Time Capsule - Elvin Jones

Apr

18

Time Capsule - Elvin Jones

≡ Category: 1970s, Music Reviews, Post Bop, Recommended |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Rating:

You can’t hide the overall good vibe that emanates from Time Capsule, Elvin Jones’ final session for the Vanguard label.

Elvin has played with the best: Coltrane, Shorter, Corea, Liebman, Grossman, Farrell, Hammer, Tyner and many more. To me, the players on Time Capsule don’t quite meet that lofty standard, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good.

Bunky Green (alto sax), for example has plenty of good ideas, employing chord substitution, altered scales, intervallic jumps and occasional overtones outside the normal range of the instrument, just to keep things interesting. Guitarist Ryo Kawasaki doesn’t play it safe either, avoiding the standard bop cliches. If their playing is less than clean, and the construction of their solos feels less than inevitable, at least you feel intellectually engaged when you listen to them. Kenny Barron (electric piano), George Coleman (tenor sax), and Frank Foster (soprano sax) are similarly pleasant to listen to.

The structures of the songs are not particularly challenging in and of themselves, but there’s plenty of variety, including latin rhythms, straight 4/4 time, a jazz samba, and a jazz waltz. If there’s a standout, it would have to be the last tune on the album, Bunky Green’s Spacing. The head has a Middle Eastern modal feel to it, and when you add Elvin’s special 2/4 time feel to the mix, it’s a lot of fun.

The arrangements are creative and always pleasant to listen to, and are designed to give plenty of space for the soloists to stretch out.

The setup allows Elvin to play gently sometimes, at other times propulsively, but above all, to contribute to the overall warm feel of the date.

In other words, there’s nothing profound going on here, but it’s a lot like a party with lots of sociable guests who have interesting things to say when they open their mouths. Nobody monopolizes the conversation and overstays their welcome. Nobody gets drunk and embarrasses themselves. When the party’s over, the guests go home. Nobody’s life got changed, but everybody had a good time.

And you will, too.