zentronix: dubwise & hiphopcentric

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

The great Elvin Jones has passed. This from Adam Mansbach, hip-hop author and close friend of Jones: "If you've ever heard the music of the John Coltrane Quartet, or listened to any of the countless other albums on which Elvin has played over the last fifty years, then you have without doubt been touched by the man. Elvin's playing was a perfect reflection of who he was: vigorous, brilliant, beautiful and full of love."

Adam's penned a magnificent tribute to Jones, covering his last dates at Yoshi's in Oakland. Hopefully it will appear on his website soon. Til then, you can get excerpts at Jon Caramanica's site and here which speak to the drummer's singular power to move:

"The communal intensity of Elvin?'s performances was breathtaking. Each set, each song, each brushstroke, had the potential to uplift or sadden. At his weakest, during the sets when he elected to play without an oxygen tank, Elvin tired quickly. The characteristic muscularity of his sound withered; he sometimes missed the ride cymbal because he lacked the reach to hit it. During such songs, the entire audience strained toward the stage, willing his hand forward ?straightening with relief when wood tapped metal, and cringing when it missed. But the week was also full of moments of incredible uplift, moments when Elvin rallied and played his ass off, moments when the triumph of the human spirit was so clear to everyone in the club that grown folks were in tears at almost every table."

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