Although he's best known as the hard-driving, groove-oriented drummer for the pioneering rock group Living Colour, Will Calhoun
has played in a staggering variety of styles and traditions over the
course of his eclectic career. Straight-ahead jazz, fusion, traditional
African percussion, funk, hip-hop, and of course hard rock -- Calhoun
has explored them all, and he traces the roots of all of them to one
man: legendary drummer Elvin Jones.
On his second album for Motéma Music, Celebrating Elvin Jones (due out August 19),
Calhoun pays tribute to his earliest and most profound influence with a
stellar band of musicians, all of whom were impacted by Jones through
their personal growth as a musician or their past working with him
directly: bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Antoine Roney, pianist/keyboardist Carlos McKinney, and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. The great keyboardist Jan Hammer, a member of Jones' trio for On the Mountain (1975), joins the band for a reprise of that album's Gene Perla-penned track "Destiny;" and Senegalese percussionist Doudou N'Diaye Rose joins with a group of drummers for the traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride."
"Elvin
connected my worlds," Calhoun says. "Although I saw him playing jazz, I
felt rock and roll, I felt fusion, I felt African music. It sounds
electric, it sounds acoustic, it sounds very African, it sounds very
Latin, there are all these elements in there."
Calhoun
first became acquainted with Jones' playing as a young child hearing
the drummer's recordings with the classic John Coltrane Quartet -- a
band that he now considers part of a Holy Trinity with the second great
Miles Davis Quintet and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. At the age of 14,
Calhoun witnessed Elvin playing for the first time at the Village
Vanguard and had the opportunity to meet and speak with the drum legend
on various occasions throughout the years prior to Jones' passing in
2004.
"Listening
to Coltrane's band in my youth reminded me of some kind of an
incredible explosion," Calhoun says. "The music was beyond jazz. There
were a few records in those days where you put the needle down and you
didn't make it back to the couch. The Coltrane records were some of
those albums where I just stood there staring at the needle and
listening, and Elvin was driving that train -- no pun intended -- by
shoving a lot of coals into the fire. He had a profound effect on me."
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Photo Credit: Andre Betts
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Jones also had a profound effect on all of the members of the band that
Calhoun assembled for the occasion. McBride only played with the drummer
on a few special occasions, including saxophonist Javon Jackson's debut
album, Me and Mr. Jones. Both Roney and McKinney can boast of
more extensive experience under Jones' leadership, with both appearing
on the drummer's final release, The Truth: Heard Live at the Half Note.
While Harrold did not have the opportunity to ever perform with Jones,
the drummer has long influenced him. Calhoun drew on all of their
experiences as he developed the music for Celebrating Elvin Jones.
"Hearing
those guys telling stories about when they were on the road with Elvin
was helpful," he says. "I chose according to what music would best
represent my vision. I also wanted to put my own vibe into the music."
The songs that Calhoun selected for Celebrating Elvin Jones
span the late drummer's career, though they also reflect a distinctly
individual approach to that catalogue. Calhoun devised the repertoire
based on purely musical instincts, not just skimming the drummer's most
recognizable tunes. There's nothing on the album from the Coltrane
Quartet, and "Three Card Molly," perhaps Jones' best-known composition,
is missing from the track listing -- in part because Calhoun recorded a
memorable version for his 2006 release Native Lands in the immediate aftermath of Jones' death.
The
rousing opener "EJ Blues" was a staple of the Elvin Jones Jazz
Machine's live performances in the 1980s, while Wilbur Little's stabbing
modal tune "Whew" dates back to the drummer's 1969 album Poly-Currents.
John Coltrane's "Harmonique" predates Jones' tenure in the
saxophonist's band, but the drummer recorded it on his 1984 tribute, Brother John. Jones recorded Wayne Shorter's "Mahjong" on the composer's 1964 release JuJu, while his wife Keiko contributed "Shinjitsu," which was recorded on 1985's Live at Pit Inn.
The meditative "Sarmastah" is Calhoun's sole original composition on
the album, featuring the drummer playing blissful 12-string acoustic
guitar to conjure a transcendent mood in conjunction with Roney's
soprano and McKinney's electric piano.
Two
very special guest appearances close out the album. Hammer, as
mentioned above, originally recorded "Destiny" with Jones in 1975, so
Calhoun was honored to have the influential Czech keyboardist contribute
to the album. Hammer, who came to prominence as a member of the
Mahavishnu Orchestra and whose breakthrough success on Miami Vice
coincided with Living Colour's biggest hits, is instantly recognizable
as his lazing, soaring synths pair off with Calhoun's raucous drumming.
Finally,
Calhoun opens the traditional Japanese folk song "Doll of the Bride"
with a recording of the late Senegalese percussion master Doudou N'Diaye
Rose with a group of drummers. Calhoun treasures his memories of
meeting Rose, visiting his house in Senegal and having the opportunity
to ask questions of the master. The experience brought back memories of a
visit the drummer made to saxophonist Roney's home for rehearsal, where
he noticed a photograph of Jones in Africa surrounded by hand drummers,
making an explicit connection that he'd always heard intuitively.
"Elvin
and Doudou reminded me of each other," he says. "They have a lot in
common in how they speak about rhythm and music in a very respectful,
classy, educated and freeform way. I don't know if they ever met, but I
wanted to recognize the energy and spiritual camaraderie between those
two gentlemen."
In
recording Jones' music, Calhoun didn't want to imitate the drummer, but
simply -- as is only appropriate for such a restlessly inventive and
forward-thinking artist -- to absorb his influence and explore his music
in a uniquely personal and progressive style. "I wasn't trying to nail
Elvin's playing or sound," he explains. "I love Elvin and all of his
contributions. He's inspired me in so many ways, even playing with
Living Colour, so this piece, to me, is celebratory. It's a thank you
and a respectful homage to this wonderful musician."
