Liberty Ellman

Biography

Liberty Ellman, born on July 17, 1971, in London, England, moved to the United States at age 10 with his mother, settling in California. Raised in a musical family—his father was a drummer who played in Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, and his mother was a singer-songwriter who performed with Band of Gypsys—Ellman was immersed in music from a young age, living in a SoHo loft where musicians frequently visited. He initially explored various instruments before settling on guitar, inspired by Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, and John McLaughlin's work on In a Silent Way, which sparked his interest in jazz. Ellman studied formally at Sonoma State University starting in 1989, under professors like guitarist Randy Vincent and bassist Mel Graves, who encouraged personalized development.

In the 1990s Bay Area scene, Ellman played diverse gigs including jazz, theater, and hip-hop with groups like Midnight Voices and singer Ledisi, forming key relationships with musicians such as Steve Coleman and Vijay Iyer. Encouraged by Coleman during a 1994 Oakland residency, he relocated to New York in 1998 to pursue jazz deeply. There, he joined Henry Threadgill's groundbreaking ensemble Zooid, contributing to multiple acclaimed albums, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning In For A Penny, In For A Pound, where he also mixed and mastered. As a leader, Ellman has released albums like Orthodoxy, Tactiles, Ophiuchus Butterfly, Radiate, and Last Desert on Pi Recordings, earning praise for his warm tone, nimble technique, unconventional intervals, and original compositional style blending control and invention. Voted #1 Rising Star Guitarist in the 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll, he has collaborated with luminaries like Joe Lovano, Myra Melford, Wadada Leo Smith, and performed in Stan Douglas and Jason Moran's Luanda Kinshasa installation.

Ellman's multifaceted career spans performing worldwide, composing, producing, engineering, and teaching at institutions like The New School and UC Berkeley, including faculty concerts at the California Jazz Conservatory with Dave Liebman, Mark Turner, and Terri Lyne Carrington. His work defines contemporary jazz guitar, bridging tradition with innovation.

Fun Facts

• Received a mysterious breakfast call from Henry Threadgill after his Cuba trip, initially mistaken for a quest for rum or cigars, but it led to joining Zooid.
• Family appeared in a Jimi Hendrix documentary; his mother sang with Band of Gypsys, and they lived in a SoHo loft frequented by Todd Rundgren and others.
• Prince inspired him to commit to guitar; dug through parents' LPs discovering Hendrix, Zeppelin, Miles Davis, and Coltrane.
• Uses Audeze LCD-X headphones for studio mixing, praising them for critical decisions without second-guessing.

Associated Acts

• Dual Identity
• Rosetta Trio - acoustic guitar
• Henry Threadgill’s Zooid - guitar
• Myra Melford's Snowy Egret - guitar
• Go: Organic Guitar Orchestra - electric guitar
• Henry Threadgill’s 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg - guitar

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Steve Coleman - Key early influence and encourager to move to New York (M-Base collective music; 1994 Oakland residency)
• Henry Threadgill - Long-term bandleader and major stylistic influence (Zooid albums including Pulitzer-winning 'In For A Penny, In For A Pound') [1998-present (over 20 years)]
• Randy Vincent - Jazz guitar professor (Studies at Sonoma State University) [1989-early 1990s]
• Mel Graves - Bassist professor who supported individual development (Studies at Sonoma State University) [1989-early 1990s]

Key Collaborators

• Henry Threadgill - Core member of Zooid ensemble; also mixed/mastered (Multiple Zooid albums incl. 'In For A Penny, In For A Pound' (Pulitzer winner)) [1998-present]
• Vijay Iyer - Early Bay Area relationship; jazz pianist (Various early collaborations) [1990s]
• Joe Lovano - Sideman work with major saxophonist (Recordings and performances) [post-1998]
• Myra Melford - Collaborations with pianist (Recordings and performances) [post-1998]
• Wadada Leo Smith - Work with trumpeter (Recordings and performances) [post-1998]
• Dave Liebman - Faculty concerts (California Jazz Conservatory concerts) [recent 20 years]
• Mark Turner - Faculty concerts (California Jazz Conservatory concerts) [recent 20 years]
• Terri Lyne Carrington - Faculty concerts (California Jazz Conservatory concerts) [recent 20 years]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz, #jazz-and-blues