Don Ellis生于1934年7月25号，因为母亲是钢琴家，所以很早被发现了他的音乐天分，于是鼓励他学习钢琴。五岁时便可以快速精准的将曲子移调。不过他自己却对钢琴兴趣缺缺，反倒是对小喇叭情有独钟。他高中时，已经有自己率领的dance band，而也因此接触到爵士乐。在56年毕业后，马上就开始的爵士乐手的演奏生涯。 Don Ellis的初期很辛苦（虽然之后也还是很辛苦），根据他父亲的回忆，他一开始什都没有，只有一只牙刷，一把剪刀，和一支小喇叭。好不容易有家音乐公司赏识他，想要帮他出唱片。不过进了几次录音间后，那家公司竟然破产倒闭了。好在不久之后，便在Nat Hentoff的厂牌Candid之下，他终于首次挂头牌录制了『How Time Passes』和『Out of Nowhere』。 1963年与印度西塔琴手Hari Har Rao的「奇遇」对他未来的音乐发展有莫大影响。虽然Don Ellis之前已创作过19/4拍的曲子，但是接触了节奏使用复杂精致印度的古老音乐，他才知道自己对节拍和节奏的了解有多无知。于是他便决定暂时退出纽约的爵士圈，而进入UCLA跟随修Hari Har修习硕士学位。 到65为止，Don Ellis除了学习演奏复杂节拍的基础技巧，像是polyrhythms和superimpositions等等。更重要的是，他也接触到许多如印度、土耳其和东欧等非西方传统的音乐。
by Scott Yanow
A talented trumpeter with a vivid musical imagination and the willingness to try new things, Don Ellis led some of the most colorful big bands of the 1965-75 period. After graduating from Boston Unversity, Ellis played in the big bands of Ray McKinley, Charlie Barnet and Maynard Ferguson (he was featured with the latter on Three More Foxes), recorded with Charles Mingus and played with George Russells sextet (at the same time as Eric Dolphy). Ellis led four quartet and trio sessions during 1960-62 for Candid, New Jazz and Pacific Jazz, mixing together bop, free jazz and his interest in modern classical music. However it was in 1965 when he put together his first orchestra that he really started to make an impression in jazz. Elliss big bands were distinguished by their unusual instrumentation (which in its early days had up to three bassists and three drummers including Ellis himself), the leaders desire to investigate unusual time changes (including 7/8, 9/8 and even 15/16), its occasionally wacky humor (highlighted by an excess of false endings) and an openness towards using rock rhythms and (in later years) electronics. Ellis invented the four-valve trumpet and utilized a ring modulator and all types of wild electronic devices by the late 60s. By 1971 his band consisted of an eight-piece brass section (including French horn and tuba), a four-piece woodwind section, a string quartet and a two-drum rhythm section. A later unrecorded edition even added a vocal quartet.
Among Don Elliss sidemen were Glenn Ferris, Tom Scott, John Klemmer, Sam Falzone, Frank Strozier, Dave MacKay and the brilliant pianist (straight from Bulgaria) Milcho Leviev. The orchestras most memorable recordings were Autumn, Live at the Fillmore and Tears of Joy (all for Columbia). After suffering a mid-70s heart attack, Ellis returned to live performing, playing the superbone and a later edition of his big band featured Art Pepper. Elliss last recording was at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Fesival, a year before his heart finally gave out.