Elvin Jones

[.:.impossible]

I have a ticket to go check out Jazz Machine tonight. I've never see Elvin before and have mixed emotions about this.

A friend was there last night. Elvin has been out of intensive care for all of 10 days after a 2 1/2 month stay.

I have this feeling that its like going to see a dying grandparent one last time before they pass away, and I feel like maybe I shouldn't go, so that I could remember them the way they were. In the end, I'm always glad that I spent that time with them, but there's always that fear.

Then again, its a chance to see one of the masters. I would regret not meeting him.

Does anyone know why Elvin was in the hospital. My friend couldn't understand what Keiko said.

[ADR]

Cary:

You should definitely go IMO. You will always wonder "what if" if you don't . Ater all you don't always get a chance to see a living legend in their twilight. He might just surprise you with the robustness of his playing. From what I've read Bill Evan's performances at the end of his life when his health was declining precipitously were more agressive and physical then in his younger days. Even if his playing is sub-par it is still an opportunity to pay tribute to one of the all time greats.

I'm glad to see that you are able to take advantage of your proximity to more regular jazz venues than are located in Charlotte.

Hope you and the Mrs. are doing well. Send me an PM and let me know what you are up to - what kind of job you were able to find, etc.

ADR

Edited April 1, 2004 by ADR

[.:.impossible]

Will do Doug. Thanks for the advice. I agree. I would regret not going. I just don't want it to be sad. My friend said he wasn't sure if Elvin would finish the set, then his playing would just increase in strength and surprise the hell out of everyone.

[sidewinder]

You should definitely try to go. Elvin is an extremely nice guy in person and all of the shows of his that I have attended over the years have invariably been pleasant experiences, irrespective of his legendary status. And no Jimmy Smith-like dissin' of the audience here ! B)

[Newk]

I would not resist an opportunity to see Elvin. I have seen him a bunch of times and its always special.

Even if his health is declining, I think he would truly appreciate your attendance.

[Jim Alfredson]

Be sure to tell him how much joy his music has brought your life. We musicians love to hear that!

[chris olivarez]

Be sure and let us know how the show turned out.

[BFrank]

Be sure and let us know how the show turned out.

Yes. Definitely.

He's scheduled to play at Yoshi's later this month. I wouldn't want to go if it's "sad", either.

[EKE BBB]

You should definitely go!

Here´s my post on the concert I attended last fall in the Emociona!!! Madrid jazz festival:

Elvin Jones Jazz Machine (November 15)

This was a really cookin´ concert! Oh, my God, he´s 76 but he keeps fit, thin and fibrous like a young man!

The Jazz Machine´s been a school for new musicians for the last 20 years (in the same sense that Blakey´s Jazz Messengers, but a bit more modest). This time the line-up was: Mark Shim on tenor and soprano saxes; Duane Eubanks on trumpet and fluggelhorn; Gerald Cannon on bass and Carlos McKinney on piano.

All of them soloed profusely, but the most impressive one for me was Carlos McKinney. Geez, I´d never seen a guy hitting the keys with such violence. He´s a very unorthodox piano player, but he gave us some shocking soloes in a Cecil Taylor way, with that energy...

The played four songs and two bises. Tizol/Ellington´s "Caravan" was the first and weakest one with certain problems with the sound of the piano and the bass. They got in the spirit of things quickly and the next one, a Thad Jones theme, was a superb 25 minutes jam-session!!!. Bob Thiele´s "What a wonderful world" ballad was played calmly, with Elvin on brushes. Beautiful. To end their program Elvin showed his preference for Japanese folksongs since his marriage with Keiko: they played a stunning "Hokaido" and they reached their climax!

The two bises were a swingin´ Ellington´s "It don´t mean a thing" and another song I did recognize but can´t give a name...

In short: my last chance to see Elvin Jones live was a SUPERB CONCERT!!!

[sidewinder]

'It don't Mean A Thing' must be Elvin's favourite tune. He's played it just about every time I've seen it live - usually on brushes with the vocal accompaniment !

Sure hope he makes his annual trip later this year over to Ronnie Scotts. This year, I'll make sure I'm in attendance (last time he had Sonny Fortune in tow so a double treat !)

[Hardbopjazz]

To say you seen a giant play is worth going to see him. When I saw Joe Hendrson in 1999, my friend stopped him as he walked off the stage. Joe was real nice and shook our hands. He was gone 2 years later. I was glad I went and saw him. I saw Count Basie at the end of his career. He came out on the stage of the Savoy Ballroom in a electric wheelchair. He still gave a great show.

Hopefully Elvin has his bother Hank's genes and will be with us for some time to come.

Edited April 2, 2004 by Hardbopjazz

[PHILLYQ]

Does anyone know what Elvin Jones' ailment(s) is? I'm just curious.

[JohnS]

I haven't seen Elvin for quite a while. Last time he didn't look all that good but when he got behind the drums it was another matter. He blew the other drummer playing that night away just warming up.

