Art Ellefson

Having learned trumpet and euphonium as a boy, he began playing tenor saxophone at 16 and began his career with Bobby Gimby in Toronto.[2] In 1952 he moved to London where he worked with Carl Barriteau, Allan Ganley, Harry Hayes, Ted Heath, Vic Lewis, and Ronnie Ross.[3] In April 1959 he toured with Woody Herman's Anglo-American Herd and with Maynard Ferguson.[4] By the early 1960s he had toured in the US with Vic Lewis and joined the Johnny Dankworth Orchestra.[1] There was a period of freelance work (including, in October 1968 playing on the track Savoy Truffle by The Beatles),[5] before Ellefson left the UK to live in Bermuda and then returned to Canada in 1974. There he played tenor saxophone with Nimmons 'N' Nine Plus Six for the next three years. In February 1976 he recorded with the Kenny Wheeler Quintet in Toronto. In the 1980s he released two albums under his own name: The Art Ellefson Trio (1981) and The Art Ellefson Quartet featuring Tommy Flanagan.[1] In 1988 he taught at Malaspina College. His quartet included Gary Williamson, Ian McDougall, and Dave Piltch..[2] In 1992 the album As if to Say, credited to Art Ellefson & Jazz Modus, was released on the Sackville label.[6]

According to music writer Jack Batten "his sound seems a direct extension of the old masters... [Coleman] Hawkins and [Ben] Webster and Lucky Thompson, and so is his sing-song lyricism, but the drive and naked passion of his playing comes from later, more beboppy tenor men'.[7]

• Bavin, Pam. "Canadians in London 2". Art Ellefson, Coda, vol. 4, Nov 1961
• Brown, Don. Liner notes for The Art Ellefson Quartet, Unisson DDA-005