Awesome Elvin Jones Solo

[White Riot!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLcIJB-ErZ0

The man is a voodoo shaman!

[kc1296426]

Ha, I love his face when he drums.

Oh by the way, this is stronghold worthy.

[Futuro]

Hell yeah, that ending was killer :O

[Patrick323]

that was great, really musical. thanks.

[DrummingBen]

lol at his face. Can't say I'm too impressed but it was enjoyable to listen to.

[A Dead Modernist]

Thanks.

[Retarded Chipple]

I wasn't that amazed with it really :(


There a hellova alot of people there though!

[MNdrummer21]

Well if you listen predominantly to rock music, it could be that you are having a difficult time understanding the melodic phrasing and musical playing of Elvin in this clip. Just because he isn't blowing chops doesn't mean it isn't incredible playing; look deeper than that and the beauty of Elvin's playing will reveal itself.

[White Riot!]

Just because he isn't blowing chops doesn't mean it isn't incredible playing; look deeper than that and the beauty of Elvin's playing will reveal itself.

Hell yes , in addition the his innate sense of melodic phrasing , he is playing alot of contrasting rhythms at the same time. He really does sound like a tribe of drummers!:p

Btw when I was looking for sheet music for a love supreme , the reply I got was elvin jones plays in an inexpressable meter , that makes me happy and sad at the same time

[Retarded Chipple]

Well if you listen predominantly to rock music, it could be that you are having a difficult time understanding the melodic phrasing and musical playing of Elvin in this clip. Just because he isn't blowing chops doesn't mean it isn't incredible playing; look deeper than that and the beauty of Elvin's playing will reveal itself.

I don't have a difficult time understanding musical playing or melodic ideas, I just wasn't THAT into that particular solo.

Just because I didn't dig it don't assume that I don't understand it or that I listen predominantly to rock....its kind of insulting to both me and you.

Also, cos you understand something doesn't automatically mean you have to love it and bum out over it and tell anyone who isn't that into it that they're wrong!

[the_pure_drummer]

That was pretty sweet!

[drums_from_hell]

ouch..well what retarded said is true..on the other hand however, i enjoyed the clip. pretty cool face he's got while playing..i think im gonna try to imitate his face while playin:P

[White Riot!]

He was 72 in that clip!

[Stickman Sam]

Gear and media/stronghold?

But I watched this because it isn't some 14 year old's new band recordings :P

~~

[MNdrummer21]

I pray I can play like that when I'm 72.

[CARMEN77]

my favorite drummer besides tony williams. He plays with so much honesty and power. FUKKKKK

[some jive turkey]

If you sign up as a Youtube user, are you able to download vid clips, or save them on your computer?

For Elvin clips, that was kind of average. He can definitely do better. But for age 72, nonetheless amazing. The fluidity of his arm/wrist/finger motion is worth a doubletake.
The trumpet player looked bored shitless.

Sounded like he had that snare cranked

[drummguy731]

He's an amazing player, but a horrible tuner. That's all I've got to say.

[some jive turkey]

I think Keiko tunes his kit for him.

3rd video down is good also.
I'm trying to figure out where it's from.

Edit: tuned his kit...

[Det_Nosnip]

Hell yes , in addition the his innate sense of melodic phrasing , he is playing alot of contrasting rhythms at the same time. He really does sound like a tribe of drummers!:p

Btw when I was looking for sheet music for a love supreme , the reply I got was elvin jones plays in an inexpressable meter , that makes me happy and sad at the same time

lol. That's bullshit. Most of Love Supreme was in 4, and Elvin was in time. His solos would sorta lapse I suppose, but everything has a rhythm...
There's no such thing as an inexpressable meter.

[White Riot!]

lol. That's bullshit. Most of Love Supreme was in 4, and Elvin was in time. His solos would sorta lapse I suppose, but everything has a rhythm...
There's no such thing as an inexpressable meter.

I know its bullshit! But im glad I didn't have transcriptions of a sheet music publisher that claims they can't express elvin's playing!

[TTTSNB]

That's a great solo, loving the four way independence and the tom melodies. I love how he was doing Bonham triplets like 7 years before Bonham even became known, hahaha.

[Det_Nosnip]

Yeah, well...so were Krupa and Rich before that. :p It's an old lick...Bonham really just popularized it and applied it well to rock music.

I mean...trading 2s is about as old, yet whenever somebody does that, it's considered a "Portnoy lick." :rolleyes: Oh well...

[Futuro]

i call it the newb fill.


cause im so kew

[White Riot!]

I found a great analysis of Elvin.

