One of jazz's most iconoclastic figures, trumpeter/composer Don Ellis was responsible for some of the most unique sounds in jazz from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. Born in Los Angeles, Ellis was inspired to pick up the trumpet after being exposed to the music of Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. After a stint in the military, Ellis became involved in the burgeoning avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, working with such luminaries as Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy and George Russell.

Postgraduate studies in ethnomusicology at UCLA led Ellis to develop a fascination with Indian folk music, specifically its use of unusual time signatures. His first breakthrough attempt at fusing his new found love with jazz was a group called the Hindustani Jazz Sextet, which achieved semi-notoriety around the Los Angeles area in the mid-1960s.

Ellis' greatest successes, however, would come with the formation of his big band. This highly progressive organization featured arrangements in such time signatures as 19/8 and 27/16, as well as taking significant cues from the psychedelic rock scene that was beginning to emerge on the West Coast at the time. This was all aided by Ellis' willingess to experiment with his own playing; during this time he frequently hooked his trumpet up to electronic effects, as well as having a custom four-valve trumpet made for him that allowed him to play quarter tones.

Ellis' most widespread popular recognition came in 1971, when director William Friedkin had him compose the soundtrack to his multiple Acadamy Award winning film "The French Connection." Ellis himself would win a Grammy award for his compositions for the film. Similarly, his band's recording of Hank Levy's "Whiplash" in 1973 would become the musical basis for an acclaimed 2014 film of the same name.

Attempting to maintain an extremely busy schedule of touring and composing led to severe health issues for Ellis beginning in 1974. Despite continued warnings from his doctor, Ellis continued to maintain his intense routines, ultimately leading to his untimely passing in 1978.