5727 33rd Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Jones for Elvin - Volume 1
CD review by Larry Nai from Cadence Magazine (June 2000)
Saxophonist Steve Griggs' debut is a powerful set of hard bop, and not only because Elvin Jones is on drums. Griggs has a big, nuanced tone on his soprano double - check out "Claudia" - and his tenor work everywhere else is quite impressive. While he brings a burnished, Coltrane sound to some of his lines, the range of his ideas suggests the confidence of someone who has digested a number of influences, and is now content to casually play his own mind. Good writer, too - all of these tunes hold up on repeat listening, and are nicely harmonized to emphasize both air and density. Seattle veteran Phil Sparks grounds them with his typically commanding bass work, and Jay Thomas is a superb trumpeter, whose low notes often have the fat resonance of a trombone's - check him out on "Sparks" - and a perfect roundness at the top of his range.
As for Elvin, it's just amazing how good he sounds. His brush work, cymbal shading, and edge-of-your-seat sense of time on "In a Sentimental Mood" help shape a beautiful performance, with inspired contributions from Griggs and guitarist Petersen. It's obvious that a lot of care went into every aspect of this production, and it's paid off in an easily recommendable first installment of what was, evidently, a grand recording session.