TheHighTower A love supreme is overrated? Get the fucking fuck outta here. That album did what the Beatles Revolver did to me. It took me to a new world where it felt like I left my body. I’m much more of a Beatles, Dylan, Neil Young kinda guy, than a Jazz guy, but there is no denying that A love supreme is one of the greatest works of art ever.
Musicians aren't concerned with comparing or being compared to other musicians... They leave all that shit to the blockhead "fans" who can only exercise creativity through a lens of critique and technical foundation. Pick up an instrument, learn the basics and EXPERIMENT. Every genre and form will eventually stagnate. Have fun with it.
To me, the best guys are the one's that can come up with something unique and stand out from the pack. Listen to Omar Hakim's drum part on Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" for instance. The groove is so simple, but it's a simple solution that works. Mick Fleetwood is another example of what I'm talking about. The way he utilizes his snare drum is so interesting and nothing like what you hear anyone else do. Musicians aren't athletes, so we shouldn't be comparing them by sheer means of quantification; but by sharing ideas and artforms.
My dad was a jazz drummer and Elvin Jones was his hero. About twenty five years ago, my dad had the opportunity to hear Elvin give a masterclass in Montreal at the Salle Gesu concert hall and actually got to play with him. My dad told me that besides marrying my mom and my birth, that day with Elvin was happiest day of his life.
Just a few thoughts that haven't been touched on. First of all, when Elvin first came out of Detroit and was making a name for himself, NOBODY played like him at the time. He made a lot of the old guys mad for his very unique style and his use of polyrhythyms. Elvin was not liked at first. He was a brave man, a pioneer. He knew what he was doing and so did guys like Coltrane and Sonny. He came from a very musical and talented family. The Jones brothers were all so uniquely talented. The second thing I want to point out is his appearance in the early 70s cult movie "Zachariah", where Elvin plays a gunslinger. He appears along with Joe Walsh and the James Gang and pushes Jimmy Fox away from his drums and proceeds to play one helluva solo. So cool and weird and amazing. Hard to find, but worth the search. Elvin was a gift to us drummers. He paved the way for so many. There was only one Elvin.
The audio had been lost for Elvin's drum solo in that scene in ZACHARIAH, and Earl Palmer actually recreated the solo, which was then dubbed into the scene.
I am a drummer and drumming instructor. I appreciate all of the drummers-- in their own way. I think that we should not compare Elvin Jones to other drummers. I feel that he is a magnificent drummer. His polymeters and barline crossings seemed strange at first to many people. Also, he didn't use the typical cymbal pattern when swinging. If you are only into crisp technique, then Elvin is probably not your cup of tea either. Anyway, he was a true pioneer and modernist. I love him.
Certainly! But do you know anyone who makes this comparison? It must be someone completely ignorant about music and who can only evaluate music based on sensory pleasure, rather than intelligence and creativity.
WTF!! are you talking about don’t compare. You compare everything to yourself or others. If not how the hell would you know they were great. Don’t compare!! Please that must be the dumbest thing I’ve ever read on Y/T congrats. Oh I just compared your comment to every other one Y/T.
In the Drumeo video highlighting Elvin, they at one point say, “There are some things you can’t transcribe.” That’s Elvin. His feel, his swing, is unique and probably not replicable. He’s the best.
Michael Lantz Without question! Just ask him, Ginger Baker, John Bonham (if he were alive), or Tico Torres (from Bon Jovi). So many rock drummers were greatly inspired and influenced by Elvin's style.
Many drummers knowingly or unknowingly have been influenced by Elvin, and there is no argument as to who was better Elvin or Buddy. Because both men respected each other as fine musicians usually do. I saw Elvin at a modern drummers festival, and another drummer that I was with was criticizing him.I said to him, this man is not a young man anymore, and still he is doing things that many younger musicians still cannot play. He came and brought a new book to music and playing. He is without doubt one of the greats. Listen to any of his Coltrane recordings and watch the videos, this man was a creative genius with his own fingerprint.
....i counted his phrases all the way through the dialogue.......and he hit the 1......kept track......his ideas are super advanced musically.......just sing the phrases with the basic melody in your mind while you do.....its a trip
John Coltrane played with and listened to hundreds of AMAZING drummers, but the first time he heard Elvin playing he thought there were two drummers with two drumsets on the stage. That's how good Elvin is... No one touches him... No one.
