Mr. Jones’ Takes The Spotlight : Breaking Down  Elvin Jones’ ‘Poly-Currents’

There’s plenty of amazing jazz drummers, but for my money one of the most powerful with the most finesse was Elvin Jones. Jones gained notoriety for being part of John Coltrane’s great quartet, along with McCoy Tyner(piano), Jimmy Garrison(bass), and of course Coltrane. Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Philly Joe Jones, Billy Cobham, Rashied Ali, and Art Blakey are all outstanding jazz drummers(to name but a few) and absolute game changers of drumming, but Elvin Jones seemed to find himself at the forefront in bringing jazz from the old school to the new school. Hard bop, post-bop, modal, and avante garde were all in his arsenal, and he did them all with both muscle and grace.

I suppose you could say Jones was a meat and potatoes kind of drummer, but that meat was coming from the finest chophouse in town, not some greasy spoon. He played on seminal jazz records, including My Favorite Things, A Love Supreme, Ascension with John Coltrane. He also played on McCoy Tyner’s The Real McCoy and Wayne Shorter’s Speak No Evil. Records that defined 1960s jazz and pushed it forward into the future.

I hadn’t really delved into Elvin’s solo work much, until I discovered the excellent Poly-Currents.

Elvin Jones left John Coltrane’s band as he felt lost after Coltrane added drummer Rashied Ali into the mix. The far out regions of jazz and expression that Coltrane wanted to take his music to wasn’t what Jones wanted to do, and so he left and recorded a series of albums as leader. He recorded a few with Verve! Records, then released a series of albums with Blue Note. The first two, Puttin’ It Together and The Ultimate were good records. But they didn’t stand out as amazing albums by one of the best drummers in the world. They felt more like Joe Farrell albums, as they were dominated by Farrell’s reed instruments(soprano and tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo). But on his 3rd record for Blue Note, Poly-Currents, the drumming maestro made it clear who’s name was on the album sleeve.

Where Puttin’ It Together and The Ultimate were trio albums, Poly-Currents is an ensemble. The 7-piece band consisted of Jones on drums, Fred Tompkins on flute, George Coleman on tenor sax, Joe Farrell on tenor, english horn, flute, and bass flute, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Wilber Little on bass, and Candido Camero on congas. This was one hell of an ensemble, and from the opening salvo you know we’re in new territory for Jones.

Poly-Currents opens on the epic “Agenda”, and a drummer’s delight if ever there was one. An Elvin Jones composition, Jones and Candido Camero let us know who’s in charge. Jones and Camero lay a rhythmic groove down as the reeds lay down some slinky lines. It’s like the sound of jazz in the jungle, tribal percussion lays the groundwork until 8 minutes into this 13-minute epic Jones locks in and lays down some serious percussion fire. Camero’s congas blend perfectly with Jones’ tom hits.

This is a huge step forward for Jones. A hard-bop, modal masterpiece.

Next up is “Agappe Love”, a Joe Farrell composition. A light and ethereal track centered with some light-as-air flute playing. It’s very reminiscent of the late, great Eric Dolphy. “Mr. Jones” is credited as being written by Jones’ wife and manager Keiko Jones and it’s more of an old school bop piece that grooves hard and has some tasty Coltrane-esque blowing on the tenor sax.

Elsewhere you have the etheral “Yes” that is yet again led by tasteful flute and is a mini-showcase for Fred Tompkins, while album closer “Whew” has some old school swing to it. Composed by bassist Wilber Little, “Whew” has some of the fire of Jones’ former bandleader John Coltrane while still keeping a foot in the world of traditional hard bop.

In my opinion, Poly-Currents stays faithful to Elvin Jones love of classic early 60s hard bop and swing while also showing that John Coltrane’s free-spirited cacophony of sound made an impact on Jones. It’s exploratory, engaging, while still staying true to the swing. This is a musician’s album that doesn’t get too heady or lost in the avante garde. It’s the whole package.

If you’re new to the world of Elvin Jones, I’d recommend dipping your toes in albums like Coltrane’s Sound, My Favorite Things, Africa/Brass, and Love Supreme. Then when your brain is good and primed, jump into the world of Poly-Currents. It’s got everything, while very much being and Elvin Jones showcase.