When drummers describe Elvin’s style, as they admit, words fall short. In general, the way Jones plays seems to be beyond analysis.

Equally, it is difficult to pinpoint antecedents concerning the source of his concepts. With other drummers it seems easier to say that so and so evolved from this or that major voice on the instrument, or is linked to a particular stylistic period. But not so with Elvin.

Of course there are obvious physical attributes that he possesses. For example, he has large hands and long limbs enabling him to have a very circular approach as opposed to a more stationary posture. His basic body movement emanates from the back and waist. Nothing is rigid; everything is in motion producing a flowing, legato style.

When Elvin plays there is a balance between opposites, meaning a strong and centered beat, yet with an unparalleled looseness. A marked fluidity and continuity between his hands and feet is clearly observable.

Also his strokes, both from the arms and legs, appear to be thrown at the drums resulting in a kind of rebounding motion, which looks like his whole body is recoiling off the instrument. Then there is the golden touch that drummer Adam Nussbaum describes as if Elvin is striking fine crystal rather than bronze when he “tips” on the cymbal.

The Jones ride beat can be light as a feather or bashing. He holds the sticks extremely loose in both hands. On the cymbal, the sticks often bounce high off after the stroke.

The left hand “patter” on the snare drum which constantly percolates under the cymbal beat at a low to medium volume level can be raised in a split second to a very loud single stroke attack. The same dynamic range is true for Elvin’s brush and mallet work.

On brushes he can caress the snare surface so lightly that the beat is hardly discernible. On the other hand the degrees of strokes he possesses on the snare and toms with the brushes is tremendous in range.

For certain dynamics the brushes remain quite close in proximity to the drum producing a dark sound. For more intense percussive strokes he holds them in a pronounced horizontal plane and strikes the drum where the rubber handle and wires meet.

On mallets, which he tends to use more often than other drummers, his range of dynamics from a soft roll to thunderous cascades on the tom-toms are part and parcel of Elvin’s playing. This is especially true at the finale of a ballad under a horn cadenza which usually segues into the last chord. In fact, some of Elvin’s ending cadences after the last note has been played can be longer and more thunderous than other drummer’s full solos!

What this adds up to is an incredible ability to tread lightly or strike forcefully throughout the drums at a moment’s notice. Elvin’s natural physical attributes and sensitive ear have enabled him to be one of the greatest dynamic masters of all time in jazz beyond the drums itself.

One can take this for granted especially in light of the high intensity that the Coltrane group achieved on the volume scale, which I can personally attest to having seen the group many times in the 1960s. But sensitivity to dynamics is an essential component of Elvin’s entire approach to music and a major factor in his role as a bandleader.

[White Riot!]

Discussing such a natural and instinctive style in words is admittedly difficult for any art form, especially music. In Elvin’s case it is more of a challenge because so much of what he does is technically inexplicable.

Other stylists are more consistent and one-dimensional in their playing, but Elvin’s breadth is so wide and all encompassing, it is daunting.


I would say in the final result, most musicians’ comments about Elvin would be that it feels both great to play with him and exhilarating to listen to. One of the most important characteristics is the ride beat on his main sizzle cymbal. The wide space between the accented last part of the basic swing triplet and the next downbeat is quite exaggerated in Elvin’s case. This became more apparent over the years following his development from the 1950s onward.

Also the many “skipped” or silent cymbal beats, which are filled in by the left hand, contributing to the overall feel of his pulse. One of the results is that the beat appears stretched and very laid back or as musicians would express it, behind the stated pulse. This is especially true at certain slower tempos where it is even more obvious that Elvin is behind the beat. In fact, he is one of the only drummers who can play a certain tempo range, especially a slow blues with such a wide beat and big sound that it feels like the entire ocean is beneath you. And at fast tempos he doesn’t articulate using the more orthodox ride beat pattern, but instead one hears a lot of “swallowed” strokes and less obvious downbeats.

The primary activity taking place under the ongoing ride beat is in the left hand, playing a lot of displaced triplets using varying degrees of accents and dynamics throughout the entire drum set.

With Elvin there seems to be a separate left hand conversation taking place resulting in a kind of undertone to the more apparent ride pattern and emphatic bass drum hits. As he stated: ”I figured that a lot of things drummers were doing with two hands could be done with one hand-like accents with just the left hand on the snare, so you wouldn’t have to take your right hand off the ride.” Incorporating a flow of accented upbeats, the essence of Elvin’s style in this regard is the triplet, which can be also recognized as a 6/8 or 12/8 division of the bar. This gives the beat a broadness as compared to a more duple oriented concept. He has the uncanny ability to seamlessly switch between subdivisions of four and six which although are similar metrically, sound very different to the ear.

