AS A LEADER:

The Pearls (Intakt 2019)
Sensations of Tone (Intakt 2017)
Trio Willisau Live (hatOLOGY 2016)
Solo Live at Snugs (hatOLOGY 2015)
Mirage (Clean Feed, 2013)
Trio New York II (prime source 2013)
Trio New York (prime source 2011)
One Great Night...Live (hatOLOGY 2009)
Every So Often (prime source 2008)
Quiet Music (prime source 2006)
Ten (hatOLOGY 2004)
Arcanum Moderne (hatOLOGY 2002)
12 (+1) Imaginary Views (hatOLOGY 2001)

Vanishing Point (hatOLOGY 2000)
The Secret Museum (hatOLOGY 1999)
Ramifications (hatOLOGY 1999)
Dissonant Characters (hatOLOGY 1998)
Five Other Pieces (+2) (hatOLOGY 1998)
Kulak 29 & 30 (hatOLOGY 1997)
One Great Day (hatOLOGY 1996)
The Sun Died (Soul Note, 1996)
Green Bermudas (Eremite, 1996)
Jazz Trash (Song Lines 1994)
Premonition - solo tenor saxophone (prime source 1992)
Figure of Speech (Soul Note 1991)
Forms (Open Minds 1990)
Setting the Standard (Cadence Jazz 1988)

The Pearls (Intakt CD 331)

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Christian Weber: bass
Michael Griener: drums

Recorded 2018

Sensations of Tone (Intakt CD 276)

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Christian Weber: bass
Michael Griener: drums

Recorded 2017

Ellery Eskelin Trio Willisau Live (hatOLOGY 741)

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Gary Versace: Hammond B3 Organ
Gerry Hemingway: drums

Recorded 2016

SOLO LIVE AT SNUGS / 61 LOCAL (hatOLOGY 731)

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone

Recorded 2015

MIRAGE (clean feed CF 271)

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Susan Alcorn: pedal steel guitar
Michael Formanek: double bass

Recorded 2013

TRIO NEW YORK II (prime source 7010)

Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone
Gary Versace: Hammond organ
Gerald Cleaver: drums

Recorded 2013

"…a real-deal organ-trio album…" (New York Times, Sunday July 31st, 2011)

"They’re not trying to meet expectations, but they’re not trying to challenge them either. They are just, in this modern world, in this big city, grooving." (THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD, August 2011)

"Trio New York is good, intelligent fun, relaxed but engaged and very hip. It may be avant-garde, but it’s still organ combo jazz." (Point of Departure.org, Issue 35 - June 2011)

 "Eskelin loves the hard-boiled tenor tradition once embodied by Gene Ammons and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, though, and because he remains in touch with the combination of the tender and the brusque central to the code even at his most abstract, these interpretations are as moving as they are thought-provoking." (The Village Voice, NYC December 2011)

**** stars )Downbeat Magazine)

"...grandly complex and yet effortlessly direct statements - above all they're collective statements by a supremely confident group." (The Wire - July 2009)

"This live date highlights the trio's all-encompassing aura, which, of course, initiates a singular identity that is realized by few, if any, of its peers." (All About Jazz July, 2009)

**** stars (Downbeat Magazine)

"This hour of sonically stellar studio recordings never lacks for innovation nor repeats ideas." (All About Jazz May, 2009)

 "The two musicians find common ground in their shared devotion to careful listening and ego-less creation. There’s a naked purity to this music. Broken harmonies, tangled skeins of melody, garbled cries and transparent emotionalism are products of an extraordinary musicality made explicit by artists who don’t let their considerable (individual and collective) virtuosity get in the way of direct expression. Honest and uncompromising, and all the more beautiful for it."

(JazzTimes, May 2009)

"It's an equal partnership full of subtle intelligence with no place for grandstanding...Hemingway demonstrates impressive command of timbre, but doesn’t shy away from incorporating that extended vocabulary into a loose limbed swing. Eskelin proves the perfect match: a master of texture and undulating lines, oozing rhythmic awareness and soul even within the most skittering abstractions...the ferocious attention to detail rewards close listening."

