Remembering Manty Ellis: A Life in Music

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Photo by Erol Reyal

Manty Ellis

Manty Ellis

Jazz has survived and flourished because of people like Manty Ellis, a local hero who lived and breathed music for 93 years—a jazz guitarist of the highest caliber and a committed educator who taught countless musicians. He was always sharp, even in his final days—with vivid recollections, accurate musical assessments, and an intense, passionate desire to carry this music forward. He was a window into another era, a golden age when clubs lined Walnut Street. He lived the history of this music and could tell you about it—but not the way you might read about it in a history book. He was there when Herbie Hancock played his first gig outside of Chicago (at Curro’s in Milwaukee) and could tell you how it felt to have Wes Montgomery hand you his guitar to play—“It felt like a thousand pounds, man!” His roots went all the way back to the early days of jazz in Milwaukee. Born on January 16, 1933, at Fifth and Vine Streets in the heart of what became known as Bronzeville, he grew up with future jazz stars Willie Pickens, Frank Morgan, Bunky Green, and others who all left town to make a name for themselves. But unlike them, Manty stayed here in Milwaukee, a city he loved, and we are so lucky that he did.

Manty was our teacher, mentor, and friend. When I say “our,” I mean the many musicians in the jazz community who learned from him over the years. I studied with him as a teenager over 40 years ago and then worked with him as a pianist in his groups. His passion inspired me as a musician and a teacher and has been a key motivating factor in the programs I've led, including those at the Milwaukee Jazz Institute. Jazz scenes don't appear out of nowhere; they are created by people like Manty. I hope that we can all continue his legacy.

—Mark Davis 

Pianist, Artistic Director of Milwaukee Jazz Institute, and Jazz Piano Instructor at Northern Illinois University

Manty was a truly special man—a mentor to me and so many others. I first heard Manty with Berkeley Fudge and Jessie Hauck at Summerfest during my early high school years, never imagining that one day I'd have the privilege of sharing the stage with him.

Fast forward, and I was playing with Manty 6–7 nights a week at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee for six or seven years. That's a lot of gigs—and a lot of jazz education.

Manty was charming, funny, and, as he liked to say, “serious as a heart attack about THIS music.” He didn't just teach me the nuts and bolts of jazz; he taught me about life. The man and the artist were one and the same. His stories were priceless, and the lessons I learned from him continue to shape me as both a musician and a teacher.

Everyone who had the opportunity to work with Manty was fortunate. I know I was. I'll miss him—a lot.

—Dave Bayles

Drummer and Faculty Member at UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, and Milwaukee Jazz Institute

I met Manty Ellis when I was around 15 years old. Of course, I had already heard about him as he was a staple on the jazz scene in Milwaukee. He taught at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and my brother was a student there and had told me about him. When I did finally meet Manty, I felt like this was a godsend for me, as I wanted to know and learn more about jazz. I felt that he was the one who would teach me.

A few years after meeting Manty, he started calling me for gigs, and in the summer of 1979, he formed a group called The Wisconsin Connection that featured bassist Richard Davis, saxophonist Berkeley Fudge, vocalist Jessie Hauck, and myself. We would drive across the state and play clubs and small outdoor venues. These experiences made a huge impact on my life, on and off the bandstand. That fall, I started college in Green Bay, but we would play on weekends and during my breaks from school. Some of the most valued lessons I had with Manty were actually not on the bandstand, but just hanging out at his music store and on the breaks on gigs, when he would speak with me about everything from music to life itself.

Over the past several years, Manty had modeled what a jazz musician’s life can look like. His life exemplified a life of stewardship and mentorship, and I am blessed to have been one of those that he mentored for 50 years. Manty Ellis leaves a void that cannot be filled. I love and miss him.

—Carl Allen

Drummer, Educator, and Director of Jazz Studies

Manty Ellis pretty much made me into who I am today; his mentorship was crucial to putting me on the right path in my early years. Listening to and observing Manty granted me a tremendous amount of information and inspiration about the music and its culture, and playing in his group was one of the most meaningful apprenticeships I’ve had, every bit as important as any I’ve experienced.

