Elvin Jones Music

I really like the tracks on this album.. uh.. until about 1 or 2 minutes into each peice. The drummer could not be more in the way, more annoying, rambunctious, out of balance and out of place after a minute or two into almost every track. There are only a couple of tracks where this isn't the case. Granted, a drum solo is fine from time to time, but this is rediculus. Wanting some nice music to relax or have playing in the background while company is over, this album does NOT work. Ok, so maybe thats not it's purpose, but still, no thanks. Maybe it looked cooler in person with arms flailing faster than the eye can perceive.

About as good as you can get.

Great Jazz Trio, indeed. For once the hype is true.

It's been a marvelous past twelve months for old jazz guys--stunning releases from Ahmad Jamal (In Search of Momentum), Abdullah Ibrahim (African Magic), Roy Haynes (Love Letters). And now, perhaps the best of all, The Great Jazz Trio's Autumn Leaves.

What I love about this disc is how effortless great playing and musicianship become in the hands of the absolute masters--and how listenable. This is a disc you could feel equally good about as an introduction for your skeptical friends to acoustic improvised music, or merely as a vehicle for basking in sonic glories.

Perhaps most noticibly, Elvin Jones (drums) shows why he's undoubtedly THE standout drummer of his generation: he simply gets more out of his kit than anyone else. Proof? His mind-boggling playing on "Caravan," initially, with the restless, throbbing vibe he creates, then with the incredible solo he casually rips off. But he consistently dazzles. Brother Hank on piano's no slouch either. With a deftness approaching magical proportions, taste out the wazoo, deep swing, and a profoundly grounded blooziness, he shows why Detroit (Tommy Flanigan, Kirk Lightsey) is the jazz piano capital of the world.

The ringer is Richard Davis. Not one of the Jones brothers, not as well known (perhaps) as either of them, he nevertheless seems the absolutely perfect choice for the bass chair. He takes center stage on "Bye Bye Blackbird" and doesn't disappoint. He's got that great woody tone fully on display here as he effortlessly spins off some slick opening lines and exits with a stunning arco outro.

Standards have seldom sounded this good, and these Old Masters raise the bar impossibly high for their young counterparts.

To me this is the finest example of the short collaboration of the trio with Elvin Jones, Gene Perla and Jan Hammer. Elvin's group before had involved two screaming chromatic saxes and no harmony instrument (check out "Live at the Lighthouse") and with Jan Hammer things really did change. Hammer has overdubbed several keyboard parts such as the Fender Rhodes and the Minimoog. His notorious soon-to-be-a-trademark pitch-bend technique can be heard here for the very first of times and his Rhodes playing is awesome. Most people remember him only from "Crocket's theme" and are not aware of the fact that he was a killer piano player as well. In the first tune "Thorn of a White Rose" he plays Chick Corea-like modal piano and it is evident that he is one of the most underrated pianists in modern jazz. The combination of Elvin's powerhouse drumming, acoustic bass and Hammer's screaming synth leads is a truly unique blend. In my personal preference, this record stands out as a sound I honestly can say I have not heard elsewhere - a rare occurence.

I'm writing this review because in my opinion the others got it wrong. This is in no way a fusion album. For starters, none of the tunes have rock-based rhythms with backbeats. This is instead an artistically honest collaboration between Elvin and two of his former bandmates from the '70s. Jan Hammer is a fantastic *jazz* pianist who also makes creative and musical use of the synthesizers of the time. The tunes are all written around Elvin's strengths and everyone shines. I highly recommend this well-conceived collaboration.

First of all, let me caution any Elvin fans--this is not REALLY an Elvin Jones album. Half of the tunes are written by Hammer and half of them are written by Gene Perla, the bassist. And pretty much all the solos are taken by Hammer. The style is not jazz, but rather jazz fusion. Not the ridiculous variety that consists of everybody playing as fast and as loud as possible, but rather thoughtful, understated and sophisticated. That said, the tunes are gorgeous, the solos are lovely, and the rhythm section rocks. The sound of the recording is beautiful too. Basically, the album is flawless. If you care at all about Jan Hammer's playing in the jazz style, you MUST own this album. If you would like to read more reviews like this, check out JazzboNotes.com.

Let me set the record straight; I love Elvin Jones, and his drumming has inspired me in many ways. That said, his decision to team up with prime fusion schockmeister, Jan Hammer (most famous for performing the Miami Vice theme and recording overblown albums with Neal Schon and Jeff Beck) was a poor one. This album contains all the trappings of the worst fusion albums of the era: noisy synths, tuneless tunes, and tedium galore.

A great Fusion Cd with the special Elvin Jones touch, for sure. Great power by the man himself and excellent playing by Jan Hammer too. The tunes are high energy and feature great laid back Fusion. A must have for all Elvin Jones and Jan Hammer fans!

