“The Elvin Jones Standard” — an appreciation by Evan Nass

October 24th, 2019

 

.

.

Photo: Brian McMillen

Elvin Jones at Keystone Korner, San Francisco CA 4/22/80

.

___

.

 

.

The Elvin Jones Standard

by Evan Nass

.

___

.

…..Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927–September 9, 2004) was drawn to the drums at just two years of age, performing and recording up until the last few years of his life.  He was the go-to drummer on many of the great jazz recordings that helped change the face of music, including John Coltrane’s  A Love Supreme, Wayne Shorter’s Juju, and McCoy Tyner’s The Real McCoy. His style is unique, expressive, bombastic, heavy and rolling. He became one of the most famous drummers, making vast contributions to the hard bop and post-bop jazz movements. He had great influence on all the jazz musicians he played with, but more importantly, they influenced him.

…..Acclaimed drummer Mark Guiliana once told me, “I think about him every time I sit down and play.  Elvin is absolutely one of my heroes and what he’s done for the instrument and the drum set is incredibly inspiring to drummers every day.  The things he played technically were fascinating, but it was more the spirit with which he played.”

…..Mark Shim, a tenor saxophonist who performed with Elvin for approximately two years told me; “Elvin first saw me play with Betty Carter in 1997 at the Blue Note . . . and we played ‘Body and Soul.’  Elvin shook my hand and told me that I sounded good. Four years later Keiko [Elvin’s wife and personal manager] got in contact with me and asked if I was the one who played ‘Body and Soul’ at the Blue Note!”   The next thing he knew, Mark found himself performing with Elvin.

…..“He [Elvin] and Betty Carter come from the same school of nurturing future musicians and passing on wisdom to younger musicians,” Shim said to me. “Within this type of art form, jazz in particular has its history and foundation and roots in embracing community and learning from each other. Obviously, I’ve learned a great deal just being on the stage with him but now that I’m getting older, I’m always learning on the bandstand. I wouldn’t be surprised if Elvin felt like he learned from the sidemen in his bands as well.”

…..Shim’s thoughts on Elvin got me curious about the nature of his later releases.  Elvin was prolific and certainly at a stage in his career where he could have played with anyone in the jazz world.

…..From 1970 until his death, Elvin released approximately 39 albums and seemingly hired younger and younger musicians as he got older. He released albums like Genesis (1971) with its spacey feel, and Merry-Go-Round (1972), with the pop/soul influenced tune “‘Round Town.”  In 1975, Elvin’s quartet released Mr. Thunder, which made extensive use of Roland Prince’s forward-thinking progressive guitar comping and tones that bordered on distortion. Tracks like “Three Card Molly” included the 25-year-old Swedish percussionist Sjunne Ferger, thereby outsourcing even his own rhythm section to younger drummers. In 1975, he released On the Mountain that featured upcoming musicians — keyboardist Jan Hammer and bassist Gene Perla.

…..I recently discussed Elvin’s later discography with Ed Gavitt, guitarist of Secret Mall, and how the album On the Mountain seemed to veer considerably from prior standard Elvin recordings. The track “Thorn of the White Rose” is an example.   What was so interesting about On the Mountain was how “un-Elvin” it was. It deviated drastically from the classic masterpieces we all know. Released in 1975, the album was a first step into the then budding fusion era of jazz. “Thorn of the White Rose” ventures into the heavy bass of Gene Perla with Elvin slamming down on the cymbals like an early heavy rock drummer. Although his drumming style does not perfectly match the manicured fusion drumming of Steve Gadd, Danny Gottlieb, and other benchmark fusion drummers, it does express a desire to embrace the new potentialities rather than shy away from change. His percussive strikes cut through with a rock feel, powerful yet soulful, pounding polyrhythms against a backdrop of synth and sanitized fusion. Needless to say, this album was not a breakout success and went largely ignored by those beyond his fan base. However, it did pique our interest about Elvin’s mindset. He was seemingly more inclined to play with younger musicians, even if it meant a transition he was not yet particularly known for, or even necessarily suited.