Manty’s belief and encouragement gave me the strength to think I could make a contribution to this music. Over the years and up to the very end, his wisdom and incredible memory have been a constant enrichment to me. I miss you, Manty, but I will always hear your voice inside me, in my heart, mind, and soul, forever.

—Brian Lynch

Three-time Grammy Award-winning Trumpeter, Composer, Producer, Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at Frost School of Music, and Milwaukee Jazz Institute Board Member

Manty saw the need to pass this music (jazz), which he loved, to the future generations. I remember the Matthew family. He groomed four teenagers from the inner city to be able to perform on stage. I had the privilege of working with Manty doing performances and workshops throughout the years. In short, Manty Ellis helped to groom many world-class musicians who are going on to continue his legacy to keep Black Classical Music alive!

—Sam Belton

Drummer, Educator, Business Owner, and Milwaukee Jazz Institute Board Member

It is difficult to imagine someone who has left more of an impact on the Milwaukee scene than Manty Ellis. Of all the lessons gathered from Manty through the years through performing with him, listening to him, and generally absorbing his wisdom, the one that rings most impactful to me is “You cannot kill a cultural art form.” This mantra guided Manty's career and approach and has greatly influenced my own and others' direction. Education, both formal and informal—through classes, lectures, jam sessions, and frequently hiring young, promising musicians—was always a centerpiece of his mission. The music will never “die,” and Manty's spirit will live on in all of us who were lucky enough to know and learn from him.

In an interview he did after winning the Arts Midwest Jazz Master Award in 1997, Manty said, “They try to kill the music, but when they stomp it out here, it grows up over there. They kill it over there; it comes up over here. Jazz will always be there because people will come along who can think. And jazz musicians think, believe it or not. They might not think about anything else but music, but they’re thinking.”

—Jamie Breiwick

Trumpeter, Composer, Educator, Designer at B Side Graphics, and Co-Founder of Milwaukee Jazz Vision

Manty was an influencer. Not in the way that term is used now for some young person who thinks they have some great insight into some corner of our product-driven media environment. But a genuine influencer of generations of people who love jazz music. He had a huge influence on me that in some way is so subtle that it’s hard to describe.

I heard about Manty Ellis for many years, playing with Berkeley Fudge or Buddy Montgomery at some club across town somewhere. He was always part of the live music environment in Milwaukee from when I first became aware of it in the 1970s, but I never had the pleasure of meeting him until many decades later. In 2008, I was involved with an artist group that bought the neglected building at 926 East Center Street that used to house the renowned Milwaukee Jazz Gallery in the mid-‘70s to mid-‘80s—a significant jazz venue where Manty often played.

Our goal was to operate a community center with an art gallery there. A few years later, a group of jazz musicians approached us about bringing music back to this historic venue; we agreed. A short time later, I met Manty.

He was a larger-than-life person who didn’t really act that way. He was accessible and listened to you, but the word humble didn’t always fit him. He was free with his opinions, but he gave respect when it was due, and he could see deeply when that was the case. I liked him right away. And we developed a rich friendship. I’m very honored to be able to say this.

In the early days of music at the venue that came to be known as the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, I was often discouraged. One evening, we had trumpeter Marquis Hill up from Chicago, playing some of the best live music I’ve ever heard to an audience of about twelve. He was cool about it, but I was left questioning our whole music program. I spoke to Manty about this several times, and he always smiled and said something like, “It’ll happen, just keep on doing what you’re doing.”

That was the easy-to-describe part of how Manty influenced me. He was a great encourager—world-class and knew just what to say. The part that was harder to describe was the way he was in the world. I thought I was cool, but he was the embodiment of genuine coolness—the real deal. I’ll miss him, always.

—Mark Lawson

Board President of the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts