Yusef Lateef (featuring Elvin Jones): Water Pistol
Musicians:
Yusef Lateef (tenor sax), Elvin Jones (drums),
Barry Harris (piano), Herman Wright (bass)
.Composed by Yusef Lateef
.Recorded: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 29, 1961
Rating: 98/100 (learn more)
The fours and eights traded by Yusef Lateef and Elvin Jones towards the end of this track make it the bolt-from-the-blue nominee for Finest Elvin Jones Performance. The clarity of ideas and cleanliness of their execution (of some extremely difficult phrases) feature just about every Jones trait in less than two minutes (03:10-04:53). Two specific highlights include: the complex repeated opening statement from 03:14-03:21 (notice the inclusion of his hi-hat foot in the smallest of musical spaces), and the flawless run of 16th-note triplets from 04:07 to 04:16. This brief trading section is an example of a first-rate track on a first-rate record. "When You're Smiling," "I'll Remember April" and "Koko's Tune" are other Lateef/Jones highlights from this undervalued 1961 session.
Reviewer: Eric Novod
Tags: 1960s jazz · drums
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