(All About Jazz NY - January 2011)

"...another in an increasingly amazing discography for the tenor saxophonist." (Pitchfork Media)

"...shows no sign of settling into a predictable groove." (Time Out New York)

"...a stunning achievement." (Santa Fe New Mexican)

"Eskelin demonstrates his distinctive melange of flavors and intensities throughout, and the band exudes intelligence without borders...an impressive and expansive statement.” (JazzTimes Magazine)

"What's most interesting about these discs are the continuous changes of atmosphere, making for a varied listening experience and testifying to the force of this trio, that reinvents today's jazz with a mind-blowing inventiveness: there is not a single useless, repetitive, boring moment, in these two hours of music." (All About Jazz Italy)

"...the results are sophisticated and beautiful...lucidity, born of intense and sensitive listening, reigns, and Eskelin is able to preserve his trio's characteristic sound in the full group setting". (Bagatellen)

“...this wide-ranging music feels almost like a consolidation of the previous decade's explorations, even though it contains plenty of surprises; you can hear the whole history of jazz in Eskelin's horn, as well as this trio's entire journey in the music they play here...This disc is a fitting tribute to the longevity of one of the finest working bands in improvised music.” (Dusted Magazine) 

“Another skill Eskelin has evidently picked up over the years is a sense of pacing and atmosphere that contributes to the overall enjoyment of a CD. The somber melancholy of much of the material is a testament to both Eskelin's vision and the almost astonishing cohesion of the ad-hoc groupings over two days of improvising in the studio...A marvelous recording, seriously recommended.” (Cadence Magazine 06/2005)

“Nevertheless Ten manifests an increase in intensity over Eskelin's previous ten CDs on the HAT label. Parallel with this intensity he appears to play less, artfully insinuating himself into the patterns woven by his longtime band mates and guests. Eskelin's body of work keeps growing like his solos: there is always a story line counterbalanced by an air of mystery. You can never predict where he and band mates are going to end up. That makes him not an iconoclast, but rather one of the most creative and interesting of contemporary composers and tenor players.” (Coda Magazine March, April 2005)

“...an improvised symphony with twelve distinct but related movements. The six musicians on the album play in various combinations, and Eskelin seems a musical polyglot: here playing fast and furious, there with an almost melancholic intimacy. One tune seems like an oblique paean to punk, another to circus music and cabaret. The singer Jessica Constable--one of three guests-- is a revelation. On the second cut, she sings a quiet line of wordless, atonal plainsong. Unfettered from the burden of a text, her voice becomes an abstract sound sculpture that is disquieting, compelling--and slightly unhinged. Eskelin's tenor dances delicately around the voice. He gently slaps the reed with his tongue, and you can hear the air going through the horn as he slowly creates a pulse around which Constable--whose voice has the huskiness of Beth Gibbons and the crystalline ring of Björk--winds down her improvisation.” (The New Republic on-line March 2005) 

"This is Eskelin jazz, folks; it's full of pathos, humor, and musically sanctified soul." (Thom Jurek, All Music Guide)

"a significant unearthing of important archival material by one of the top musical minds in jazz. Vigorously recommended..." (Glenn Astarita - Jazz Review)

"The performances are confident and heartfelt, and Eskelin's tenor sounds great against the rhythm section of Drew Gress and Phil Haynes." (Kurt Gottschalk, All About Jazz NY)

“Eskelin shows a remarkable control. He is angular, he cavorts, he breaks lines and zips in with short phrases, but he never scoots over the top. He balances melody with freeform movement, and in bringing them together gives his music sinew and soul.” (All About Jazz)