…..When On the Mountain was released, Elvin was 48 years old. The album included only two personnel, Hammer and Perla, who at the time of the recording were 27 and 35 respectively—an average of 17 years younger than Elvin. Elvin’s average age throughout all his releases (from the date of his first recording as a lead, to the date of his last recording as a lead) was 49.8. The average age of his personnel, a mere 36.3; a 13.5-year age gap between himself as a leader and his co-musicians. The numbers diverge even greater if you include the latter half of his recording career. From 1975 until his death, his average recording age was 59.6 years, and his personnel was 38.8-years-old—a gap of 20.85 years between them. In other words, as he grew older, his use of younger musicians increased by a 6.8-year disparity.

…..We can further explore Elvin’s outlook by comparing him to similar artists of his generation such as Charles Mingus, Ahmad Jamal, Horace Silver, Hank Jones (Elvin’s brother), McCoy Tyner and Freddie Hubbard, who all released a similar number of albums as him, lived to a similar age, and were stylistically alike. None of these artists came close to the 20+ year age gap that Elvin had with his co-musicians (Ahmad Jamal had an age gap of merely four months on average).

…..Shim recalled that by the early 2000’s, “Elvin always closed every set with Duke Ellington’s ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing’. But Elvin’s version was so modern and fresh. He played it without making it sound cheesy, made it so personal that I eventually looked forward to playing it! And he made everyone sound good. Elvin wasn’t just a great player; great players sound great, but legends make the whole band sound great.” In Elvin’s world, the band often included those much younger musicians with less experience.

…..Despite being a keystone in the hard bop era, Elvin went on to absorb, advance and change, and he did so while embracing younger musicians. David Freeman, drummer, percussionist and adjunct professor of Jazz History with the Department of Media, Communications and Visual Arts at Pace University, articulated the magnetism Elvin had perfectly. “Musicians in the non-commercial music pursuit want to find their sound and their feel and their voice—typically making money is secondary. Elvin’s sound and his technique is so easily felt by musicians who aren’t necessarily interested in the theory or the ingredients that make up technical composition, but in exploring a musician who embraced and pursued what made them unique.” Freeman went on to tell a story about how bandleaders who hired Elvin would hand him their charts upon his arrival, but Elvin would throw them aside because he was more focused on his sound and his feel, which is what he did best.

…..Perhaps this is why Elvin didn’t get the gig when he famously auditioned for Benny Goodman’s band in 1955, but it is what made his playing and compositions so universally accessible. His music drew in the younger musician with unquantifiable acceptance to explore that which you want to be, not what is expected. Perhaps this is what Coltrane saw deep within Elvin’s playing and what made him a perfect match for the famous Quartet.

…..“I went to go see him at the Blue Note in 1998,” Freeman recalls.  “I was very early, and I saw Elvin pull up in his car and he got out with Keiko and  they went inside the club…I went in and went upstairs with my Love Supreme album to get him to sign it. I’m hanging out there and his wife asks me to come in. I couldn’t believe it. And there is Elvin and he’s enormous and I say ‘hi’ and tell him that I play drums. He signed the record and shook my hand, so warm and so loving, and he didn’t even rush me out. It was just incredible. He had such an energy.”

…..Elvin always used the kit to enhance the musicians and the band as a cohesive unit. Once, drummer Bill Larkin complained about a sax player that kept reverting to 4/4 regardless of time signature. When he expressed his frustration, Elvin responded, “So? What if he changed time every other measure? Follow him. Follow him into hell and come back with smiles on your faces.” Elvin’s passion was following the musician regardless of their age or experience. He did what was best for the music, and ultimately, that outlook sculpted him more than anything else. Elvin thought the greatest contribution to American music was taking the conductor and placing him in the band itself. The very real belief in the democratization of music ironically elevated Elvin Jones above the rest.