[catesta]

Does anyone know what Elvin Jones' ailment(s) is? I'm just curious.

Not exactly sure, but didn't Chris Albertson make mention of seeing Elvin using a walker a couple of months ago?

[JSngry]

I think that was Max.

[catesta]

My bad, thanks Jim.

[.:.impossible]

Keiko said that Elvin had been in a hospital bed since February due to heart failure. He had been out of the hospital for ten days before the concert.

The performance area at Regattabar is on the same level as the tables. My friend has a friend at the ticket office because we've been front and center every time we go. I shit you not, I sat ten feet in front of Elvin's hotrod gold glitter Yamaha drum kit for two sets!

They opened with Caravan and I had my worries. He stuck to his floor toms and his strength was not increasing. His rhythm and tempo were on and off and his changes just seemed so sudden. But there were those glimpses.

His playing got better and better as he gained confidence in his playing. I loved watching him move around that kit. The more we cheered, the stronger he got. At times, he was fantastic!

Elvin didn't talk much, though it looked as though he were trying at times. His facial expressions were priceless. That smile!

Mark Shim, whom I had never heard before, can play one fast bebop line on tenor and Eubanks plays a convincing Lee Morgan-style trumpet. Gerald Cannon played a great bass solo on What A Wonderful World, which seems strange to saI'y, but it really was nice.

There is no mistaking Elvin. He was definitely doing his thing.

I am so glad I went. Keiko takes such great care of that man. It seems she truly understands how much Elvin Jones means to us.

My friend took a picture of us. He's kind of an autograph/photo hound. I'll post it once I have it.

What I want you to take out of this post:

It felt great to be in his presence. His smile will forever be embedded in my memory.

[.:.impossible]

Oh yeah. They played It Don't Mean A Thing at least three times.

[TedR]

Thanks for the description of the concert, impossible. I'm glad you went to see Elvin. The greats are irreplaceable and to see him in person is unforgettable.

I saw Elvin's group in the early 90's (an unknown Nicholas Payton was with him then). He had wonderful charisma and energy with an infectious joy for the music. I feel terrible to hear of his health problems now.

[Tom Storer]

I think the first time I saw Elvin was at the Village Vanguard in the early 80's. I don't remember the band much, except for Ari Brown on tenor and Andy McKee on bass. Another saxophonist showed up and jammed but was never introduced to the audience. I was sitting front and center and what I really remember was Elvin - this was the first time it really hit me how LOUD he plays. He was flashing that big grin and just slamming the hell out of the drums, rolling all over the set like thunder. I had seen Haynes, Higgins, Blakey, and quite a few others, but I'd never seen drumming like that before, and it was just washing over me. It was like being in the heart of the hurricane. I stayed until the wee hours. The last set was over around 2 AM or so, and there were maybe a dozen or so of us left, including a table of Japanese tourists. When the band finished playing, Elvin mopped the sweat from his bow, stepped down off the stand still grinning and bowed low to each remaining table in turn, thanking us for coming in a voice whose soft courtesy contrasted with the raw power of his drumming. He radiated charm, strength, and glowing, positive energy.

I saw him many times after that, including once in a supergroup with McCoy Tyner and Sonny Fortune in which after Elvin started counting off the tempo, Tyner stopped him to say, "No, faster"; Elvin gave him a look, chuckled, and said, "You want faster? You want faster?" and proceeded to race out of the starting block at a startling pace. But it's 2 AM at the Village Vanguard, when Elvin bowed to each table, that stays in my mind.

Here's hoping he stays healthy for years to come. Cardiac conditions and his kind of drumming don't go well together, it seems to me - he should take it easy!

[sidewinder]

I've seen Elvin quite a few times over the years, from about 1980 onwards (when he was truly phenomenal in terms of firepower) but the most memorable has to be back in 1989. The band at that time included Ronnie Mathews, Cecil McBee and Sonny Fortune ( ) and was on tour up in Toronto, playing the now-defunct 'Bermuda Onion' club on Bloor Street. I was accompanied by both of my parents that night, who were visiting me from the UK, and by some fluke of chance my mum ended up seated right in front of Elvin's bass drum and hi-hat location ! After the set Elvin came over to the table, most graciously apologised to my mother for the loud racket and then sat and chatted a while, talking about the band and mentioning his time with the Coltrane quartet (of course at times like this your mind goes blank as you try to think of questions to ask ). Oh - and he also signed a copy of a flyer with 'love and peace - Elvin Jones', which I have sinced had framed and hangs pride of place on my wall.

Ever since that night, this guy can do no wrong.. . I wish Elvin the very best of health and speedy recovery from the current ailment.

Edited April 5, 2004 by sidewinder

[.:.impossible]

Well, he didn't have that thunder, but it was great to see him. Keiko told us that the doctor asked that he not play drums any longer, but she said that's the only way he'd get better!