 **** (4 stars Downbeat Magazine)

"There's a joy at the base of the ensemble's sound and they navigate their improvisations through often-uncharted territory in engaging fashion. Thanks to his ceaseless imagination and the group's distinctive instrumentation, Eskelin and company avoid the trappings of a traditional sax trio.” (DownBeat Magazine, November 2003)

"...the listener should come to expect the unexpected. It's partly  about Eskelin's blustery lines intermixed with Parkins' swirling accordion maneuvers and Black's odd-metered backbeats. At times, the trio moves forward with the semblances of a rumbling freight train, via driving pulses and moments of compositional deconstruction. Nevertheless, the musicians seem equally comfortable when either engaging in a bit of controlled mayhem or executing trance-like choruses and soul-searching lyricism. This is yet another superb effort by one of the best groups in the business.” (All Music Guide)

"...his group has made the virtually miraculous discovery of playing new jazz that isn't 1) hopelessly traditional or 2) hopelessly experimental...Arcanum Moderne is the eighth release by this trio, and, like its predecessors, is an excellent example of how vibrant jazz can be in a world where rock, hip-hop and electronic music are the dominant forms of artistic music expression." Pitchfork Media

"One of the truly great working bands out there, fast approaching the 10-year mark, this trio continues to create weird, bewitching music at the highest level. Equal parts brains and booty..this album raises the bar yet again." Cadence, October 2003

"Best CD of newly released music in 2003...This is one of the best groups in improvised music...This CD finds the cutting edge trio in brilliant form, building lyrical swells in fragmented opuses." (Stephen Middleton)

Jazz Man Magazine (Paris) awards this CD the "CHOC" (their highest review recommendation).

"His new album, 'Twelve (+1) Imaginary Views' (Hatology), has plenty of hustling, original, abrupt music." (The New York Times, Nov. 22, 2002)

"The basis for this outing relates to tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin's references to ‘imaginary’ musical works - the bulk of this material is centered upon the trio's improvisational acumen. Few would argue that this ensemble is perhaps one of the finest units in progressive jazz." (Downbeat Magazine, July 2002)

"This is a man who has seemingly taken it upon himself (and conspirators Jim Black and Andrea Parkins) to find the missing link between jazz, rock, electronic music, pop and plain old everyday static...Furthermore, though I took this stuff without so much as a second thought, I would be hard-pressed to say what kind of music they were playing...Best of all, this lack of a label applies to every second of music on the album...Like Monk, his music is often simple on the surface, but repeated listens reveal a marvelously advanced efficiency in the arrangements (as a bass-less trio, this is a plus) and compositions. Fittingly, this group plays the old master's "Oska T" as a virtual encore at the end of the disc. (pitchforkmedia.com March 20th, 2002) 

The French magazine "Diapason" awarded this recording a "Diapason d'Or", February 2002

"...the musical interplay, the sensitivity between the players and the adventurousness of their hearts and minds is awe-inspiring. (**** The Birmingham Post, UK)

"These five players are daring in their trust for one another. Their agitations of materials in a never-ending present suggest the action paintings of Jackson Pollack. Like Pollack's drip paintings, Eskelin's music delights in purposeful accident. But there are five artists flinging color on this canvas; somehow, they don't make a mess. They listen closely, react instinctively and find complex counterpoint sonorities on the fly. Individual movements contrast and congeal. Microtonal details (from stringed instruments plucked and bowed) accumulate to dense yet delicate texture. Within the multiple calls and responses are sudden revelations of space and light." (**** Down Beat, May 2002)

"How Eskelin manages to turn out the number of beautifully contoured, concise musical statements he does without any preconceived structure is up to him to explain. But regardless of the method, Vanishing Point is fairly well stocked with not only shining moments, which many a free session does happen upon, but also entire songs that are ear-catching from end to end." (Jazz Times May 2002)

"Does Ellery Eskelin ever lead a group with less than outstanding results? This is his sixth recording for a series of limited edition CDs produced by the adventurous Swiss label, hatOLOGY, and like its predecessors, it is a winner all the way...There is an intense lyricism produced that belies the common conception of free improvisation. The strings and vibes stand on their own, with the saxophonist's exquisite tone drawing, blending, and contrasting its timbre." (Steven A. Loewy, All Music Guide.)

