Elvin Jones and Me... — Vinyl Magic

I don't think you can talk enough about Coltrane and that period we were in, because it was historic. It certainly was one of the most significant things that ever happened to me. Thank God I had that association. I think it gave me such a clear insight into myself and my approach to music...That Coltrane group gave me a whole new universe of possibilities to explore as well as my full capacity as a musician. I think it's a beautiful thing when you can be in a situation where you can use all the knowledge you have and apply that in a context that works. There's no greater feeling.
Elvin Jones

***Coltrane Jazz (1961) signed by Elvin, McCoy Tyner***

I guess they always assume I would know what to do. The whole time I was there, no one really told me what to play or how to play it. Like, we played "My Favorite Things" about 10,000 times, but the first time we played it, he didn't tell me it was going to be in three-quarter time, we just started playing. As a matter of fact, John (Coltrane) never gave Jimmy (Garrison) any bass parts. I never saw a sheet of music the whole time I was in that group. I think John had a notebook in which he used a system of dots. It was very small, it looked like an address book. I'd see him with it sometimes and get a glimpse of it every now and then., and it was just full of dots, like braille. I guess that was his music notation code. I don't know where the hell that book is now.
Elvin Jones

***Dear John C. (1965) signed by Elvin, Hank Jones, Richard Davis, Sir Roland Hanna***

To experience his whole paradigm-shifting concept of time was just an epiphany. You got the feeling like he was ahead of the beat and behind the beat at the same time. He was the beat. He was wrapped around the beat in a way that was just stunning. He had all that plus his most beautiful range and his ability to coax the sound out of the drums in different ways. Just the way he touched the drums was spiritual. People come along sometimes and just change the entire landscape and the way that other people think of everything. Elvin was one of those people, no doubt. You were not the same after you listened to him.
drummer Bobby Previte

***Today And Tomorrow (1964) signed by Elvin, McCoy Tyner***

The greatest contribution jazz has made in music has been to replace the role of the conductor with a member of the ensemble who, instead of waving his arms to keep time and convey mood, is an active member of the musical statement. That person is the drummer.
Elvin Jones

***Midnight Walk (1966) signed by Elvin***

Lists. I hate lists. Rolling Stone's Top 500 Rock albums, Top 500 Songs, Top 100 Guitarists, Top 100 Songwriters...the lists go on and on...ad infinitum, ad nauseam. To me, lists are an utter waste of time, as insipid as they are inconclusive. Personal tastes are subjective and always in motion, especially in music. So...here's my Top 5 Jazz Drummers whom I had the great fortune to see and, of course, haunt for their signatures. In no particular order, they are: Art Blakey, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Billy Higgins and Elvin Jones.

***Jazz At The Lyman’s (private recordings-1967) signed by Elvin, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Coleman Hawkins, Clark Terry***

Elvin Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, the youngest of ten and brother to pianist Hank and composer/trumpeter Thad, both fellow jazz legends. Elvin is best known for his stint as the drummer in the John Coltrane Quartet (1960-1966), possibly the most influential jazz band ever. In a three week span in October 1960, Elvin, John, pianist McCoy Tyner and bassist Steve Davis recorded so much material it yielded four classic jazz albums: Coltrane Jazz, Coltrane's Sound, Coltrane Plays The Blues and My Favorite Things. Elvin also participated on the classic recordings, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963), A Love Supreme (1965) and Ascension (1966). Elvin's gentler side was exhibited on John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, a 1963 recording which featured the inimitable stylings of Johnny Hartman on six beautiful ballads. This marks the only occasion that John Coltrane recorded with a singer. While Elvin is celebrated for his pulsating percussion and ferocity, his exquisite brushwork is revelatory on this recording. Who knew he could play the brushes so beautifully?!

***The Real McCoy (1967) signed by Elvin, McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter***

After leaving Coltrane in 1966, Elvin became a highly sought after sideman and appeared on hundreds of recordings with fellow jazz stalwarts George Coleman, Frank Foster, Lee Morgan, Art Pepper and Wayne Shorter. He also released more than forty-five albums as a leader and he formed the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine which showcased and nurtured younger musicians. For his part, Elvin was humble about his role as a musician. He once said, "That's what the drummer is supposed to do, keep the time. If you can do something else besides that, fine. But the time is essential and non-negotiable."

***Summit Meeting (1976) signed by Elvin, James Moody, Clark Terry***

There was never any doubt who the leader was when you went to see the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. Elvin could be loud and ferocious, his sinewy limbs enveloping his drum kit, or he could be lyrical and melodic, using his brushes on cymbals and snare with delicate masterstrokes to create a rhythm and hushed sound ambience. And there was no shortage of musicians who came to see him to pay homage. As the great James Brown exhorted (in a different context), "Give the drummer some!" Elvin was the original "Funky Drummer" so everyone wanted to give Elvin some, and musicians and fans loved to see him perform.

***Elvin! (1961) signed by Elvin, Hank Jones, Frank Foster, Frank Wess***

I saw Elvin many times in the 1990s in New York City jazz clubs like the Blue Note, the Jazz Standard and the Village Vanguard. Elvin was kind and generous each time I met him. Once, I told him that I wished he had more recordings with his brothers, Hank and Thad, as I handed him Elvin!, his 1961 debut as a leader, which featured their inestimable talents for the first and only time. "Yes, that was a very special recording. We kept it in the family," he replied. He paused as looked over the John Coltrane records, "That was some great music," he added with his characteristic humility and understatement. But Elvin was not content to rest on his considerable laurels. The gigs I saw in the 1990s were clear evidence. Young Jazz lions like tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, trombonist Delfaeyo Marsalis and John's son, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane were pushed to excellence, following the punishing and propulsive lead of Elvin, their leader and mentor.

***Time Capsule (1977) signed by Elvin, Kenny Barron, George Coleman, Frank Foster, Frank Wess***

Elvin Jones' influence extends far beyond Jazz and his fellow jazz brethren. Many rock drummers kneel at the altar of Elvin. In the 1960s, Jimi Hendrix quipped that his drummer Mitch Mitchell was "my Elvin Jones" and in the early 1970s, The Allman Brothers' Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson signed up to take drum lessons. Elvin reportedly rebuffed their attempt, telling Jaimoe and Butch, "What do you guys want? I know who you are. What am I supposed to teach you?" Jaimoe said that they ended up talking for a long time instead of a formal lesson and a great friendship blossomed.

***The Main Force (1976) signed by Elvin***

A long time ago, multi-reed instrumentalist/savant Rahsaan Roland Kirk once spoke about "not bein' afraid when you hear the thunder, 'cause, you know, it's probably Chick Webb and some other drummers playin' up there across the sky." You know Elvin Jones is sitting in with those other drummers contributing his wondrous, joyful thunder.

Thanks Elvin, for the beats, the brushes, the rhythm and the time. It was always essential and non-negotiable.