Drummer/Leader: Elvin Jones: ”Puttin’ It Together”

The third drummer/leader in this month's series is the redoubtable Elvin Jones. Elvin was one of the most unorthodox and innovative drummers in Modern Jazz History and he really became well known after spending the years 1960 through 1965 as an important part of John Coltrane's "classic quartet". After Coltrane and a short stint with Duke Ellington, Elvin led his own bands of various sizes but one of his finest ensembles was his Trio. It consisted of the versatile Joe Farrell on tenor and soprano saxophones and flute/alto flute and piccolo. Joe is a strong voice. On bass was Elvin's long time bandmate Jimmy Garrison. They gigged and did a couple of albums for Blue Note and tonight's Jazz Feature is the first one called "Puttin' It Together". The cohesion and the variety provided by the various horns played by Farrell make this an extremely satisfying group despite it's size. Seven tunes and seven different moods make up the date. Compositions by Garrison, Jones, Farrell and some standards make "Puttin' It Together" a wonderful musical experience. Check it out!