"Some people will probably criticize this "devious" album but, honestly, it feels like a breath of fresh air and reaffirms Eskelin's position as a true creator." (March, 2001, allmusic.com) 

"Their music has rarely sounded so effortless and straightforward...This is smart, complex music, but it never lacks heart." (Down Beat Magazine, May 2001)

"The three players have now traveled the same wavelength for so long that they have become part and parcel of the same advanced organism." (SIGNAL TO NOISE #22, summer 2001)

"Ellery Eskelin is a gifted tenor saxophonist whose bold, pungent tone, remarkable range and uncanny facility on the instrument should naturally rank him right up there with the leading lights of today's jazz scene. And yet, his experimental streak often places him well beyond the walls of the jazz establishment. Hence, Eskelin is an outcast, a Herculean player with an extremely fertile imagination who remains keen on collaborating with musical upstarts who also defy convention. On the adventurous The Secret Museum he has found some real kindred spirits indeed in keyboardist Andrea Parkins and the superb drummer/percussionist Jim Black." (Jazz Times Magazine, May 2001)

Reached #2 on the CMJ Charts, August 21, 2000

Jazz Man Magazine (Paris) awards this CD the "CHOC" (their highest review recommendation).

“...it's a beautiful showcase for the rich timbres of Eskelin's quintet of cello, accordion, tuba and percussion...Eskelin's most vivid episodic works to date...Ramifications suggests that Eskelin's compelling voice as a tenor saxophonist and his bold compositional sensibility - which he aptly likens to filmmaking, given his penchant for a jump-cut approach to structure - have reached a new level of integrated creativity.” (Sonic Net, by Bill Shoemaker)

"..thoughtful, playful and lyrical imagination and execution...laced with humor and features Eskelin dancing his tenor over the tuba-cello/drums accordion rhythm, what a beautiful sound..." (Downbeat Magazine, October 2000)

****1/2 (4 & 1/2 stars, Downbeat Magazine)

"...masterfully performed." (Downbeat October 2000)

December 2002, Jazzman Magazine (France) includes "Five Other Pieces (+2) as one of 50 recordings that define the sound of the last decade. 

"Staying true to the music of others, while deconstructing and reformulating a new synthesis, makes this a more accessible though no less innovative recording than the trio's other excellent issues." (All Music Guide)

"Audiophiles will wet their drawers, guaranteed...improvisations of as high-spirited, inventive a quality as it's been this writer's pleasure to hear." (Mike Silverton La Folia Volume 2 Number 1)

 "In this duet with New Yorker Ellery Eskelin, Bennink has found as formidable an opponent in an American as he did in Sonny Rollins some years back." (All Music Guide)

"This joyful tussle between American saxophonist Eskelin and Dutch drummer Bennink is serious fun from beginning to end. Foxy veteran Bennink's energy and drive -- absurd, majestic, unremitting, and unforgiving to those who can't keep up -- spurs the younger Eskelin into some of his most formidable playing on record." (JAZZIZ, February 2000)

Jazz Man Magazine (Paris) awards this CD the "CHOC" (their highest review recommendation).

"This is some enjoyably organized madness which needs to be heard to be believed." (Signal to Noise/issue#12 july aug 1999)

"On tenor sax, Eskelin is The Man -- quite possibly one of the two or three best tenors on the scene." (Motion - Interactive Services for New Music)

"The album's production and sound quality are superb, bringing the organic percussion and saxophone tones together with Parkins' more modern keyboards in a way that, despite sounding a little unusual at first, is ultimately coherent and tastefully done. All in all, Kulak 29 & 20 is an excellent album from one of the more groundbreaking jazz trios of the late '90s."  (All Music Guide)