andrew hall Have I got an Elvin Jones story for ya. Back in the mid 70's, he was invited to perform with a high school jazz ensemble my older brother played in, and conduct an afternoon masterclass. Since I was learning how to play drums at the time, I cut class to go to the Masterclass and also was able to go backstage to the concert since I was helping my brother cart his gear around. What happened at the concert is that Elvin has his Gretsch kit with the 18inch bass drum, and at that time, the spurs they had were those old fashioned ones that didn't really hold the bass drum firmly in place when put on a wood floor at an auditorium, they forgot to get him a carpet for his drum set. Anyway, during the first song, Elvin's bass drum was sliding forward and Elvin was constantly pulling back his bass drum. Well, after a couple of minutes Elvin stopped the song and he told them to get something to put in front of the bass drum. This is where it gets Fucking hilarious. They gave Elvin Jones a wood block, a couple of long nails and a freaking hammer. So, the auditorium is packed with people, the high school band is on stage watching this and Elvin FREAKING Jones is crouching in front of his bass drum pounding nails into a block of wood to hold his bass drum. After a couple of hits with the hammer he accidentally hit his thumb and yelled FUCK! He finished pounding the nails in the block of wood and then started the song back up. I felt bad for the guy since the High School Band conductor didn't have someone ELSE pound the nail into the block of wood. Another part of this was during their rehearsal, the band conductor chose the songs ahead of time and since Elvin has a brother Thad, he figured it would be appropriate to play one of his songs. But here's the kicker, the song he chose was a big band arrangement and Elvin never even heard of the song, let alone have any experience playing it. They played it anyway. During the masterclass, Elvin kept on nodding off and making his traditional moaning/grunting sound, but he was doing this while the question and answer period. I guess he had just flown from New York to California and I guess he was so tired, he was nodding off and making that sound instead of answering questions. No one knew what to say or do. FUCKING CLASSIC.
This might be my first video of seeing Elvin do something like this. Very interesting. Taking a melodic idea and transposing rhythmically. He starts out kind of humbly then when he hooks it up, the sparks fly. Then after totally ripping it up gives a sweet little smile. Classic!
I’m always dazzled by Louie Bellson and Buddy . They are truly great players and they have so much technique. If I see Elvin something else happens. It’s more like he is telling a story and on a subconscious level I fully understand what he is telling without the need to figure out what he is doing on a technical level. It’s so raw and instinctively played on the moment. I love Elvin.
I know, me too. I discovered Elvin through Mitch Mitchell, mainly from "Axis: Bold As Love". Elvin's influence on Mitch is all over that record. Backwards osmosis I guess. I had never heard Elvin or Coltrane when I first bought the first two Hendrix albums "Are You Experienced?" and "Axis: Bold As Love". Then after reading reviews of these albums in Downbeat and "Jazz and Pop" magazines, I went out and bought my first Coltrane album "Impressions". Totally blew my mind. Never heard music or drums the same way again.
I'm a classical flutist, but in college, went with a group of friends to hear him at Yoshi's Jazz club, in Oakland, CA. To say I was blown away would be the understatement of all time. He would go into the most complex solo I've ever heard, then at the end bring his buddies back into the song with his wire brushes on his snare, with the most perfect "feel", "groove " I've ever heard. Every cell in that man was created for rhythm and percussion. The greatest Jazz drummer there ever was, in my opinion. NO ONE COMES CLOSE.🥁🎵
Legend. His playing is beyond 'polyrhythm' as we know it, or talk about. In the sense that it isn't about playing different ostinato's/meters simultaneously like a computer. It's more about time-stretching, like a rubberband, without ever losing the One: the beginning and ending of the song are set in time/fixed points, but in between it's playing around (bending and stretching) with time, without losing the pulse, speeding or slowing or otherwise. Ultimate musical freedom. One of the few living greats capable of doing this is Jack DeJohnette, in my opinion.
A pure mix of genius, talent and above all COOL! Makes me wanna rush right out and grab a vintage Gretsch bop kit and start learning to be half as cool.
@marcmommaas -- wow, thanks for pointing that out. I didn't recognize Tony. Just saw Tony Moreno play here in NY a few months ago, playing great and super nice cat.
One of the HIGHEST FIDELITY recordings of Elvin that I ever heard was, "Live at the Lighthouse." - Two disk set. (Vinyl and CD) It sounds superb! As if you are sitting ten rows out, center. Get ready, cuz it is TRUE Avant-garde!! ❤
WOW! With Bellson's recent passing, Rich, Roach, Jones gone, we lost most of the cream greatest drummers from the golden age of big band and jazz. Thanks for posting. Glad we have them for a masters class on drumming.
i think elvin jones ushered in the "modern" era of jazz drumming- taking the frenetic force of people like buddy rich, from the big band stuff, and melding it with a sensibility akin to miles davis when bebop was passing out of fashion and the "cool" became the new mode of address -he was the right man at the right time for jazz and drumming in general. god bless him.
I've seen elvin play 4 times and every time I fall asleep. Its the weirdest phenomenon. Even 10 feet away,,, I just start saying "Oh my G-d" over and over in my mind, his playing is so spiritual and I have to use all of my energy just to listen.. Eventually, I just put my head down.