Jazz-Rock with a muscular edge, featuring Jan Hammer on keyboards and synthesizer soloing and as the composer of several excellent tunes. Jan Hammer fans will certainly want to add this surprise gem to their collection.

This is a great recording! The only problem I had with it was that I did not know that Nov. 3, 1957 was the very same night that the Blue Note "Complete Night At The Village Vanguard" recordings were made. Therefore, if you already own the complete release, or Vol. 1 and Vol. 2., buying this won't help your collection. The sound quality is not noticably different. If you don't have the Blue Notes and you want to buy this, go for it, the music is great. This is one of the best sax-bass-drums trio recordings of all time.

Another eccentrically languid offering from this great guitarist with an excellent supporting cast provides ample counterpoint to a majority of sunny-side Jazz-guitar output. Touching around a multitude of styles, Frisell and company usually add a darkened, though certainly not negative connotation to what in lesser hands would have reeked of bland retreads (case in point: the often abused and exploited cover of Moon River totally works). Between imaginative covers, impressionistic homages to traditional forms, and heavier, more personal experimentation, this may be as good a crash course as any for beginners into this eclectic, prolific, singular artist. It is not his greatest- a few dead spots here and there crop up amidst reliable interplay, and the sampler feel touching on many different styles may alienate certain specific fan expectations, but in an attempt to be all things to all people of the mildly experimental jazz guitar form, the disc is a bridge-builder.

For years, I've been praying that Bill Frisell would make an album that balances the character and sweetness of his americana records with the hard grooving experimentation of records like the excellent "Unspeakable." With this outing, it seems Frisell has finally done it. From the very first phrase of Outlaws, a reworking of the tune from Blues Dream, we hear low-tuned acoustic bombast ala Marc Ribot ushering in Frisell's familar quirky electric lines. From there Jones and Holland dive into a groove so simple, yet perfectly atmospheric that Frisell is able to dance between folk, blues, jazz, and experimental guitar sounds with perfect stylistic continuity. In this way, the album lacks a stylistic theme like Frisell's other works, but demonstrates his formidable abilities as an improviser and composer better than almost any other album to date.

Bill Frisell definitely had a vision when assembling this project, as the entire set possesses a thematic quality not typical of modern jazz innovators. I must admit I had never heard of Frisell prior to the purchase of this album, and it was the sidemen Dave Holland and Elvin Jones that prodded the acquisition. This music is easily accessible by fans outside of the jazz genre, having a bluesy-country-ambient-"swingish" jazz guitar trio thing going on for it. I cannot think of any better way to put it in words.

The trio pulls this musical excursion off like the pros that they are, making me a new fan to Frisell's music. Incidentally the album artwork on here is very striking. I'd love to have some back-story to the artwork, as it is very unique. Slow and deceptively melancholy, this classic will surely come to be revisited in the years to come. This album is well worth the price of admission. Enjoy it.

This album is phenomenal. There are so many good reviews on this album and I don't think that I could write a better review than what has already been done but I just wanted to add one small thing. This album is by far my favorite album to make love to. You should try it sometime. Throw the album on repeat and your all set. I also like to play it along with the album "Dummy" by Portishead and sometimes even a little Keith Jarett solo improv. They all make for a good night!!! This album is essential... Enjoy!!!

The title of my review sort of illustrates how I feel about this album and probably Frisell in general: Shmeah... I don't really know how to categorize Frisell, he's kind of jazz, with some country and new age spacey stuff thrown in. There are certain parts on the album that are really good, especially "Moon River." Holland and Jones communicate with Frisell quite well and some of the improvisation is outstanding. Other parts tend to drag on into pure boredom. Hearing spacey loop and feedback effects in jazz doesn't really gel with me either. The musicianship is obviously very good (I saw the three players on this album and said wow, this should be quite good) but the music tends to lack. I've never really been a huge fan of Frisell, so maybe its an acquired taste. This album just doesn't really do it for me overall.

The other big issue that I have with this album is that Holland and Jones are used primarily as puppets for Frisell's music. I would have liked to have seen some influence from the other two players on the album as well. That's what's so great about albums like Edgar Meyer's Uncommon Ritual and Dave Holland's Quintet albums. Even though the headlining musician in these two ensembles take on most of the writing and influential prowess, they let the other members of the group take on some of the creative process. Now, if it were Bill Frisell with Joe Schmo and Murray Whatshisface, I wouldn't complain. But DAVE HOLLAND and ELVIN JONES?!? Come on! Those are some tools that should be used. If there's any one thing this album could use, its variety. Dave and Elvin could have provided that if Frisell would have been willing to step back on two or three cuts.