Search - Elvin Jones :: In Europe

Well-oiled jazz machine

Tyler Smith | Denver, CO United States | 11/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1991 live recording of one of numerous incarnations of Jones's Jazz Machine is one of the best of the drummer's many efforts. Elvin's underrated talent for bringing together top-notch musicians who understand how to cook within a musical concept is displayed in three superb live cuts.The list of saxophonists that Jones has played with and in many cases nurtured since the death of John Coltrane is long and distinguished. Here he teams up with one of his finest partners, Sonny Fortune, as well as Coltrane's son, Ravi, who holds his own in a heavyweight lineup that also includes Chip Jackson on bass, and the terrific pianist and long-time Jones bandmate Willie Pickens.The set, recorded at a festival in Germany, opens with the gently but insistently simmering "Ray," which gives all the players a chance to shine. Coltrane makes a fine showing with a smooth but very swinging turn on soprano. It's an impressive showing for me because he distinguishes his sound nicely from his father's. No easy feat to step out of such a lengthily cast shadow. Of the three cuts, the most impressive is "Doll of the Bride," a traditional Japanese song arranged by Jones's wife Keiko, who has made strong contributions to her husband's songbook over the years. It's a 32-minute piece that spans various loosely but logically connected sections and, as with all great jazz compositions of this type, skillfully blends order and improvisation. It takes the listener into a world of musical logic that makes, during its best moments, the passage of time irrelevant.Pickens and Fortune are particularly strong on this piece. Fortune, in fact, has rarely sounded better, a strong statement to make about one of our greatest living saxophonists, but one with which I think the serious listener will agree. He's a raging bull on tenor at times, yet he is capable of a clear-as-water purity on flute that lends balance and color to the music when that is called for. Pickens displays not only musical technique but also historical knowledge of the instrument in his work. One can hear echoes of Jones's long-time partner McCoy Tyner, but Willie's sound is strong and confident and altogether his own.Elvin, as always, maintains a strong and unmistakable presence, taking a solo turn or two that displays his still impressive technique, but primarily concentrating on building an unshakable foundation on which the others can launch their statements."Live in Europe" makes a good companion piece to Enja's fine recordings of Jones at the Village Vanguard in the '70s. One can hear the same spirit in the music, but there is nothing being repeated. Rather, the spirit is being reinforced, made stronger by the undying creative energy of Jones and his companions."

One of My Favorites

Brian J. Petruska | Brooklyn, New York United States | 03/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is very likely the best jazz album I own, and possibly the best I've heard. The piano solo in Doll of the Bride is intense and gorgeous, and the alto solo epitomizes passionate, take-no-prisoners, go-for-it-all playing. (It gives me chills almost every time I hear it, and I've being listening to this album for years.) The other two tracks are effortless to listen to, and almost impossible to forget. Particularly superb is the bass solo in Island Birdie. Before it's done, you may not believe you're listening to a bass!"