Elvin Jones Music

Extremely unfortunate that, like many of his other albums recorded in the '60s and '70s, this superior effort by E. Jones is now available only as an expensive import. The premier live albums by the great drummer are Live at the Lighthouse, Vols. 1 and 2, but this one isn't far behind.

For this date, Elvin was joined by George Coleman, one of the best of his many horn sidemen. As was often Elvin's preference, there was no piano, so Coleman had to carry the solo load himself, and he brought it off brilliantly. To say that a hornman playing with Elvin needs plenty of power is an understatement, and Coleman brings a big, lusty soulful sound to all the tunes. But he also showed the taste to easily handle tunes at a slower pace, particularly the lovely "Laura."

Jones is pure power throughout, particularly on the album's scorcher, "Mr. Jones," taken at a faster piece than the studio version also recorded during this period. You can see in this piece that without bandmates who could match his power, Elvin would simply blow everybody off the stage. Fortunately, Coleman is up to the task, as is the trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson, who joins the band on this track only and doesn't waste the opportunity to get in some great licks.

I've read reviewers (Penguin, you know who you are) who tend to downplay E. Jones's output as a leader over the 35 years that have elapsed since Coltrane's death. The general knock seems to be that he hasn't changed enough and that he isn't a great composer. Well, both "charges" might apply to Art Blakey, who had a pretty fair career and whose contributions to jazz are normally not questioned. Like Art, Elvin has provided a forum and proving ground for some of the finest horn players of the modern jazz era, and also like Art, his enthusiasm for unadorned, straight-from-the-heart improvisation has never flagged.

Expensive pickup, but another avenue might be the original vinyl for those who still collect.

I am sickened that I'm the first to review this gem. Philly Joe Jones is one of the jazz pioneers of drums. He is best known for his work with the first great Miles Davis Quintet, which was classic work, although his solo work is being severely slept on. Whenever he plays he strongly influences not only the rhythm section but the soloists playing in front of him as well. Also, Philly Joe is an amazing soloist on the drums, he creates melodies and everything. He makes a non-melodic instrument sound melodic. This set includes his classic LP Philly Joe's Beat and another album, Philly Joe Jones & Elvin Jones Together, all on one set. Paul Chambers plays bass on both sessions so of course the rhythm section is knocking all the time. He's also joined by confident soloists on this two-in-one album, like Bill Barron and Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Michael Downs on cornet (his solos are excellent and very nicely mixed in technique), Curtis Fuller on trombone, Wynton Kelly and Walter Davis on piano. Elvin and Philly Joe sound wonderful holding down the drums on the final three tracks. The take of the Dizzy Gillespie-Kenny Clarke classic "Salt Peanuts" is definitely one of the best versions of the song ever recorded. Walter Davis shines on his piano solo and Michael Downs has a speedy, muted trumpet solo. However, Philly Joe's lengthy solo near the end steals the show. The remake of "Salt Peanuts" is reason alone for any jazz fan to need this album. "Muse Rapture" is a laid-back, cool tune where Bill Barron shines on tenor, Michael Downs has a superb cornet solo and Paul Chambers puts in another one of his smooth bass solos. The fours on this tune are also perfect. "Dear Old Stockholm", the Swedish-flavored traditional was a tune Miles often played in his groups. This version of the track is more snappy and upbeat, but Paul Chambers takes another great bass solo on this tune, just like the one he did on the original the Miles Davis Quintet did. Downs impressed me again with an astounding cornet solo, with some Clifford Brown-esque moments. "Two Bass Hit" is another Dizzy Gillespie tune (co-wrote by John Lewis) that Miles Davis also recorded. The song was originally written as a tenor saxophone feature and this is exactly what we get here. Bill Barron takes a nice swinging solo backed up by some excellent ensemble playing. "Lori", a Jimmy Garrison tune, finally gives us a break from the hard-bop and has a more laid-back muted feel. However this tune still grooves. Michael's muted trumpet solo is cool, and Paul Chambers plays the bass part beautifully. Walter Davis also plays nice, intelligent additions to the song throughout and when he trades fours with Philly Joe it closes out the piece well. "Got To Take Another Chance" is just another example of the percussive sweetness this album has to offer, once again a great swinging solo from Walter Davis and Michael Downs plays using a cup-mute giving a different feel to this tune. "That's Earl Brotha" is a Dizzy Gillespie-Ray Brown-Gil Fuller tune with a weird, bouncy theme that we've come to expect from the bebop era. Everyone gets a piece here. "Le Roi" is the first of the Elvin-Philly Joe sessions and these two drummers cook relentlessly throughout. The tension-building theme is nice, almost a bit reminiscent of "Miles" except played a lot slower with a more blues-like feel. "Beaut-Y" is the only Philly Joe original on this set, and has a bouncy Latin feel. Trumpeter Blue Mitchell and trombonist Curtis Fuller shine on this lengthy piece. The rhythm section boosts this song. "Brown Sugar", a Walter Davis original, is the final track and lasts about fifteen minutes. The theme is a snappy yet strange riff which switches into a more straight ahead jazz tune. Every soloist shines on this piece and it actually has very good replay value especially considering it lasts so long.