Totally cool. He starts with a marching type rhythm then goes into a whirlwind of all types of patterns with rolls and flams that gel together. I'm a drummer and I still find it difficult to articulate what's going on. What a talent.
+jsilence418 If you haven't already, listen to "Spiritual" from Live At The Villiage Vanguard" with Coltrane. He is so rythmitically advanced in that passage.
This is from "Different Drummer", had it on Beta!!! These great musicians came from an era when music wasn't as cientifically dissected as it is today. I remember watching this segment and understanding immediately the Jazz form and using your imagination to improvise, whereas a lot of today's DVDs leave me cold and confused with so much meaningless math stuff.
His explanation before the full solo really makes his heavy Gene Krupa influence more apparent. It's amazing to hear how him and Max all drew certain things from Gene (Elvin said his comping style was an attempt to incorporate Gene's rolling triplet phrases with the cymbal pattern) and how, later, Tony took Elvin and Max's interpretations of Gene's phrasing to an even more esoteric place. Really cool video.
"If we understand the melody, then we can understand how that rhythmic phrase can be developed." That's what makes him so great. As Jimmy Chamberlin said in praise of guys like Elvin, Moon, Tony, "They were all great listeners."
Elvin is like a drumming god, in fact he is the god of drumming, it's like hearing original man calling out from Africa, "over here!" Or perhaps, "over there!" What a genius, the Nelson Mandela of drums, liberating other drummers from Robben Island, navigating us past the Great Whites. Mother Theresa has got shit on Elvin, selfish b...
he kinda sounds like morgan freeman i've been drumming for only about 5 months and I am just blown away by this guy, he is so impressive and knows everything about it, i wanna be like that some day
As only Elvin can do it...Makes it look so simple, but then, all HELL breaks loose! What a totally original musician. Nobody played like that til Elvin hit the scene.
"Who is the best?"....Yeah its a redundant & almost childish question/debate. But you know what? We can't help ourselves. Hahaha In place of saying: he or she plays like a motherf**ker, nobody gets me off like this cat does, they are my favourite at the moment....we just resort to the 'best' statement. We think we'll grow out of that sh*t but we actually enjoy it too much....and sometimes, we manage to convert or turn people onto the music that we've invested so much time on....so job done.
basically, yeah. its like a horn solo before bepop. you loosely base what you play on the melody of the song, so you'll hear bits and pieces of it, but it may be re-phrased, and varied quite a bit but its still there. if you listen closely enough, you can still hear the basic rhythm of the melody elvin first played, when he starts really getting after it, but at that point, it exists more in phrasing and rhythmic cues.
As far as Elvin versus Buddy....well I read a story somewhere about this.......Louie Bellson and Buddy both going to see Elvin play with Coltrane......these guys all admired each other equally......I think this whole "who is the best" thing is silly in music...maybe in sports......where there is a winner and a loser.....personally I don't think music works that way......there is room for everyone.......Elvin, Buddy.....both amazing drummers...both totally different. I saw Elvin in Boston a lot.
@cragnog Thanks for your input, but I’m sticking w/ what I said: There’s nothing “douchey” about “playing the song, & not just your instrument.” U don't have 2 ALWAYS get under what is going on. If YOU”RE what happens 2 B what’s going on at that moment, then people should be getting under YOU! I almost never hear people playing TOGETHER anymore. It’s almost always a bunch of players (musicians?) all playing as loud as they can. It’s MORE ME all the time, & the hell w/ the song. Cheers
Notice the VOLUME? The old school guys had to be able to "get under" acoustic instruments and still have power and excitement. That's called MUSICIANSHIP Ensemble, Dynamics. I often call it playing the song and not just your instrument. I ask people to do this I get either dumbfounded looks, or contempt. When I play my electric bass, I have an amp & I can get pretty damn loud if I want. But Im always trying to stay under whatever is going on. Anybody else have this problem?
hey dieyoung don't worry about it. Keep trying and you'll get it. And when you do, you'll be richer by far. There are many things in music that I don't and didn't understand. But every time my ears and mind opened up a little, many other things fell in place and I'm a child again. When you finally do get this - and you will! - you will hear music that was always there waiting for you.
@evensteve284 You are so right...even when ppl agree to jus jam it always ends with everybody talking over each other...believe it or not this happens in gospel music today too...anyway this is an awesome vid...I challenge anyone that plays to giv it a try...I got my first sticks at the age of 2 and I still cant play like elvin jones!!
And there are guys who think John Bonham was original, despite doing nothing but playing stuff those legends palyefd 10 years before. Ringo Starr, THAT'S a talented rock drummer, doing what nobody else did. creating fills so weird in their perfection that nobody else would ever come up with them.
