The Jazzcat

Elvin Jones

I love Elvin Jones! He is one of the remaining master drummers in this business. A jazz historian and legend providing us with some unprecedented collaborations that make those of us who live for this music, live for this music! Many of you have seen Elvin all of your lives. You grew up with him and listened to him play in various groups and may have even experienced him live with one of the greatest quartets ever to grace this business. I, on the other hand, did not get to grow up with Elvin. My parents did not listen to music so I had to find my way to jazz. So, I have only known of Elvin for the last 20 years or so and have only seen him live twice.

There are many wonderful experiences that we who love this music hold dear to us. We tell the stories of past performances and share our enthusiasm with other who empathize and share similar experiences. My greatest experience with Elvin was at the Masonic Hall in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />San Francisco during the San Francisco Jazz Festival. I finally had my chance to watch two of my favorite players perform. McCoy played the first set with his band and Elvin performed the second. At the very end, Elvin invited McCoy back to play with him and I was taken back to a time I wish I was old enough to remember. A truly special and defining moment for me.

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I have received an email about the condition of Elvin’s health. I can’t express the sadness I have when bad news comes to haunt any of our beloved players. I don’t want to dwell on the inevitable but I thought I would share these posts about Elvin with you!

All we can do really is to keep the spirit of Elvin and all others who are not well in our hearts and pray for the best. Here is video of the master

LeRoy