She would put sticks in his hand, or brushes. She called some of the tunes. She is his biggest fan, no doubt.

He opened the second set by adjusting, readjusting, fumbling with the top cymbal of his hi-hat. I wasn't sure he knew he was on stage. As soon as he got that cymbal on the stand the way he wanted it, he counted off a tempo faster than anything in the first set and played his best. He was just looking at me smiling and I said to myself, "You son-of-a-bitch. You had me!"

He still has some of that show in him, and he still has that charm.

It was a real pleasure to meet him.

[Chalupa]

I thought I'd pass this along. The following email is from a poster on the Mike Watt list who got it from a poster on the Latin Jazz list. I hope Elvin is doing bettter.

> From the latinjazz@yahoo.com e-group:

>

>This might be beyond Latin Jazz, but this is the only egroup that I

>think might be interested in the description of my experience during

>a recent 4 days stay in the SF for a meeting. I was able to go to

>Yoshi's to see Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. I am not that familiar with

>his work, but knowing he was John Coltrane drummer and more recently

>worked a lot with Candido with his poly-rhythm stuff that I wanted to

>check him out. First of all, Yoshi's is a great modern place to see a

>Jazz band, good acoustics, pretty big as well. The only problem is

>that it is in the middle of a mall-like complex and after the last

>set we were stranded, without a cab or even a person to help us out

>to get back to SF. I tried to ask for somebody at Yoshi's to actually

>call a cab for us or help us out, and he looked at me like "Are you

>from another planet?" (and he was the last person there, once he

>left, we were truly alone). Took us an hour to actually get back to a

>BART (subway) station to head back to SF. But that is beyond the

>point.

>

>I was really eager to see Elvin Jones, waiting to see the Black

>Thunder pounding those drums. The scenario was perfect, no mikes over

>the drums so I though "wow, he can really pound those drums, eh?".

>Well, the band came out (2 saxes, pianist and bassist) and the place

>went crazy but...no Elvin...and no Elvin...and no Elvin. After about

>5 minutes of constant applause, Elvin Jones came out, couldn't walk

>and had to be helped by his wife and the band members. We were a

>group of physicians and nurses and we all looked at each other with

>the same expression in our faces "he is dying of heart failure". His

>wife gave him the sticks and the band started playing a bebop-like

>tune. It was quite an experience seeing him playing that night. The

>stick in his right hand (hitting the cymbal) kept slipping back and

>he needed to reposition it. He was certainly off, considering the

>timing of the tune. I couldn't see his left hand, but I could not

>hear any beats. Similarly with the hi-hat, I did not hear it all

>night long. As the performance continued, he looked more ill...in

>fact, he closed his eyes once, and grabbed his stomach as if he was

>in pain, and everybody in my group got up because we though that he

>was going to fall. He finally woke up and continued playing. He took

>one solo all night long, and basically what he did was to drop the

>sticks on the drum one at a time, at a very slow speed. He did not

>have the strengh or energy to lift up the sticks from the drum fast

>enough. The band sounded great thought. I guess he is like Art Blakey

>and surrounded himself with the best young players available. The

>bassist kept the rhythm going all night long, working super hard and

>the pianist would take very long solos, as both sax players. Elvin

>could still swing at a very low speed, but was well complemented by

>the bassist and pianist. At the end of the performance, his wife

>whose name I couldn't catch, came out and said that Elvin Jones was

>very ill, dying from heart failure. She also said that he had not

>eaten anything that day but that she had fired his prior 3 physicians

>when they said that he was dying and decided to take care of things

>herself, booking him continuosly until July (she also went on and on

>talking about medical insurances, doctors, etc) Elvin did not said a

>word all night long, and I actually wondered if was still coherent

>enough (which is a common, late event in patients with heart

>failure). He stayed there, sitting by his drums for about 20 minutes

>after the performance was over. We all gave him a standing ovation, I

>guess is the way of thanking him for what he has done. He did wave

>goodby as he was helped out of the stage. We sent him our cards as

>there are some options for patients with advanced heart failure

>(which we happen to especialize in our group).

>

>I am not sure I can actually describe the feeling I had that night.

>The music was good, and seeing him on the drums made me happy and

>sad. Happy because I got to see him before the inevitable. Sad

>because somebody like him should be at home, spending the last few

>days of his life surrounded by family and friends. I know he also

>needs our support (income as his wife put it). I haven't heard

>anything about his health in the news, and patients with heart

>failure have good and bad days, but I can actually say that he is in

>bad shape, weakened by his illness (already cachectic). I will

>forever have the image of an elderly Elvin Jones playing the drums

>that night.

>

>

>

>

>Dr. Jazz

>Dr. Jazz Operations

>24270 Eastwood

>Oak Park, MI 48237

>(248) 542-7888

>http://www.drjazz.com=20

[7/4]

[Dan Gould]

Very sad news.