…..In an era today where many younger musicians feel an age-gap divide, perhaps we can look once again to the legend for advice on how to shape the music we create, and the person we are to become. Elvin Jones clearly did not require a specific pedigree of his album personnel, he simply wanted to express what he created. His legacy as legend is well-deserved.

 

Interested readers can check out the Elvin Jones Songbook on Spotify, which contains over 33 hours of his music, all as leader.

.

.

 

 

 

 

“Round Town”

.

“Three Card Molly”

.

.

“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing)”

 

.

.

_____

.

.

.

Evan Nass is an attorney and the managing partner at Nass Roper & Levin, PC in New York City. He is a drummer, jazz fan, and in particular, Elvin Jones enthusiast. He worked in the music industry both in the recording and record label ends of the spectrum. Over the years he had the pleasure of being able to work for musicians such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Keith Richards. He is a professor of argumentation and inquiry and resides in New Jersey.  

.

.

.

Brian McMillen Jazz Photography

.

.

.

Share this:

Comment on this article:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Your Support is Appreciated

Jerry Jazz Musician has been commercial-free since its inception in 1999. Your generous donation helps it remain that way. Thanks very much for your kind consideration.

Site Archive

In This Issue

photo of Rudy Van Gelder via Blue Note Records
“Rudy Van Gelder: Jazz Music’s Recording Angel” – an essay by Joel Lewis...For over 60 years, the legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder devoted himself to the language of sound. And although he recorded everything from glee clubs to classical music, he was best known for recording jazz – specifically the musicians associated with Blue Note and Prestige records. Joel Lewis writes about his impact on the sound of jazz, and what has become of his Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio.

The Sunday Poem

photo via RawPixel

”Bebop Salvation,” by Tobi Alfier


The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.... Tobi Alfier reads her poem at its conclusion


Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Poetry

photo via pickpik.com
And Here We Are: A Post-election Thanksgiving, by Connie Johnson

Short Fiction

Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons/blur effect added
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #67 — “Bluesette,” by Salvatore Difalco...The author’s award-winning story is a semi-satirical mood piece about a heartbroken man in Europe listening to a recording by the harmonica player Toots Thielemans while under the influence of a mind-altering substance.

Interview

Interview with James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool...The esteemed writer tells a vibrant story about the jazz world before, during, and after the 1959 recording of Kind of Blue, and how the album’s three genius musicians came together, played together, and grew together (and often apart) throughout the experience.

Community

Nominations for the Pushcart Prize XLIX...Announcing the six writers nominated for the Pushcart Prize v. XLIX, whose work was published in Jerry Jazz Musician during 2024.

Publisher’s Notes

photo by Rhonda Dorsett
On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician...

Essay

“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki...The writer remembers the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s New Star Award in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.

Community

Notes on Bob Hecht’s book, Stolen Moments: A Photographer’s Personal Journey...Some thoughts on a new book of photography by frequent Jerry Jazz Musician contributing writer Bob Hecht

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 8: “Jazz’s International Influence”...A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this seventh edition of excerpts from his book, Rife writes about jazz novels and short stories that feature stories about jazz music's international influence.

True Jazz Stories

Brianmcmillen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
True Jazz Stories: “Hippie In a Jazz Club” – by Scott Oglesby...The author relates a story that took place in San Francisco's jazz club the Keystone Korner in 1980 that led to his eventual friendship with the jazz greats Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy…

Book Excerpt

Book Excerpt from Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy, by Jonathon Grasse...In this first full biography of Eric Dolphy, Jonathon Grasse examines Dolphy’s friendships and family life, and his timeless musical achievements. The introduction to this outstanding book is published here in its entirety.

Playlist

“‘Different’ Trios” – a playlist by Bob Hecht...A 27-song playlist that focuses on non-traditional trio recordings, featuring trios led by the likes of Carla Bley, Ron Miles, Dave Holland and Jimmy Giuffre...

