Dangerous Thinking

I somehow missed this yesterday. Elvin Jones, one of the greatest and most influential jazz musicians died on Tuesday in hospital in New Jersey.

I’ll leave the BBC to give you the basic biog, while I wish Elvin all the best, wherever he is.

I met him once, briefly, about five years ago as he waited for his cab in the foyer of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London.

He seemed a wonderful, dignified, yet sparky soul, willing to spend time with those who’d spotted him sitting in the corner and wanted to thank him for a great gig and all the fantastic music he’d created over the years.

Today, I’m going to make some time to listen to Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, music that demands 100% of my attention. It’s music that would never have worked without Jones.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Jazz drumming legend Jones dies