Dear John C.
Studio album by
Elvin Jones
ReleasedNovember 1965[1]
RecordedFebruary 23 & 25, 1965
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreJazz
Length39:25
LabelImpulse!
A-88
ProducerBob Thiele
Elvin Jones chronology
Illumination!
(1963) 		Dear John C.
(1965) 		And Then Again
(1965)

Dear John C. is an album by American jazz drummer Elvin Jones featuring performances recorded in 1965 for the Impulse! label.[2] The "John C." mentioned in the title is John Coltrane. The album was also released on SACD. It features Jones leading a quartet of alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, pianist Roland Hanna and bassist Richard Davis.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album 4 stars stating "The variety from cut to cut is engaging, and there's nothing over the top, even the drumming of Elvin Jones. With the musicality at a high level, Dear John C. needs revisiting by drumming students and jazz fans to note how teamwork, shared values, and held-in-check dynamics benefit the overall quality of music. It seems this recording is underrated when over time it should never be. Dear John C. is deserving of an excellent rating".[3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[4]

Track listing

Original track listing

  1. "Dear John C." (Hammer, Thiele) - 3:54
  2. "Smoke Rings" (Gifford, Washington) - 3:41
  3. "Love Bird" (Mingus) - 3:49
  4. "Feeling Good" (Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse) - 4:11
  5. "Anthropology" (Gillespie, Parker) - 4:20
  6. "This Love of Mine" (Sol Parker, Hank Sanicola, Sinatra) - 4:20
  7. "Fantazm" (Ellington) - 3:56
  8. "Ballade" (Hammer) - 5:18
  9. "Everything Happens to Me" (Tom Adair, Matt Dennis) - 5:56

Recorded on February 23, 1965 (tracks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), and February 25, 1965 (tracks 1, 3, 8, 9)

A CD reissue features a different track list and the bonus track "That Five-Four Bag"

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Billboard Nov 20, 1965
  2. ^ Impulse! Records discography accessed March 23, 2011
  3. ^ a b Nastos, M. G. Allmusic Review accessed March 23, 2011
  4. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 113. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
Categories