 |
| Great album + Awesome pun = Highly recommended |
Tommy Flanagan Trio "Overseas" aka "Elvin Plays Amazing Brushes"
I didn't get hip to this album until this year when it was recommended by Jon McCaslin at FOUR ON THE FLOOR, and it has been a joy getting acquainted with it. It is too easy to form a one-dimensional picture of Elvin Jones. The irresistible force of his playing in the classic Coltrane quartet overshadows the many other sides of his playing. Not that I have anything but the deepest love for that group, but it is good to hear Elvin playing in other contexts, in this case a straight-ahead piano trio featuring the great Detroit pianist Tommy Flanagan. Elvin was a master musician, capable of adapting to fit any context in the enormous range of jazz music.
The big highlight of this album for me is getting to hear Elvin's nasty brush playing. In my experience Elvin is a really underrated brush player, despite the fact that his deep, rolling, triplety vocabulary works equally well with sticks or brushes. Just listen to the track at the top ("Beats Up") for proof!
What else did you expect from a recording that is a favorite of both Jeff Hamilton and Han Bennink?
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the all-time great brush recordings!
There was a transcription of the trading of "Beats Up" in Modern Drummer Dec 2005, if you're interested.
Elvin was 30 when he did this recording and you can clearly hear where he is coming from before becoming his own man even more after joining Coltrane.
Its good to know I am in such great company! I would love to see that transcription, I was just working on transcribing it myself. Thanks for checking out the article and for the great feedback!
Delete