"...recorded live at Kulak, Berikon, Switzerland, on October 29 and 30, 1997, by the innovative trio... This bravura track shows this trio at their best - both in their imaginative reconstructions and recombinations of generic material, and in their tremendous instrumental ability and appeal...Kulak, 29 & 30 is a fascinating document of one of today's top trios at work. Don't miss it." (allaboutjazz.com)

"...he's come up with a startlingly new concept, a new approach to structuring jazz work and stimulating improvisations..." (DownBeat, January 1997)

 "Eskelin could get away with murder. That tone is all the alibi he'd need...incarnating the horn's romantic tradition while inking fresh initials on it's tattooed heart." (Jazziz, January 1997)

"Coming from Baltimore, Eskelin's compositions have much in common with fellow Baltimorean John Waters' films. They mine the tradition for its contradictions and use those as a place to build something new that can only be marked with an individual signature...This is one of America's truly great offerings to the music of the world." (All Music Guide)

Honored in the The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums

Music by and associated with the great Gene Ammons.

One of the Top 10 Recordings of 1996 (Ben Ratliff/New York Times)

"...a poetic, kinetic, power trio..." (JAZZIZ)

"It's a remarkable record." (The New York Times)

 "...a tribute to cacophony... sounds like the buzzing of a thousand demented insects... a descent into madness..." (Jazz Times)

"Eskelin's personal compositional vision, his supple phrasing and gorgeous tenor sound all qualify him as a major player in today's creative music." (Down Beat)

"One of the most stimulating bands of the decade...Jazz Trash remains one of the unsung treasures of recent creative music troves." (John Corbett)

 "...Mystical as well as extraordinary...this will be a historical and appealing CD for years to come." (Saxophone Journal)

"...There's no doubting Eskelin's mastery of the horn, or his ingenuity." (The Penguin Guide to Jazz, New Edition)

One of the Best Jazz Recordings of 1993 (The Village Voice)

"Figure of Speech is a real breakthru...a rare sense of something new." (The Penguin Guide to Jazz, New Edition)

"This tenor force has the insight to move the music forward even while delving into the past." (The New York Review of Records)

"Eskelin affirms a very personal style...sometimes with power, always with beauty." (Jazz Magazine, Paris)

"Jazz Album of the Week" (The New York Times, Nov. 17, 1989)

"Each track crakles with ESP interactions between the dynamically thoughtful Eskelin and equally superb Gress and Haynes." (Jazz Times)

AS A SIDEPERSON:

with Jacob Sacks
FISHES (cleanfeed records CF497CD)

with Jozef Dumoulin and the Red Hill Orchestra:
TRUST (Yolk Records J2063 CD)

 with Stephan Crump
RHOMBAL (Papillon Sounds PS51516)

with Vincent Courtois and Sylvie Courvoisier:
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (CAM Jazz 7809 CD)

 with Rabih Abou-Khalil:
THE CACTUS OF KNOWLEDGE (enja records enj-9401 2)

 with Ben Goldberg:
UNFOLD ORDINARY MIND (Bag Productions Bag 004)

with Celano/Baggiani Group:
LES INDIGNES (TT5

with Eugene Chadbourne:
BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSUCKER (Leo Records LR 270)
JIMI (House of Chadula - 1999A)

 with The Grassy Knoll:
THE GRASSY KNOLL III (Antilles/Verve 314 557 087-2)

  with Joey Baron's Baron Down:
CRACKSHOT (AVANT 059)
RAISED PLEASURE DOT (New World CounterCurrents 80449-2)
TONGUE IN GROOVE (JMT 849158-2)

 with Mark Helias:
OPEN LOOSE (Koch, KOC-CD-7861)
FICTIONARY (GM Recordings GM3037CD)
LOOPIN THE COOL (ENJA 9049-2)
ATOMIC CLOCK (RL 012)

