Dear John C. is an album by American jazz drummer Elvin Jones featuring performances recorded in 1965 for the Impulse! label.[2] The "John C." mentioned in the title is John Coltrane. The album was also released on SACD. It features Jones leading a quartet of alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, pianist Roland Hanna and bassist Richard Davis.
| Dear John C. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1965[1] | |||
| Recorded | February 23 & 25, 1965 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 39:25 | |||
| Label | Impulse! A-88 | |||
| Producer | Bob Thiele | |||
| Elvin Jones chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception edit
The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album 4 stars stating "The variety from cut to cut is engaging, and there's nothing over the top, even the drumming of Elvin Jones. With the musicality at a high level, Dear John C. needs revisiting by drumming students and jazz fans to note how teamwork, shared values, and held-in-check dynamics benefit the overall quality of music. It seems this recording is underrated when over time it should never be. Dear John C. is deserving of an excellent rating".[3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [4] |
Track listing edit
Original track listing
- "Dear John C." (Hammer, Thiele) - 3:54
- "Smoke Rings" (Gifford, Washington) - 3:41
- "Love Bird" (Mingus) - 3:49
- "Feeling Good" (Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse) - 4:11
- "Anthropology" (Gillespie, Parker) - 4:20
- "This Love of Mine" (Sol Parker, Hank Sanicola, Sinatra) - 4:20
- "Fantazm" (Ellington) - 3:56
- "Ballade" (Hammer) - 5:18
- "Everything Happens to Me" (Tom Adair, Matt Dennis) - 5:56
Recorded on February 23, 1965 (tracks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), and February 25, 1965 (tracks 1, 3, 8, 9)
A CD reissue features a different track list and the bonus track "That Five-Four Bag"
Personnel edit
- Elvin Jones – drums
- Charlie Mariano – alto saxophone
- Roland Hanna (1, 3, 8) – piano
- Hank Jones (4, 5, 7) – piano
- Richard Davis – bass
References edit
- ^ Billboard Nov 20, 1965
- ^ Impulse! Records discography accessed March 23, 2011
- ^ a b Nastos, M. G. Allmusic Review accessed March 23, 2011
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 113. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.