Elvin Jones first came to the attention of a large body of jazz listeners through his complex, pioneering work with the John Coltrane quartet of the early 1960s. Since then he has consistently led his own adventurous units--one of a handful of drummers (Art Blakey and Max Roach are others) to achieve longevity at the helm of small jazz groups. This is where it began: his first album as a leader. It doesn't really indicate the directions he would take--the players include his brothers Hank and Thad, and the classic Basie-ites Frank Wess and Frank Foster--but it's a highly musical debut that makes quite clear what a broadly-based, skilled, and sensitive artist Elvin has always been.

with Thad Jones, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, Hank Jones, Art Davis