To the naysayers of anyone at the level of Buddy or Elvin, I say this: Do the work. Stop coming on here and bitching about something very few ever understand. Both offered something completely different. Both were amazing at what they did. Now go DO! GO PLAY!!! ッ
@dieyoung the form is AABA...learn the song and listen to him play a complete performance of the song (melody, solos, his solo, etc...) and you will find it. Elvin is a very melodious drummer. The melody is always inherent in his playing (in comping and soloing).
the best that any musician can be is 'among the greats'. People can have their opinions/favorites, but it's silly to say that someone is the best. We all have our own preferences...Everyone I've seen mentioned is 'among the greats'.
@gostu I think you are right in a sense, but only because it is second nature. He knows the melody, and has played so much he doesn't need to count beats, they are there. He has such good pulse. If my met wasn't broken I would test it, haha.
Dude...If only people were arguing about elvin and buddy...I was arguing with people today about wether NEIL PART is the best drummer of all times!!! YES! YOU HEARD RIGHT!!! I almost got cancer by their arguments...
@epasurr no, i'm not, he was loud, he was fast, and he brought stuff into rock other genres used years before, and the man had power. but many just overrate his inventiveness not knowing about nohams influences.
@gostu if you hear the melody it isn't always necessary to count. I think elvin always knew where he was in the bar but the melody took him where he needed to go.
This guy recorded A Love Supreme. That's all, im not gonna say anything else.
Esteban F.L
Overrated album, his work on Afro Blue from Live At Birdland 1963 is unmatched!
TheHighTower ALS overrated? There are no words...
TheHighTower A love supreme is overrated? Get the fucking fuck outta here. That album did what the Beatles Revolver did to me. It took me to a new world where it felt like I left my body. I’m much more of a Beatles, Dylan, Neil Young kinda guy, than a Jazz guy, but there is no denying that A love supreme is one of the greatest works of art ever.
What he did on Giants Steps was a leap forward artistically
@@oldboy9267 Ratings are like recommendations. Depends on who's recommending things though.
Musicians aren't concerned with comparing or being compared to other musicians...
They leave all that shit to the blockhead "fans" who can only exercise creativity through a lens of critique and technical foundation. Pick up an instrument, learn the basics and EXPERIMENT. Every genre and form will eventually stagnate. Have fun with it.
I wish i could like this comment 100 times
To me, the best guys are the one's that can come up with something unique and stand out from the pack. Listen to Omar Hakim's drum part on Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" for instance. The groove is so simple, but it's a simple solution that works. Mick Fleetwood is another example of what I'm talking about. The way he utilizes his snare drum is so interesting and nothing like what you hear anyone else do. Musicians aren't athletes, so we shouldn't be comparing them by sheer means of quantification; but by sharing ideas and artforms.
Truly this is what separates musicians from pop stars. Guitarist Mike Bloomfield saw it for what it was early on.
@@austing.8870 Thank you Mr; Could you give examples of Fleetwood drumming snare, I don't know .... :)
I was with you until you took to insults.
Damn did every jazz great have the compound voice of morgan freeman and God??
Ian Dotson I thought the same thing!
I believe it's called being black...
Kinda sounds like Chapelle to me
But Miles Davis though
Political troll 1:20 total Chappelle
My dad was a jazz drummer and Elvin Jones was his hero. About twenty five years ago, my dad had the opportunity to hear Elvin give a masterclass in Montreal at the Salle Gesu concert hall and actually got to play with him.
My dad told me that besides marrying my mom and my birth, that day with Elvin was happiest day of his life.
Just a few thoughts that haven't been touched on. First of all, when Elvin first came out of Detroit and was making a name for himself, NOBODY played like him at the time. He made a lot of the old guys mad for his very unique style and his use of polyrhythyms. Elvin was not liked at first. He was a brave man, a pioneer. He knew what he was doing and so did guys like Coltrane and Sonny. He came from a very musical and talented family. The Jones brothers were all so uniquely talented. The second thing I want to point out is his appearance in the early 70s cult movie "Zachariah", where Elvin plays a gunslinger. He appears along with Joe Walsh and the James Gang and pushes Jimmy Fox away from his drums and proceeds to play one helluva solo. So cool and weird and amazing. Hard to find, but worth the search. Elvin was a gift to us drummers. He paved the way for so many. There was only one Elvin.
The audio had been lost for Elvin's drum solo in that scene in ZACHARIAH, and Earl Palmer actually recreated the solo, which was then dubbed into the scene.
Wonderfully stated.
@@RobollieG I don't believe that is factual. Just a myth. If you have informed ears you can tell that it is Elvin and not Earl Palmer.