Interview

Interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America...The author talks about his book, an intensely researched, spirited, and beautifully told story – and an important reminder that Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie all defied and overcame racial boundaries “by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music.”

Poetry

John Coltrane, by Martel Chapman
Four poets, four poems…on John Coltrane

Feature

photo of Art Tatum by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 22: “Energy Man, or, God is in the House”...In this edition of an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film, Douglas Cole writes about the genius of Art Tatum. His reading is accompanied by the guitarist Chris Broberg.

Short Fiction

photo by Jes Mugley/CC BY-SA 2.0
“The Dancer’s Walk” – a short story by Franklyn Ajaye...The world-renowned saxophonist Deja Blue grew up a sad, melancholy person who could only express his feelings through his music. When he meets a beautiful woman who sweeps him off his feet, will his reluctance to share his feelings and emotion cost him the love of his life?

Feature

photo of Lionel Hampton by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
Jazz History Quiz #177...This saxophonist’s first important jobs were during the 1940’s with Lionel Hampton (pictured), Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong’s big band, and Billy Eckstine’s Orchestra. Additionally, he was a Savoy Records recording artist as a leader before being an important part of the scene on Los Angeles’ Central Avenue. Who was he?

Poetry

“Revival” © Kent Ambler.
If You Want to Go to Heaven, Follow a Songbird – Mary K O’Melveny’s album of poetry and music...While consuming Mary K O’Melveny’s remarkable work in this digital album of poetry, readings and music, readers will discover that she is moved by the mastery of legendary musicians, the wings of a monarch butterfly, the climate and political crisis, the mysteries of space exploration, and by the freedom of jazz music that can lead to what she calls “the magic of the unknown.” (with art by Kent Ambler)

Interview

The Marvelettes/via Wikimedia Commons
Interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the 60’s Girl Groups...Little is known of the lives and challenges many of the young Black women who made up the Girl Groups of the ‘60’s faced while performing during an era rife with racism, sexism, and music industry corruption. The authors discuss their book’s mission to provide the artists an opportunity to voice their experiences so crucial to the evolution of popular music.

Short Fiction

photo by The Joker/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Second-Hand Squeeze Box” – a short story by Debbie Burke...The story – a short-listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – explores the intersection of nourishing oneself with music, and finding a soul mate

Art

photo of Johnny Griffin by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman...Beginning in 1990, the noted photographer Giovanni Piesco began taking backstage photographs of many of the great musicians who played in Amsterdam’s Bimhuis, that city’s main jazz venue which is considered one of the finest in the world. Jerry Jazz Musician will occasionally publish portraits of jazz musicians that Giovanni has taken over the years. This edition is of saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman, who appeared together at the at Bimhuis on June 25/26, 1999.

Short Fiction

bshafer via FreeImages.com
“And All That Jazz” – a short story by BV Lawson...n this story – a short listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – a private investigator tries to help a homeless friend after his saxophone is stolen.

Essay

“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum...The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” What was it about this musician that captivated and astonished so many for so long – and still does?

In Memoriam

Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Remembering Joe Pass: Versatile Jazz Guitar Virtuoso” – by Kenneth Parsons...On the 30th anniversary of the guitarist Joe Pass’ death, Kenneth Parsons reminds readers of his brilliant career

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Community

photo via Picryl.com
“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (March – September, 2024)

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

An interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America; an interview with Jonathon Grasse, author of Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy; A new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Ella Fitzgerald/IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Click to view the complete 25-year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Judith Tick on Ella Fitzgerald (pictured),; Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz on the Girl Groups of the 60's; Tad Richards on Small Group Swing; Stephanie Stein Crease on Chick Webb; Brent Hayes Edwards on Henry Threadgill; Richard Koloda on Albert Ayler; Glenn Mott on Stanley Crouch; Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake; Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.