Elvin Jones

It's a little know fact that Elvin started out playing blues guitar. His favorite players were John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, and the Mississippi Delta-like players, very earthy... just like his drumming. Check out his guitar on Heavy Sounds with Richard Davis. Earthy Delta blues comes from the deepest of bittersweet human emotion, and hard earned wisdom. There is a saying: "Above all else, get wisdom!"

That feeling that Flamenco calls "Cante Hondo," Deep Song, and wisdom permeated Elvin Jones' drumming. It's who he was. Elvin was a learner. He believed in never stopping learning. Elvin was an unassuming, humble guy. Maybe even a little shy (except on the drums.) That undogmatic openness is the only way one learns and inspires creativity. His innovative drumming changed the way we drum. Probably for you, too. Go back and listen harder to him.

Drumming is thousands of years old. It is an unbroken chain expressing the deepest truth about being human. It is a deeply spiritual thing that AI will never achieve. This is the taproot that Elvin revealed when he played the drums. It was a major blessing in my life for which I am very grateful and hold in deep esteem.