An under-rated album, if you're into drumming or loved the Miles Davis Quintet, then you might be missing out on this. The version of "Salt Peanuts", "Dear Old Stockholm" and "Brown Sugar" are reason alone to buy this. Painfully over-looked.

I admit, I purchased this without knowing of Mr. Grossman. I also overwhelmingly purchase jazz from the 50s and 60s. This purchase however, I put alongside those older classics. This CD is excellent and you can immediately tell that Mr. Grossman is a master.

Grossman made his name as a young man in the early '70s, appearing on a couple of Miles Davis's albums (most notably "A Tribute to Jack Johnson"), contributing to some other fusion efforts of superior quality (particularly "Shapes to Come" with Jan Hammer, Gene Perla and Don Alias), and making excellent contributions to some of Elvin Jones's bands and recordings ("Live at the Lighthouse" particularly, where he was paired off with David Liebman). Later he was less visible, at least from a recording standpoint, but "Time to Smile" (1991) shows his intense, hard-edged sound is still very much intact.

This recording is straight-ahead mainstream jazz, and Grossman is joined by musicians with whom he clearly is comfortable playing, including Jones on drums, pianist Willie Pickens, and trumpeter Tom Harrell. No one in the band is interested in flash. It's a session to explore familiar tunes, stretch out and try to say something meaningful instrumentally. All involved succeed in doing that.

Grossman plays only tenor on this date, leaving aside his penetrating soprano sound. His sound is no less driving than it was in his days with Miles and Elvin, but his lines are longer, his approach a bit more relaxed. I hear a lot of Dexter Gordon in it, but he's no imitator. And he proves he can take on a ballad with the best of them, as on his rendition of "Till There Was You."

Pickens and Harrell are strong as well. Pickens is an underrated pianist who has contributed some great work in Elvin Jones's bands. He is very lyrical and plays long single-note runs that shine. Harrell plays free-flowing lines that are softer and more rounded than Grossman's than Grossman's harder-edged runs. The contrast is satisfying.

The title cut offers the best sense of the musical camaraderie the group enjoys. It's a bright, swinging piece that aptly reflects its name. After you hear it, it will be your turn to smile.

It's a shame that musicians like Grossman continue to have to go overseas to find labels like Dreyfus (French) to release their stuff. Grossman and other fine jazz craftsmen just can't seem to find a sympathetic ear in a U.S. recording industry that is largely tone-deaf.

The cover of this CD shows Elvin with Art Pepper, Richard Davis, and Roland Hannah, his quartet for three-quarters of the eight tunes on the release. While that group generates some pretty good music, "Very Rare" is elevated by two live cuts that make up about two-thirds of the CD's 70 minutes.

The live band features Elvin's frequently used two-saxophonist attack, this time with Frank Foster and Pat LaBarbera, both of whom are up to the rigors of playing behind Elvin's muscular and unrelenting attack on the drums. There's no piano to guide the way, but this date added Roland Prince on guitar. First time I've heard a guitar work with Elvin, and it's successful.

The two live cuts are "E.J. Blues," a fixture In Elvin's repertoire: basically a blues head and then it's every man's job to step up and blow. Everyone concerned does, and well.

The live band does even better with "Acknowledgement" and "Resolution" from Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." Foster and LaBarbera are firm adherents to Coltrane's approach, but they're far from mere imitators. Their solos here are muscular, driving tributes to the master. And Prince makes a huge contribution, playing long runs on guitar in a style clearly influenced by Coltrane. Meanwhile, Elvin boils everything along.

The quartet stuff is solid, if uninspired. It's obviously a fine collection of talent, but Pepper seems oddly constrained throughout. There are some nice moments: "Zange" is a yearning composition that Pepper plays with strong emotion; there's a nice workout of "Tin Tin Deo." But the leadoff, Gene Perla's "Sweet Mama," suffers by comparison with the version delivered on Elvin's long-deleted "Live at the Lighthouse" on Blue Note, and much of the rest moves along nicely but without the spice of inspiration that the live cuts provide.

This one might take awhile to acquire, but it's worth it, particularly for the powerhouse 41 minutes that the live material provides.

what no-one else??? anything elvin does is jgreat...being a follow drummer...i saw mr.jones on his last night in Boston...wife said he had been sick...so i stuck around to talk with him...had him sign my hand...next day got it in ink...the rest of the guys are good too...redman(wow!!!)