There are two Elvins’
Art would not exist or develop if artists had identical styles. I like Elvin’s syncopacity and plasticity.
I am a drummer and drumming instructor. I appreciate all of the drummers-- in their own way. I think that we should not compare Elvin Jones to other drummers. I feel that he is a magnificent drummer. His polymeters and barline crossings seemed strange at first to many people. Also, he didn't use the typical cymbal pattern when swinging. If you are only into crisp technique, then Elvin is probably not your cup of tea either. Anyway, he was a true pioneer and modernist. I love him.
He just broke my brain
Certainly! But do you know anyone who makes this comparison? It must be someone completely ignorant about music and who can only evaluate music based on sensory pleasure, rather than intelligence and creativity.
Elvin stands alone as the greatest drummer!
WTF!! are you talking about don’t compare. You compare everything to yourself or others. If not how the hell would you know they were great. Don’t compare!! Please that must be the dumbest thing I’ve ever read on Y/T congrats. Oh I just compared your comment to every other one Y/T.
In the Drumeo video highlighting Elvin, they at one point say, “There are some things you can’t transcribe.” That’s Elvin. His feel, his swing, is unique and probably not replicable. He’s the best.
THAT is a properly tuned drum set
I heard that he was a big influence on Mitch Mitchell when he was a member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Michael Lantz Without question! Just ask him, Ginger Baker, John Bonham (if he were alive), or Tico Torres (from Bon Jovi). So many rock drummers were greatly inspired and influenced by Elvin's style.
+Michael Lantz I don't think it's a stretch to say that Elvin influenced every drummer who came after him, whether they know it or not.
+darkasthegrave You are correct.I heard Ringo Starr was influenced by D.J. Fontana (The drummer who played with Elvis Presley).
Yes, a huge influence I believe
+intrepidpooch Robert Wyatt also...drumming is a deep science
Many drummers knowingly or unknowingly have been influenced by Elvin, and there is no argument as to who was better Elvin or Buddy. Because both men respected each other as fine musicians usually do. I saw Elvin at a modern drummers festival, and another drummer that I was with was criticizing him.I said to him, this man is not a young man anymore, and still he is doing things that many younger musicians still cannot play. He came and brought a new book to music and playing. He is without doubt one of the greats. Listen to any of his Coltrane recordings and watch the videos, this man was a creative genius with his own fingerprint.
The intellect of jazz drumming is sexy.
gay
tateti totu Straight
Henry Lozano Duh
Elvin could barely express himself. Guess you dont' have high standards.
Henry Lozano most
....i counted his phrases all the way through the dialogue.......and he hit the 1......kept track......his ideas are super advanced musically.......just sing the phrases with the basic melody in your mind while you do.....its a trip
john coltrane and elvin jones were meant to play music together.
Poly = many
Rhythm = rhythm
Mono = one
Rail = rail
mf103 Homer "Mono...d'oh!!!"
Stupid sexy flanders!
Okilly Dokilly!
I’ve put polyrhythms in A Love Supreme and 3 Card Molly, and by gar, it put them on the map!
John Coltrane played with and listened to hundreds of AMAZING drummers, but the first time he heard Elvin playing he thought there were two drummers with two drumsets on the stage. That's how good Elvin is... No one touches him... No one.
He tried to make that idea happen with Elvin in his final year or 2 of life. Elvin hated it.
andrew hall Have I got an Elvin Jones story for ya.
Back in the mid 70's, he was invited to perform with a high school jazz ensemble my older brother played in, and conduct an afternoon masterclass. Since I was learning how to play drums at the time, I cut class to go to the Masterclass and also was able to go backstage to the concert since I was helping my brother cart his gear around.
What happened at the concert is that Elvin has his Gretsch kit with the 18inch bass drum, and at that time, the spurs they had were those old fashioned ones that didn't really hold the bass drum firmly in place when put on a wood floor at an auditorium, they forgot to get him a carpet for his drum set. Anyway, during the first song, Elvin's bass drum was sliding forward and Elvin was constantly pulling back his bass drum. Well, after a couple of minutes Elvin stopped the song and he told them to get something to put in front of the bass drum.
This is where it gets Fucking hilarious.
They gave Elvin Jones a wood block, a couple of long nails and a freaking hammer. So, the auditorium is packed with people, the high school band is on stage watching this and Elvin FREAKING Jones is crouching in front of his bass drum pounding nails into a block of wood to hold his bass drum. After a couple of hits with the hammer he accidentally hit his thumb and yelled FUCK! He finished pounding the nails in the block of wood and then started the song back up. I felt bad for the guy since the High School Band conductor didn't have someone ELSE pound the nail into the block of wood.