Combining with the ride beat and left hand action is pronounced bass drum interaction. Although he does at times “feather”(play all four beats lightly-a component of many of the older drummer’s style), he has a wide array of bass drum strokes. For example, he may slide forward on the ball of his foot thus shortening and quickening the stroke.

Using a wood beater, he may leave it held to the bass drum skin after the stroke thus pushing the air through to the outer head for a more staccato sound. Or he may pull the beater off the head after impact to produce a boomier tone, in a spring-back motion, which can be visually observed especially when he plays intensely.

Also, there is at times a pronounced heel-toe stroke with the back of the foot going to the floor first, followed by the front. This all coalesces into a wide array of tones and colors from the bass drum, which as mentioned earlier is tuned higher in pitch than as is the case for most other drummers. Thus all of these varied colors are heard quite clearly.

Elvin’s use of the hi-hat cymbals is rather unorthodox and in a sense historically contributed to its emancipation from the norm, which is to traditionally accent the second and fourth beats of a 4/4 measure. He will at times keep this two and four going, especially in ballads, but by and large the hi-hat is used for freely placed accents. The avoidance of the clichéd two and four is a big factor contributing to Elvin’s overall loose and coloristic approach.

As a soloist, Elvin will go down in history as one of the giants. Even when trading bars with the other musicians as in fours, eights or twelves, the way he stretches the beat is unimaginable and can be hard to decipher, but it always seems to feel great.

He is a master of motivic development, taking one rhythmic combination and by means of augmentation (longer) and diminution (shortening) of the phrase throughout the entire drum set, makes one idea serve as the centerpiece for an entire section of his solo. This is essential for cohesion and unity which are aspects often missing, especially in drum solos. Combined with a wide range of dynamics, the listener is not only drawn in due to Elvin’s obvious power but unconsciously on the compositional level also. And certainly for the most part at the beginning and end of solos, the form of the tune is clear.

[White Riot!]

Elvin has several fills or cadences that are signature phrases. Often they appear at the beginning of an eight bar phrase, especially after intense activity has just occurred.

These cadences serve a significant unifying purpose, helping the other musicians and listeners alike to collect their thoughts and prepare for the next round of action.

In general, Elvin is what I describe as a plateau player meaning the intensity rises as a result of a barrage of polyrhythms, then returns to the clearly stated pulse (but still at a certain intensity) before leading to the next round of activity. This was particularly true during his tenure with Coltrane and most obvious when they engaged in duets.

I wouldn’t consider Elvin overall as an interactive drummer in the sense that he directly comments on another musician’s ideas or orchestrates “hits” with the rest of the rhythm section, although with McCoy Tyner he did often join together in this way under Coltrane. In general, Elvin’s vision is broad and all encompassing—the forest rather than the trees.

One other stylistic element of Elvin is his unique way of playing several different idioms. For his various Latin-based feels the kind of syncopation he plays on the bell of the ride cymbal is unique and incisive. Along with movement around the toms and some side sticking on the rims of the snare, he alters the clave constantly with a lot of emphasis on the fourth beat.

Furthermore in this genre, his bossa nova concept is quite individualistic but still retains an overall authentic feel. Then there is the unique dotted quarter feel he brings to 3/4 and 6/8 meter coupled with the way he moves around the set sounding like several drummers, emphasizing the low tom-toms and bass drum. Playing a slow six feel with Elvin is one of the most exhilarating experiences in rhythm a musician can have.

Finally, there is the intense backbeat, which on occasion he will use, subsequently igniting musicians and audience alike—reminding everyone what a true “bump and grind” beat can feel like.

[Det_Nosnip]

Great find, man...his latin based stuff is definitetly killer. I remember the first time I heard the first movement of "A Love Supreme," I was just like "what the **** is going on!!" :lol: The incredible variance he plays on the ride cymbal really adds to that...it's usually more common for players to play a strict cascara or Mozambique type bell pattern while varying the toms...Elvin sorta flipped that concept with a bass drum/snare ostinato and an open ride pattern. Just one of many examples of his greatness. :)

[FockerTheLopper]

I love the way Youtubers criticize him... Elvin is probably the best solo drummer, so much emotion.

[White Riot!]

I love the way Youtubers criticize him... Elvin is probably the best solo drummer, so much emotion.

The average youtuber is only there to watch breast massages or bro rapes etc

[FockerTheLopper]

The average youtuber is only there to watch breast massages or bro rapes etc

haha too true