Greg Ellis Biography


	Greg Ellis

KALA RUPA Explorations in Rhythm	Master percussionist Greg Ellis has always been in awe of the power of drums from different cultures. “When layered together, their unique sounds and distinct tonalities can create beautiful melodies. The rhythms become transcendental. In the right hands, these instruments can take you places.”
	The discovery of the extraordinary power of percussion has been leading Ellis down a remarkable musical path that began in his hometown of Los Gatos, California. Starting on trumpet at age 9, he began playing drum set at age 13 and is completely self-taught. He studied classical percussion at San Jose State University but quickly felt stifled by the rudimentary approach to percussion. He decided to put all of his energy into playing drum set and moved to Los Angeles in 1984. It wasn¹t long before Ellis began compiling an impressive list of recording and touring credentials that would include Billy Idol, Mickey Hart, David & David, Keith Emerson, KODO, Mark Curry, and Steve Stevens, as well as numerous film and television projects.
Feeling the need to tap into his own artistic vision, Ellis eventually set up a studio in his house and began composing and producing his own material, as well as music for film and television. Inspired by Mickey Hart’s book, Drumming At The Edge Of Magic, he became deeply aware of the true power of rhythm. He shifted his focus to percussion once again, but this time to the percussion of India, the Middle East, and Africa. He became consumed with collecting instruments and music from around the world. As his exploration of the interplay between percussion instruments from various cultures deepened, Ellis discovered how important it was to record these instruments in ‘real time’, meaning no looping or sequencing. He realized that was the only way to truly tap into the pure devotional spirit of music that so many of his influences – Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain – had long been aware of. In November 1995, Ellis happened to meet Azam Ali at a concert of the Master Musicians of Jajouka at UCLA. At a party afterwards, Greg heard Azam sing for the first time. “I had always imagined a voice in my compositions. Azam was that voice I had been hearing in my head for years.” Ellis and Ali began creating music together the very next day and alternative world music group, Vas, was born. Together, they have three critically-acclaimed albums SUNYATA, OFFERINGS, and IN THE GARDEN OF SOULS that have defined and forever set a new trend in world fusion.

	KALA RUPA On his breakout solo debut, Greg Ellis has fully realized his passion for Eastern percussion. Ellis composed the music for KALA RUPA around the rhythm rather than the melody, allowing the tonal and emotional center of the music to be established by the percussion and rhythm. Employing instruments as culturally diverse as the udu and bendir from Africa, the tabla, dholak, bansuri, and nagara from India, and the riq, tombak and kamancheh from the Middle East, Ellis creates an extraordinary range of sounds, moods, and styles. The drums and rhythms are the centerpiece of the 10 ‘forms’ on the album. As Ellis recalls, “Once the rhythms were complete, I brought in the other musicians who helped to reveal the natural form of each piece. The musicians who took part in this project all have a deep respect for rhythm, which is exhibited in the interplay of the melodic instruments with the percussion. Many times I abandoned my initial ideas of the direction I wanted the music to take as new rhythmic and melodic elements were added. I didn¹t want the music to be forced into any pre-conceived images I might have had, therefore confining it to one reference point. That is why I decided to bypass conventional titles for any of the pieces. I want the listener to start in a neutral space of his or her own experience.”