsd@earthlink.net Or send check made payable to John Vizzusi, Filmmaker I hope you enjoy ELECTRIC HEART DVD. John V. Sights & Sounds Films 1409 Oak Place #K Apopka, Florida 32712 USA

Thanks very much for your comments on my Film ELECTRIC HEART and the DVD Release. You can purchase Directly from http://www.DonEllisFilm.com either from the Distributor or Amazon U.K. and Sleepy Night Records. Sad to say, most of the footage found was in poor shape and what my Film features had to be painstakingly restored, both the video and audio. The Film is 70 minutes and just won the Grand Prize for Best Feature Documentary at The 2009 Kansas City Film Festival. Gary Gillies, Producer at Sleepy Night Records added all the extras on the DVD including his own Tribute to Don Ellis. I hope you all enjoy the one and only Film ever made about Don Ellis. I'm still in need of a North American Distributor and someone to Distribute my Film into Universities Music Departments and Library's in the USA & Canada. You can contact me Directly at tele: 407-310-2774 or E-Mail: CentralStateProductions@earthlink.net -Long live the incredible but somehow forgotton Don Ellis John Vizzusi, Filmmaker

First off... Jazz is Jazz and that musical form and or genre should be just that! Not Smooth Jazz or Real Jazz or Straight Ahead Jazz... just JAZZ! Its the suits and record company execs guiding us into new territories not set forth by the original art form. Smooth Jazz can also be catagorized as Adult Contemporary but since it makes money, very few real music critics complain about the term Jazz still being referred or stolen to tag what is really a fabricated music made to make money as the post so plainly states. Thank you and lets hope real jazz fans realize this. JEV / The Don Ellis Story

Don was never interested in being a so-called a showman! He dedicated his life and music to what he felt was the advancement of the jazz form and his own brand of music never heard before. He thrived on non-commerciality and was under-produced and mis-managed by record company's and their suits and producers that could not categorize him. His original outfits came as part of a campaign in 1969 to make Ellis a gimmick and mix him up with the rock scene of that era. Whatever the case, you can't take away the memories of those that witnessed The Don Ellis Band "Live". Nothing like it... then and now! JEV / The Don Ellis Story

The Film is currently on the Film Festival Circuit as well as Screening at Jazz Festivals and the like. If you can setup a screening in your area, DVD Screeners are available. ELECTRIC HEART don ellis http://www.donellisfilm.com E-Mail: centralhsd@earthlink.net

ELECTRIC HEART don ellis http://www.donellisfilm.com -Jazz had to invent a New Term when it came to Don Ellis! 2008 Screenings include: Orlando Florida / Premiere Theater / Fashion Square February 29, 2008 7:30pm Moderated by Hector Torres w/ Filmmaker in atendance. SOFIA International Film Festival w/ Composer Pianist Milcho Leviev March 9 Venue TBA DVD Screeners available to those wanting to setup screenings and special events. Special one-of-a-kind Promotional DVD & Cd's "Lost Footage" available via ELECTRIC HEART website. World Rights are available "ELECTRIC HEART" is not so much a Film about Jazz but a Film about a man that re-defined Jazz! -John Vizzusi, Filmmaker e-mail: Centralhsd@earthlink.net Ellis Film Hotline: 1-407-310-2774