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ELVIN JONES DEAR JOHN C
Released: 1965
Recorded: February 23 & 25, 1965
Label: Impulse
Format: Flac
For Elvin Jones’ second album as a leader, he decided to dedicate an album to John Coltrane, his former employer with whom he drummed from 1960 to 1965 (perhaps the peak period of Coltrane’s solo career).
Recorded over two days in late Feb. 1965, Jones was content to take a back seat to Charlie Mariano, who was known at the time as more of a bebopper. Mariano had an interesting career, as early on he was an acolyte of Charlie Parker, then went through a West Coast jazz phase. He was married for a period of time to Toshiko Akiyoshi and they played together until 1967, living in Japan for a period of time. Mariano later incorporated music from other cultures including India and the Far East during the 70s and 80s. During the last decade of his life, Charlie returned to more mainstream jazz, and he remained active on the scene until near the end of his life (he passed away in 2009).
Another aspect of this recording remains relevant. Although Elvin Jones was an incredibly dynamic drummer, who bridged mainstream jazz with the avant, he always was incredibly generous as a band leader, taking a supportive role for the horn players in his group. On Dear John C., Jones’ drumming never overwhelms Mariano, though he could have taken center stage in a heartbeat, with his incredible drumming talent.
Tracklist
1. Dear John C. 3:56
2. Ballade 5:23
3. Love Bird 3:50
4. Everything Happens To Me 5:54
5. Smoke Rings 3:42
6. This Love Of Mine 4:24
7. Anthropology 4:11
8. Feelin' Good 4:09
9. Fantazm 3:59
10. That Five-Four Bag 3:08
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on February 23, 1965 (tracks 5-9) and February 25, 1965 (tracks 1-4 & 10)
Personnel
Elvin Jones – drums
Charlie Mariano - alto saxophone
Roland Hanna (tracks 1-3), Hank Jones (tracks 7-9) - piano
Richard Davis – bass
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