The Grooves Of Elvin Jones

We need more jazz stuff on drumeo

Finally, Drumeo is doing MORE jazz IN DEPTH. Thanks Drumeo.

Great Video! I’m 72 years old and that brings me back to when I was a kid. Elvin Jones became my hero when I was a kid. Back at that time, a lot of Jazz Drummers especially in New York were so aware of Cuban music and knew how to play in Clave. Groove #2 is basically a 2-3 clave pattern and Elvin is doing Cascara pattern variations. What is so hip is that he played these patterns with great subtlety on the original recording. The man was such a genius with a wide dynamic range and an orchestral approach to the kit. Brandon, The way you break down the patterns on this video is pure mastery. You are a wonderful teacher and player. Thank you

My hands down favorite jazz drummer of all times. His work with Wayne Shorter! Bumbacloot!!!

More Jazz please! Elvin was such an inspiration, his finesse/rage was unmatched. Never seen a jazz drummer have such intensity.

It wasn't until I studied out of John Riley's books 10 - 15 years ago, and breaking through with serious 4 way independence that I got Elvin's one total instrument concept. And his volleying of time around the kit. It really opened up a new world.

Elvin Jones in your band you just can't go wrong. It never gets old hearing him play.

“Contemplation” by McCoy Tyner is a monster of a performance by Elvin. Also, his work alongside Sonny Rollins in the “Live At The Village Vanguard” is phenomenal.

That 3/4 pattern mystified me for years, because of the upbeat tempo. Fabulous to have it slowed down. Thank you drumeo and all the fine drummers. More jazz drumming please!!

Please please do more of these! I just started playing a week ago, and am actually learning and playing these tunes! I’ve been listening to JC with Elvin for the better part of 23 years now…now I can actually play along to one of my favorite compositions. Thank you! More please!

GREAT LESSON WE NEED MORE JAZZ LESSONS ON YOUR CHANNEL!!! PLEASE INCORPORATE JAZZ GREATS BEFORE WE LOOSE THEM ALL

i like how elvin delays everything just inserting bars in his grooves that always blew my mind cause he summons them as groovily as the rest of his playing. he describes drumming as a form of drawing or painting. to him its colours. thank you much for this

Elvin Jones, for sure. A Love Supreme kills... I think I've seen drum transcription somewhere on the internet for Resolution. And also McCoy Tyner's Contemplation.

My vote for Elvin has been paid off! MOre Elvin!

The finish on that drum set is killer!

Dear Brandon : Thanks for some of the best presented online music lessons I have seen, period! You are clear, concise, focussed on the essential points, well versed with your subject material, accurate in your demonstrations, and well organised in your lesson structure and format. This lesson is a big help for Elvin fans. However, I have but one bone to pick - one of theoretical terminology versus actual metric conception : At 11:10 you address the kick drum part in the 'Afro-waltz', stating it is played as two "dotted quarter-notes" per bar, which is, by default, a true { 2 : 3 } structure to the pulse. However, in contrast, your notation quite correctly shows us what Elvin actually defaults to, which is in fact a { [ (5 + 4) : 9 ] : 3 } structure over the TRIPLET (quaver/'eighth') grid, with the first bass-drum note being 5 triplets long, and the second, coming in on the third triplet of beat 2 (as in, the 'a' of '2-and-a'), being only 4 triplets long. This was a key difference with Elvin's approach to the 'two-over-three' waltz feel in comparison to many other jazz drummers who tended to play it 'straight', as a { [ (3+3) : 6 ] : 3 }, over the DUPLET grid. Elvin's is a SWING conception - at the TRIPLET subdivision, resulting in a characteristic 'longer-shorter' motif. I know that YOU know this, but do the students? Might they be confused when you call what is 5 triplet quavers followed by 4 triplet quavers, " [ a pair of ] dotted quarter-notes" ? I know that the standard 'colloquial' approach to swing rhythm conception is to write, see, and even 'think' in regular eighth-note quaver patterns, and then convert those into 'swung' 'eighths', which are NOT '8ths' per se, but are generally conceptualised as being played along the triplet grid ( ie. '12ths' in 4/4 ; '9ths' in 3/4 ; '15ths' in 5/4 etc), and are further 'felt' as even triplets, or maybe as dotted quaver/8th and 16th notes, or even perhaps as quintuplets in divisions of { [(3+2) : 5 ] : 1 } or { [(4+1) : 5 ] : 1 }. However, issues arise with this approach. Firstly, what do we do with a dotted crotchet? It might be 'swung', perhaps at the triplet subdivision, but, could/should it be played 'straight', at even 8ths in a given musical circumstance? Either way might be the more or less preferable option. The straight dotted crotchets might provide a desirable polyrhythmic feel AGAINST a triplet-based swing feel (at a { 2 : 3 } ratio), which is totally in keeping with jazz. However, the triplet-grid moderated version, at { (5+4) : 3 } will swing more tightly and will provide a slightly 'offset' groove with a layer of syncopation added to the (previously) straight '2 : 3' pattern. Yet again, what if a player's physical interpretation of 'swung-eighths' (a theoretical misnomer, in fact) tends toward a metric division of straight 16th semiquavers, or of quintuplet semiquavers ('15ths' in 3/4)? Would this not then skew the pattern even further, forming say, a { (9+6) : 3 } pattern, if based on a { (4+1) : 5 } swing ratio? We soon find ourselves in an analytical 'metric mine-field' with the inevitable ambiguities arising from imprecise notation. HOWEVER, you have had the foresight to provide PRECISE notation for the patterns you are teaching in this video, the notations adequately distinguishing between the 8th-note duplet/16th-note quadruplet "Love Supreme" feel, and the "Afro-Blue" type feel based on triplet-quavers ('9th'-notes in 3/4 time). Therefore, your conceptual and terminological duty is to that very notation, which you have provided as the key to 'putting the right sounds in the right places'. Additionally, with regard to your students, you have a duty to them to be absolutely consistent with your explanatory language, and consistently clear in distinguishing between different systems of conception (such as the 'system' of estimating swing from straight notation versus the system of accurate numerical division of beats with differentiated notations). In this one instance, you contradicted the terms you are working on, namely triplet-quaver grid notation, by referring to the bass drum part as "dotted quarter-notes", when this neither reflects what is written, nor what is played and heard (which DOES reflect what IS written). I only jump on this like I have done here because this is a long-standing 'beef' on my part, where I feel that too much vaguery and presumption is associated with the ' swing estimation & conversion of straight notation ' approach. This one little example of problems typically arising from it, in your otherwise excellent presentation, is a good one to spotlight to show why the notational vaguery & presumption common in jazz culture has no place in real metric conception, and therefore no place in teaching metric conception. Thus, my long and intricate comment is provided here for all as, albeit a side-discussion to the video, a nevertheless very important matter for consideration in general conceptual and communicative terms. Hopefully, it might also 'straighten out' any confusion arising from the small but significant contradiction I have spotlit here. Thanks again Brandon - I will definately check out more of your videos! Now off I go to practice that "Love Supreme" groove !

I love the first groove, it is very comfortable to play i think

Brandon, this is one of my all time favorite Drumeo lessons! I was lucky enough to see Elvin play once, and it was a life-changing experience. The way you break down his playing is great. So are your shoes.

Its really cool to see jazz stuff on this channel, also this was very well done and authentic!

For someone who started to play drums because of Elvin, almost 40 years ago, saw him live 6 times between 86 and 2003 and simply adores him, is nice to see such a loving, accurate and thoughtful homage to his art. Great sound on your set and your devotion to Elvin and Coltrane is evident. Good job!