Weer is een jazzgigant overleden: Elvin Jones - de meesterdrummer achter John Coltrane, tijdens diens topjaren.

Elvin Jones was een buitengewoon energieke, dynamische drummer.
Hij werd 76 jaar en drumde tot het einde.
Dat einde was dramatisch.
Op de site van de Slagwerkkrant vond ik een verslag van zijn laatste optreden.

"Elvin Jones came out, couldn't walk and had to be helped by his wife and the band members. His wife gave him the sticks and the band started playing a bebop-like tune. The stick in his right hand (hitting the cymbal) kept slipping back and he needed to reposition it. As the performance continued, he looked more ill...in fact, he closed his eyes once, and grabbed his stomach as if he was in pain. At the end of the performance, his wife whose name I couldn't catch, came out and said that Elvin Jones was very ill. She also said that he had not eaten anything that day but that she had fired his prior 3 physicians when they said that he was dying and decided to take care of things herself, booking him continuously until July. Elvin did not said a word all night long. He stayed there, sitting by his drums for about 20 minutes after the performance was over. We all gave him a standing ovation, I guess is the way of thanking him for what he has done. He did wave goodbye as he was helped out of the stage."

Terwijl ik dit verslag zit over te tikken, denk ik: wil ik dit wel weten?
Ik ga een CD draaien met Coltrane en Elvin Jones.