 with Gerry Hemingway:
RIPTIDE (Clean Feed CF227CD)
THE WHIMBLER (Clean Feed CF040CD)
DEVIL'S PARADISE (Clean Feed CF010CD)
SONGS (Between the Lines)
JOHNNY'S CORNER SONG (Auricle Records AUR-4)

 with Bobby Previte:
SET THE ALARM FOR MONDAY (Palmetto Records PM 2133)

 with Daniel Humair:
LIBERTE SURVEILE (Sketch SKE 333018/19)
SKETCH MUSIC (Sketch SKE 333026 promotIonal compilation)

 with David Liebman:
DIFFERENT BUT THE SAME (hatOLOGY 615)
RENEWAL (hatOLOGY 654)
NON SEQUITURS (hatOLOGY 710)

 with Dennis Gonzales:
NY MIDNIGHT SUITE (Clean Feed CF020CD)
DANCE OF THE SOOTHSAYER’S TONGUE (Live at Tonic) (Clean Feed CF094CD)

 with John Hollenbeck:
NO IMAGES (Blueshift CRI 2002)
ETERNAL INTERLUDE John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble (Sunnyside Records SSC1220)
MONK MIX Remixes & interpretations of music by Meredith Monk (The House Foundation for the Arts)

Various Artists:
IRVING STONE MEMORIAL CONCERT (Tzadik 7611-2) 

with Michel Lambert:
LE PASSANT (rant 0529)

 with Devin Gray:
DIRIGO RATAPLAN (skirl 019)
DIRIGO RATAPLAN (Rataplan Records RR001)

 with Marc Hannaford:
CAN YOU SEE WITH TWO SETS OF EYES?

with Harris Eisenstadt:
SEPTEMBER TRIO (Clean Feed CF229CD)
THE DESTRUCTIVE ELEMENT (Clean Feed CF276CD)

with Alessio Riccio:
DRAWING (unorthodox 005 CD)

 with Stefan Pasborg:
TRIPLE POINT (ILK 130 CD)

with Rob Price:
AT SUNSET (Gutbrain GR04)
I REALLY DO NOT SEE THE SIGNAL (Gutbrain GR06)

 with Joint Venture:
MIRRORS (enja 7049-2)
WAYS (enja 6052-2)
JOINT VENTURE (enja 5049 LP)

 with Phil Haynes:
4 HORN LORE (Open Minds 2413-2)
4 HORN'S & WHAT? (Open Minds 2402-2)

 with Mikel Rouse Broken Consort:
A LINCOLN PORTRAIT (Cuneiform-Rune 13)

 with Ray Anderson:
THE RAY ANDERSON BIG BAND RECORD (Gramavision R2 79497)

 with the Satoko Fujii Orchestra:
THE FUTURE OF THE PAST (enja 9457 2)
BLUEPRINT (Polystar MTCJ-3016)
UNDULATION (PJL MTCJ-3032)
SUMMER SUITE (Libra Records 215-023)
ETO (Libra Records 215-029)
SHIKI (Libra Records 215-036)
FUKUSHIMA (Libra Records 214-044)
ENTITY (Libra Records 214-058)

with Tony Martucci:
COLLAGE (Sound Judgment 102), with Tim Hagans
EARTH TONES (Sound Judgment 101), with Joe Lovano

with Gebhard Ullmann:
BASEMENT RESEARCH (Soul Note 121271-2)
KREUZBERG PARK EAST (Soul Note 121371-2)

with Tom Varner:
THE MYSTERY OF COMPASSION (Soul Note 121217-2)
MARTIAN HEARTACHE (Soul Note 121286-2)

with Jim Payne:
NEW YORK FUNK Gramavision R2-79489

with Matt Woulle
LOVELYVILLE - MUSIC FROM PRINCETON (princeton composers)

 Eskelin with Parkins & Black on the compilation:
THE SONGLINES ANTHOLOGY (Songlines 4201-2)

Eskelin with Parkins & Black on the compilation:
THE WIRE TAPPER 09 (SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE CD the wire (promotional not for sale)