clark terry – recording academy® lifetime achievement award: ct at hilton hotel nyc, 2004

William Ellis — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:36:43 +0000

Jimmy Heath with Clark Terry and friends

Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, Jon Hendricks and Horace Silver

Congratulations to Clark Terry on his recent award recognising his great contribution to the culture. These photographs were taken at the IAJE International Conference in January 2004, so sorry I don’t know who the lady is but I do know who is sitting behind her – is that Maria Callas too, Nancy Wilson’s throne awaits.

I don’t normally use flash but on these two occasions it was needed, won’t tell what I was called at the side of the stage – it was a blinding flash.

In Memory – Ed Thigpen: Toronto, 2003

William Ellis — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:27:50 +0000

I met Ed Thigpen backstage a few minutes before he was due to play with Benny Green and Russell Malone at the IAJE International Conference. The atmosphere was very relaxed so I asked him if he had a little time to spare so that I could photograph him, he smiled so I asked him to step over towards the stage manager’s lectern which a little shielded light on it bouncing the light up from the papers on it and made this portrait. We met up again at the Hilton in New York in 2006, it was great to see him, he was as busy as ever and chatted for a while about what we’d been up to – projects, gigs and it was such a pleasure to give him a large print of the picture you see here, he was so pleased and so was I.

A wonderful man and a real Master, we’ll all miss him. Bless.

Click here to view the embedded video.

William Ellis » USA

clark terry – recording academy® lifetime achievement award: ct at hilton hotel nyc, 2004

In Memory – Ed Thigpen: Toronto, 2003