Another part of this was during their rehearsal, the band conductor chose the songs ahead of time and since Elvin has a brother Thad, he figured it would be appropriate to play one of his songs. But here's the kicker, the song he chose was a big band arrangement and Elvin never even heard of the song, let alone have any experience playing it. They played it anyway.
During the masterclass, Elvin kept on nodding off and making his traditional moaning/grunting sound, but he was doing this while the question and answer period. I guess he had just flown from New York to California and I guess he was so tired, he was nodding off and making that sound instead of answering questions. No one knew what to say or do.
FUCKING CLASSIC.
Oneness100 Cool story but if you think he was "tired" then I've got news for you.
BigStein09 Yeah, he was exhausted during the master class that was held the day of the concert. he was exhausted.
Because he was shitfaced...
This might be my first video of seeing Elvin do something like this. Very interesting. Taking a melodic idea and transposing rhythmically. He starts out kind of humbly then when he hooks it up, the sparks fly. Then after totally ripping it up gives a sweet little smile. Classic!
It's amazing how he can stretch the concept of rhythm until it is almost torn, but then seamlessly fall right back into the groove. Pretty amazing.
I’m always dazzled by Louie Bellson and Buddy .
They are truly great players and they have so much technique.
If I see Elvin something else happens. It’s more like he is telling a story and on a subconscious level I fully understand what he is telling without the need to figure out what he is doing on a technical level.
It’s so raw and instinctively played on the moment. I love Elvin.
Exactly... he was a melodic drummer... playing rhythmic phrases as if he were a singer... turning each note into a nuance.
Mitch Mitchell takes so much influence from this guy, even just the way he tunes and strikes his snare
I know, me too. I discovered Elvin through Mitch Mitchell, mainly from "Axis: Bold As Love". Elvin's influence on Mitch is all over that record. Backwards osmosis I guess. I had never heard Elvin or Coltrane when I first bought the first two Hendrix albums "Are You Experienced?" and "Axis: Bold As Love". Then after reading reviews of these albums in Downbeat and "Jazz and Pop" magazines, I went out and bought my first Coltrane album "Impressions". Totally blew my mind. Never heard music or drums the same way again.
I'm a classical flutist, but in college, went with a group of friends to hear him at Yoshi's Jazz club, in Oakland, CA. To say I was blown away would be the understatement of all time. He would go into the most complex solo I've ever heard, then at the end bring his buddies back into the song with his wire brushes on his snare, with the most perfect "feel", "groove " I've ever heard. Every cell in that man was created for rhythm and percussion. The greatest Jazz drummer there ever was, in my opinion. NO ONE COMES CLOSE.🥁🎵
Whoever gave this a thumbs down can't yet grasp the massive atmosphere that Jones creates.
That looks like way too much fun. I like the smile at the end.
Impeccable feel mixed with complete originality, one of the greatest who will ever touch the instrument.
+Brian Russick - Drummer / Percussionist You haven't heard me.
Giddi up!!!
My drumming style is inspired by his polyrhythmic forms. One of my all time favorite drummer. RIP Mr. Jones your drumming will be timeless…
Legend. His playing is beyond 'polyrhythm' as we know it, or talk about. In the sense that it isn't about playing different ostinato's/meters simultaneously like a computer.
It's more about time-stretching, like a rubberband, without ever losing the One: the beginning and ending of the song are set in time/fixed points, but in between it's playing around (bending and stretching) with time, without losing the pulse, speeding or slowing or otherwise. Ultimate musical freedom.
One of the few living greats capable of doing this is Jack DeJohnette, in my opinion.
That’s a great way of putting it
A pure mix of genius, talent and above all COOL! Makes me wanna rush right out and grab a vintage Gretsch bop kit and start learning to be half as cool.
@marcmommaas -- wow, thanks for pointing that out. I didn't recognize Tony. Just saw Tony Moreno play here in NY a few months ago, playing great and super nice cat.
One of the HIGHEST FIDELITY recordings of Elvin that I ever heard was, "Live at the Lighthouse." - Two disk set. (Vinyl and CD) It sounds superb! As if you are sitting ten rows out, center. Get ready, cuz it is TRUE Avant-garde!! ❤
For my money, the greatest drummer who ever lived (in any genre).
I love his little gaffe with the hi-hat at 1:31. Shows that you don't have to be some technical, flawless, perfect robot to be a great drummer.
How?
A Genius....Now Go Listen to 'Three Card Molly' to be absolutely Blown away.
what a authentcal diamant in jazzdrum history. we love you Elvin!
How to develop a solo based on the 3 Card Molly melody:
1) melody on snare.
2) add bass drum
3) add hi hat.
4)?????????
5) profit.
A drummer talking about music in technical terms? You don't see that anymore.
