Elvin Jones’ ‘Puttin’ It Together’ Gets Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series Reissue
The 1968 album marked the drummer’s first for the label
Elvin Jones’ 1968 Blue Note debut Puttin’ It Together is set to be reissued by the label as part of its Classic Vinyl Reissue Series. The album will be released on October 17.
Puttin’ It Together marked the start of a new chapter in the legendary drummer’s career following his six years with the seminal John Coltrane Quartet, and Coltrane’s death in 1967.
The spare trio album found Jones engaged in a three-way dialogue with bassist Jimmy Garrison and multi-instrumentalist Joe Farrell.
Puttin’ It Together marked the beginning of a stellar run for Jones, contributing his own albums to Blue Note’s rich history alongside the celebrated records he played on like Freddie Hubbard’s Ready for Freddie, Wayne Shorter’s Speak No Evil, Joe Henderson Inner Urge, Larry Young’s Unity, and McCoy Tyner’s The Real McCoy, among many others. After releasing Puttin’ It Together, he began recording a series of remarkable albums for the label through the early 1970s that included The Ultimate, Poly-Currents, Genesis, and Mr. Jones.
In a 2002 interview with Jazz Times, Jones reflected on his discography and some of his favorite releases. He explained how he’s always been partial to Puttin’ It Together: “I like them all but with my schedule I just don’t have time to sit and realize what I’ve done, one record compared to the others…But there are two or three I especially like. I like the first one I did on Blue Note — Puttin’ It Together [1968] — with the trio of me, Joe Farrell, and Jimmy Garrison. I always liked that.”
In that same interview, Jones also reflected on his approach to playing the drums, a style that reverberates through classic albums like Puttin’ It Together. He explained: “The only thing I can think of is that when I play the drums, I try to play them as an instrument. I’m not trying to play in only one style. I just try and interpret the music as it comes. I could play, if I wanted to, in a rock ‘n’ roll band. I’d play drums…but I’m not going to play the guitar or anything like that.”
