Elvin Jones

i love his drumming on acknoledgement on 'A Love Supreme', it's such a complicated groove and I tend to end up in awe at how he manages to pull it all off...
 
I just bought A Love Supreme this week and have since been humbled to ant size. I don't understand how someone can be that discoordinated, it's ridiculous. I have a new mountain to climb. Elvin does the best cymbal work I have ever heard on this one. I think they broke the mold after this guy.
 
My mistake, the lead for the recording session Encounter was Pepper Adams.
Note: I've switched to Mr. Jones method of the & beat accent on burshes.
 
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Sorry to say this: Is this board listing only tributes to Elvin Jones. You can do better then that.... The 3/4 over 4/4 is a Elvin Jones trade mark. Anyone learning, using, expanding on this concept.
 
i have his live album, The Truth. i got over a year ago and just a few weeks ago i really started to appreciate it. i wish i knew his greatness before he passed away.
 
Last comment. Some Day My Prince Will Come. Elvin playing like Elvin, but who was on the board and what were they thinking about during and on the finial cut of this session. Am I missing some background info on this session.....?
 
do you mean how he played his bassdrum?? I got to sit right next to the drumset several times at the Regatta Bar in Boston...it was amazing.

I noticed several things about his bassdrum foot....

1)He feathered the bassdrum quite a bit - and it was very much felt not heard....and with a wood beater!

2)He cranked the crap out of his bassdrum....it was higher pitch than his 18" floortom!

3) He played heels dow for his comping patterns unless he was doing some of his mind-blowing fills and had to plays lots of doubles on the bassdrum and then he was on the ball of his foot and almost sliding his foot up the footboard a bit.

4)Elvin never buried the beater - he let the drum ring out!


I love Elvin and miss him and his presence everyday....just knowing he was alive and kicking it somehow made the world a better place. His music influenced me to leave behind one college and a path in life I would have regretted and go to Boston to study at Berklee.

Here are my favorites of Elvin:
Heavy Sounds - the duo with Richard Davis on "Summertime" is worth the price alone. His mallet solo is amazing - and if you listen close you can hear him grunting away and you can hear his sticks rattling on his bassdrum(they were shoved in between the lugs). And let's not forget - here Elvin play guitar on this recording is a real treat!

Sunship - right before the End of the Coltrane Quartet as it was known...just prior to the introduction of more musicians on titles such as Live in Seattle and Ascension. This record is heavy as anything but still more inside than later records. Elvin is EXPLODING on this one.

Transition - maybe a little more inside than SUnship - but equally impressive.

Crescent - many people consider it to the peak for this group. Fabulous.

A Love Supreme - check out this record....it is perfect. Dig Ashley Kahn's great book about with an intro buy Elvin.

Real McCoy - Elvin is amazing on this.

The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings - amazing becuase of several things but notably the presence of Eric Dolphy throughout adds an unreal dimension to these recordins. Sevveral blistering takes of "India" alone make this worth it. I mean - its about 4 hours of music plus a cool booklet and a poster for about $40....killin'! Also Roy Haynes sits in and this is interesting because Roy was very influential on Elvin and you can hear how Roy has more of a slick approach and Elvin is more like a force of nature organic approach both work and they have similar vocabulary as well. VEry cool.

Tommy Flanagan - Overseas....an early recording of Elvin from his first tour of Europe...and here is the best part....he plays ONLY BRUSHES throughout the recording.

Sonny Rollins - Live AT The Village Vanguard - an amazing double album of SOnny Rollins's Sax trio - with Pete LaRoca on drums - but Elvin sat in and he is on almost the entire recording - an early view of Elvin while he is still puttin' it together....great great great

okay one more - I could go on and on - like his Mosaic boxed set of all his Bluenote stuff is Killing! Plus it has LIve At The Light House in it.

I really like the record he did with his Borther Hank and Richard Davis. "Collaboration" - close to the end of his life http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...f=pd_bbs_5/002-7123774-9204833?_encoding=UTF8 its worth it for the cover alone.


Elvin passed and the world has never been the same....but it was better becuase he came through. I know the last tune ELvin played was Coltrane's "Dear Lord" I think that is perfect. Elvin was so cool...he once gave me a hug after a gig and I had to practically ring out my sweater....although I read he ruined Buddy Rich's calfskin jacket giving him a hug!

HE also harassed me once about not cleaning my old K's.....I was like "but Elvin, uh I mean I uh want them to sound darker......uh"...."well, some guys say they sound better when there dirty....but they don't! they sound worse! now go home and clean this thing...ahahahaha!"
 
Haha, thats pretty funny Renato. Just curious, did Elvin stick to playing old K's, or did he have some Constantinoples?

I never got to see elvin play, I have heard alot of stories, but nothing compares. When I saw Roy Haynes play not to long ago it made me think of what it would have been like to see Elvin. I really dig listening to the more recent Elvin recordings, The Lovano trio is killen, and also that Bill Frissel recording with Elvin and Dave Holland. That one took a while but now I cant get enough of it.
 
fly said:
Haha, thats pretty funny Renato. Just curious, did Elvin stick to playing old K's, or did he have some Constantinoples?


According to Zildjians website Elvins recent set up was...


20 inch K Constantinople Light Ride
20 inch K Constantinople Medium Ride
14 inch K Hi-hats
20 inch K ride


The setup of a true master.
 
Zackman said:
Mine would have to be My Favourite Things by Coltrane. Great song. Just started this to honor a legend.
Me too! That is my favorite all-time jazz song. It's so incredible. Colrane Kills on that thing. Everytime when I listen to it, at the end, when Coltrane goes nuts, my hair literally stands on the back of my neck and I get goosebumps, its so awesome.
 
DogBreath said:
Here's great motivational poster-type image from Steve Holmes at House of Drumming:

Too true, too damn true...
 
Yeah he's a great drummer, but he sounds just like any other great Jazz drummer.
 
Yeah he's a great drummer, but he sounds just like any other great Jazz drummer.

Fair enough, but who are you putting in the "Great" category? It's probably an impressive list of cats.

So, is it fair to say that Elvin is one of the "Greats"? And if so, the use of "any" trivializes his and others' greatness.
 
Yeah he's a great drummer, but he sounds just like any other great Jazz drummer.

I disagree with you there.

Elvin came along and created a whole new sound and style of his own, his sound is truly unique and you can always tell its him playing from a mile off, go buy any record with him on it and you'll be able to hear the raw passion and emotion he puts into his play and that famous 'Elvin sound'. I suggest you buy 'A Love Supreme' and those others mentioned by Renato.

That's why he's so great because he's not like most jazz drummers, Elvin is Elvin and will always be.
 
Check out Heavy Sounds with Richard Davis if you want to hear some great Elvin Jones stuff....sounds like all the other greats? Not at all!
 
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