WOW! With Bellson's recent passing, Rich, Roach, Jones gone, we lost most of the cream greatest drummers from the golden age of big band and jazz. Thanks for posting. Glad we have them for a masters class on drumming.
i think elvin jones ushered in the "modern" era of jazz drumming- taking the frenetic force of people like buddy rich, from the big band stuff, and melding it with a sensibility akin to miles davis when bebop was passing out of fashion and the "cool" became the new mode of address -he was the right man at the right time for jazz and drumming in general. god bless him.
I've seen elvin play 4 times and every time I fall asleep. Its the weirdest phenomenon. Even 10 feet away,,, I just start saying "Oh my G-d" over and over in my mind, his playing is so spiritual and I have to use all of my energy just to listen.. Eventually, I just put my head down.
Totally cool. He starts with a marching type rhythm then goes into a whirlwind of all types of patterns with rolls and flams that gel together. I'm a drummer and I still find it difficult to articulate what's going on. What a talent.
Thank you Elvin
Beautiful!! I never had the opportunity to meet Elvin,but this clip indicates that he was a very warm,patient and intelligent cat.
He is not holding the stick with his thumb on his french grip
Fuck he is sooo good, all that stuff on " A Love Supreme" for example, what an original.
+jsilence418
If you haven't already, listen to "Spiritual" from Live At The Villiage Vanguard" with Coltrane. He is so rythmitically advanced in that passage.
i know all a y'all is fans, but 1979, people FORGOT him.
People sure are stupid, aren’t they?
I`m hearing Morgan Freeman for some reason.
god i love the drums
His flow is so unstoppable. The ocean wishes she had flow like this.
Elvin Jones
Dude is a fucking genius
Harry Mack sent me here
This is from "Different Drummer", had it on Beta!!! These great musicians came from an era when music wasn't as cientifically dissected as it is today. I remember watching this segment and understanding immediately the Jazz form and using your imagination to improvise, whereas a lot of today's DVDs leave me cold and confused with so much meaningless math stuff.
Elvin Jones was and is still one of my drum heroes. I'm keeping his sprit alive in my playing! RIP Elvin!! TenaciousRecords.comm
Rest in peace, Mr. Mouzon...
Alphonse, is that really you, cause my friend, you have done wonderful things too
Great sounding snare.
What's he using.
Cobham, Jones, Williams.
man what an awesome drummer!
As easy as that...
the metal rises here
Elvin's still my favourite jazz drummer, along with Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette.
His explanation before the full solo really makes his heavy Gene Krupa influence more apparent. It's amazing to hear how him and Max all drew certain things from Gene (Elvin said his comping style was an attempt to incorporate Gene's rolling triplet phrases with the cymbal pattern) and how, later, Tony took Elvin and Max's interpretations of Gene's phrasing to an even more esoteric place. Really cool video.
"If we understand the melody, then we can understand how that rhythmic phrase can be developed." That's what makes him so great. As Jimmy Chamberlin said in praise of guys like Elvin, Moon, Tony, "They were all great listeners."
Elvin is like a drumming god, in fact he is the god of drumming, it's like hearing original man calling out from Africa, "over here!" Or perhaps, "over there!" What a genius, the Nelson Mandela of drums, liberating other drummers from Robben Island, navigating us past the Great Whites. Mother Theresa has got shit on Elvin, selfish b...
do people think that polythyrhms don't have to be in different multiple time signatures?
Elvin’s voice sounds like morgan freeman almost
''And let's see how... and let's see how that...let's see how that, how that, how that develops''
Dave Chapelle looks and sound like Elvin Jones.
he kinda sounds like morgan freeman
i've been drumming for only about 5 months and I am just blown away by this guy, he is so impressive and knows everything about it, i wanna be like that some day
As only Elvin can do it...Makes it look so
simple, but then, all HELL breaks loose!
What a totally original musician. Nobody
played like that til Elvin hit the scene.
Anybody else thinks the interviewer looks like Bill Ward from Black Sabbath?
I agree. Hearing his voice is a sort of revelation to me. He's as calm, cool and insightful as I should have guessed he'd be.
I am a pianist.You never get better than your drummer and bass player.I front.they keep and adds the beat.Thank you for this upload
I would love to learn how to play like Elvin Jones
@XxSharkBatexX Here is where the slayer guys got the inspiration! xDDDDDDDD
Man! Lovely tunning!!! His and Max's are some of my favorite tunnigs... So Much to learn... and so short time to live...
That was like seen a jet plane taking off!
"Who is the best?"....Yeah its a redundant & almost childish question/debate. But you know what? We can't help ourselves. Hahaha In place of saying: he or she plays like a motherf**ker, nobody gets me off like this cat does, they are my favourite at the moment....we just resort to the 'best' statement. We think we'll grow out of that sh*t but we actually enjoy it too much....and sometimes, we manage to convert or turn people onto the music that we've invested so much time on....so job done.
basically, yeah. its like a horn solo before bepop. you loosely base what you play on the melody of the song, so you'll hear bits and pieces of it, but it may be re-phrased, and varied quite a bit but its still there. if you listen closely enough, you can still hear the basic rhythm of the melody elvin first played, when he starts really getting after it, but at that point, it exists more in phrasing and rhythmic cues.
As far as Elvin versus Buddy....well I read a story somewhere about this.......Louie Bellson and Buddy both going to see Elvin play with Coltrane......these guys all admired each other equally......I think this whole "who is the best" thing is silly in music...maybe in sports......where there is a winner and a loser.....personally I don't think music works that way......there is room for everyone.......Elvin, Buddy.....both amazing drummers...both totally different. I saw Elvin in Boston a lot.
@cragnog Thanks for your input, but I’m sticking w/ what I said: There’s nothing “douchey” about “playing the song, & not just your instrument.” U don't have 2 ALWAYS get under what is going on. If YOU”RE what happens 2 B what’s going on at that moment, then people should be getting under YOU! I almost never hear people playing TOGETHER anymore. It’s almost always a bunch of players (musicians?) all playing as loud as they can. It’s MORE ME all the time, & the hell w/ the song. Cheers
Notice the VOLUME? The old school guys had to be able to "get under" acoustic instruments and still have power and excitement. That's called MUSICIANSHIP Ensemble, Dynamics. I often call it playing the song and not just your instrument. I ask people to do this I get either dumbfounded looks, or contempt. When I play my electric bass, I have an amp & I can get pretty damn loud if I want. But Im always trying to stay under whatever is going on. Anybody else have this problem?
hey dieyoung don't worry about it. Keep trying and you'll get it. And when you do, you'll be richer by far. There are many things in music that I don't and didn't understand. But every time my ears and mind opened up a little, many other things fell in place and I'm a child again. When you finally do get this - and you will! - you will hear music that was always there waiting for you.
@evensteve284 You are so right...even when ppl agree to jus jam it always ends with everybody talking over each other...believe it or not this happens in gospel music today too...anyway this is an awesome vid...I challenge anyone that plays to giv it a try...I got my first sticks at the age of 2 and I still cant play like elvin jones!!
And there are guys who think John Bonham was original, despite doing nothing but playing stuff those legends palyefd 10 years before.
Ringo Starr, THAT'S a talented rock drummer, doing what nobody else did.
creating fills so weird in their perfection that nobody else would ever come up with them.
To the naysayers of anyone at the level of Buddy or Elvin, I say this: Do the work. Stop coming on here and bitching about something very few ever understand. Both offered something completely different. Both were amazing at what they did. Now go DO! GO PLAY!!! ッ
@dieyoung the form is AABA...learn the song and listen to him play a complete performance of the song (melody, solos, his solo, etc...) and you will find it. Elvin is a very melodious drummer. The melody is always inherent in his playing (in comping and soloing).
the best that any musician can be is 'among the greats'. People can have their opinions/favorites, but it's silly to say that someone is the best. We all have our own preferences...Everyone I've seen mentioned is 'among the greats'.
@gostu I think you are right in a sense, but only because it is second nature. He knows the melody, and has played so much he doesn't need to count beats, they are there. He has such good pulse. If my met wasn't broken I would test it, haha.
I think it's 8th notes with flams for accents, but I'm not sure.
Dude...If only people were arguing about elvin and buddy...I was arguing with people today about wether NEIL PART is the best drummer of all times!!! YES! YOU HEARD RIGHT!!! I almost got cancer by their arguments...
@epasurr
no, i'm not, he was loud, he was fast, and he brought stuff into rock other genres used years before, and the man had power.
but many just overrate his inventiveness not knowing about nohams influences.
cant understand what he's doing (but I like it) was able to see him at a Yale "live" -He was a Master
my left ear really liked the video
@gostu if you hear the melody it isn't always necessary to count. I think elvin always knew where he was in the bar but the melody took him where he needed to go.
Elvin was and is the most amazing melodic drummer ever!!!!!EVER RIP!!! R Tullius
Would have been nice to hear the melody he's talking about first
”Three Card Molly” isn’t it? I like this song!
i feel like he cudda been talkin bout how to cook french toast. kinda like " this is how it is, or how you do it"
i don't think falling asleep is a good thing! really, think about it, if you fall asleep, then he is boring you
Interesting.
I don't do that... I just make weird sounds. Sort of annoying if I ever record.
Harry Mack brought me here.
@jetfreak4 Have you heard Lyndon Rochelle' he comes pretty close! But yeah Elvin is bad!
That is actually a "moleskin pad" which was one used before there was Falam pads and such.